Collaborate Philly Features: Tinsel & Tine (Why I started blogging)

I did a profile piece on the new Philadelphia based Social Media Site Collaborate Philly (click for post) in August, and now they’ve returned the favor and interviewed me about Tinsel & Tine …

For the fourth installment of our spotlight on local websites series, we decided to feature local film and food website Tinsel & Tine founded by Le Anne Lindsay. Philly has a great film community. And as Katie Briggs talked about in our last installment,
Philly is also a foodie town, too. It only makes sense to come across a site, which happily marries the two. And when I say “happily” I mean happily. Le Anne loves what she does. And it shows.

Q: When and why did you start Tinsel & Tine?

I call this my vintage logo. It’s the one I started the site with when I thought I’d be covering more food than film.

A: It was actually a school project for my Data Comm class
(2008). Our Instructor was going to be away for a week and creating a
Blog was one of the assignments he left for us. I wasn’t into it at
all. I really felt it was a waste of time, and just busy work. So
choosing an unorthodox name, seemed like a fun rebellion; I called my
blog, Suck My Pretty Toes! It originally was about pet peeves and things
that made me mad. Kinda an Andy Rooney rant. This was fine to get
graded on the assignment, but to my astonishment, I really liked
blogging! What I decided I didn’t like, was writing from such a
negative place.

I was already doing some writing. At the time, my sister
had an online magazine and I was a frequent contributor. I also wrote a
screenplay with a friend; I would best described it as “The Others”
meets “The Philadelphia Story” but features a gay male lead.

Anyway, if I wanted my blog to come from a positive place, I
needed to write about things that made me happy – Film & Food. I
still feel like a child every time I go to the movies. When the theater
darkens and the movie begins, I get giddy. And I’ve always been lost in
stories. Any medium that tells a good story, but film encapsulates
storytelling in a way that’s finite. And I LOVE to eat! Look forward to
every meal; big on comfort foods and trying new things. Love the moment
you enter a restaurant, commandeer a table, take in the surroundings,
peruse the menu and after ordering, anticipate the presentation of your
choice.

So like a naughty child, I learned my lesson from my earlier rebellion and changed my blog name to Tinsel & Tine.

Q: How would you categorize the local film scene?

A: Alive! Philadelphia is a film city. There are several film
festivals throughout the year: Philadelphia Film Festival, Jewish Film
Festival, Asian Film Festival, Blackstar Film Festival, QFEST, WCL Film
and Music Festival…. Then there’s events and screenings throughout the
year hosted by The Greater Philadelphia Film Office, The Philadelphia
Film Society, Reelblack, Cinémathèque Internationale of Philadelphia,
The Philadelphia Cinema Alliance, screenings at Universities, and most
of all, seeing preview screenings through the PR agency Allied-THA.
There’s always much to cover.

Q: Do the food and movie communities intersect in any interesting ways in Philadelphia?

A: This year GPFO decided to add a theme to their Set in
Philadelphia screenplay competition. All submitted screenplays must
feature a prominent food element in the script. It can be set in a
restaurant, the characters can be foodies, chef’s etc…, it could just
have a really good food in film moment… I actually went to cover the
PitchFest auditions; this is the part of the competition where
writers/filmmakers pitch their screenplay idea in front of a panel of
judges. Here’s a link to the post – http://www.tinseltine.com/2012/10/comcast-market-gpfo-phillypitch.html

Q: What’s your favorite food-themed movie and why?

A: I really enjoyed “Eat Pray Love” Elizabeth Gilbert (author of
the book the movie is based upon) really gets the sensuality behind
food. Plus this was a book that really spoke to me; so much so, I
worried the movie wouldn’t live up to my experience of the book. But it
did, the movie was a bit more lighthearted; but stayed true to the
essence of Gilbert’s words.

Q: Are you a total foodie when it comes to watching movies? As in- do you have to eat while watching flicks?

A: I do like to sneak food into the movie theater. I once hid a
large pizza box under my coat. If I’m home watching a DVD, I’m often
also eating lunch or dinner, or maybe indulging in one of my drugs of
choice: Cheez-its or Doritos. But the only time I really plan a menu is
during The Oscars!

Q: What opportunities have Tinsel & Tine opened up for you?

A: Well, the blog keeps growing its audience, which brings things
like ticket giveaways and guest bloggers, press screenings, red carpet
openings, roundtable interviews with directors, all good stuff!

However, the one opportunity I really want is to figure out how
to make blogging lucrative. Even if I had time to really go after
sponsors, that wouldn’t be enough money. I so enjoy Tinsel & Tine
and every part of myself that I put into it, but working a full-time job
along side of it, means every evening and weekend, I’m either attending
a screening, or dining experience, interviewing someone,
writing/editing a post, researching, formatting, emailing, promoting,
linking, social media-ing or downloading photos. It’s exhausting, and I
don’t have enough free time.

Q: If you had one absolute wish for the local food and film scene, what would it be?

A: Just what I said above, that somehow I could be paid for my
content, that it would be beneficial to some organization or company to
link to Tinsel & Tine.

Q: How important can film be to bringing attention to food issues?

A: Film, particularly documentaries, are at the heart of
bringing attention to any issues. Which is why it’s great that docs in
general, during the last decade have developed a bigger audience. I
think in terms of food issues, docs like “Supersize Me” & “Food Inc”
definitely made an impact. Not a significant change, but an awareness.

Q: How have you seen the Philly film community progress since you started Tinsel & Tine? Where would you like to see it go?

A: Two years ago when Sun Center Studios opened out near the
airport, I thought this was going to be a mecca for the Philly Film
Scene. It had plans of becoming the east coast version of a Burbank
film lot. But thus far, it hasn’t garnered a lot of attention. Films
are being shot there, most recently, M. Night Shyamalan’s “After Earth,”
starring Will & Jaden Smith. Yet, I don’t hear any real buzz about
Sun Center, hopefully this will change soon.

Q: Recommend any upcoming films?

A: I’m looking forward to seeing “Cloud Atlas” “Middle of
Nowhere” & “Les Miserable”. Films I recently reviewed and liked:
“Looper”, “Sleepwalk with Me” and “Pitch Perfect”.

Q: Are there any ways in which readers can interact with Tinsel & Tine?

A: I do have a couple of guest bloggers and depending on the
strength of a person’s writing, would accept others. Particularly food
bloggers. I’ve really been woefully neglecting the Tine side of Tinsel
& Tine. I also hope to free up time to interview
and highlight local, up and coming filmmakers. And I do have an ad rate
sheet on the site, along with my Google Analytic’s stats. If anyone
wants to advertise on T & T, feel free to contact me!

Philly Film and Food Blog