For the first time in years, I was glad to be watching live TV tonight.
I was finishing up my dinner when TiVo started recording the newest episode of The Magicians. Which, by the way, is fantastic. I’ve written about the book trilogy before, and the show is just as good, if not better.
About 15 minutes into the show, a commercial break ended with the following message: “Tweet now with the cast and crew of The Magicians. #magicians”
I’m sure this isn’t the first time a show has arranged something like this. But it’s the first time I’ve experienced it, and I have to say, it’s awesome.
Granted, I didn’t actually tweet anything. I didn’t know what to say. But I loved the idea that the cast and crew–particularly the cast–were engaging with people live while the show was airing. How cool is that?!
To have this make sense, think of a TV show you love. Picture a few of the actors and actresses in the show. Now imagine those people watching the show at the same time as you and talking about it with you as you watch.
Yes. It’s that cool. That’s what happened tonight.
Have you ever done this? I’m very curious you’ve ever tried it and if any members of the cast responded to your tweets.
I know its not live, but I know the Expanse Subreddit has had crew members posting on it and lurking around, Especially on the thread discussing the episode. The idea of people posing questions, and getting responses to them relatively soon is definitely cool.
It helps the shows in the same ways that you have been with your blog and community. The community gets answers and gets to interact with the creators, and those people turn into advocates that help grow community.
Sean: That’s really cool! I love when the people who create entertainment are willing to engage with the fans in that way, especially given that not everyone is nice on social media. 🙂
And thanks, yeah, I’m in a much lower stratosphere than a TV star, but I do my best to engage with the people who want to talk about my games. 🙂