SINNERS Symposium: How TikTok Creators are Fueling Viral Movies

In this 2-part series, we’re sharing gems about fandoms, creators, and marketing movies from the TikTok SINNERS Symposium. The day before the Oscars, the Proximity Media team attended a symposium hosted by TikTok, Gold House, and Warner Bros., where panelists explored how fans and creators can help fuel the marketing of a film. In this first episode, IN PROXIMITY host Paola Mardo sits down with SINNERS writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler, producer Sev Ohanian, and TikTok creator Jocelyn Yates (@jocwatchlist) to talk about viral SINNERS moments, their unique experiences as creators and filmmakers, and how each of them think about their audience. SHOP OUR PROX BOOKS RECS ON BOOKSHOP.ORG LEARN MORE AND READ THE TRANSCRIPT AT PROXIMITYMEDIA.COM WATCH/LISTEN TO IN PROXIMITYYOUTUBEAPPLE PODCASTSSPOTIFY FOLLOW PROXIMITY MEDIAINSTAGRAMTIKTOK (00:00) Who’s never been inside a Blockbuster? (02:26) How Ryan, Sev, and Jocelyn think about the audience (08:12) Viral SINNERS moments on TikTok (14:05) Behind Ryan’s viral aspect ratio breakdown video (17:41) Jocelyn’s decision to make SINNERS content (19:14) Sev’s jump from YouTube to filmmaking (23:27) Building lasting filmmaking collaborations (27:15) The production process for @jocwatchlist TikToks (28:51) Prox Recs (34:04) Question #1: Surprising online takes about SINNERS (35:58) Question #2: The importance of content creators for marketing films (39:21) Question #3: How THE LUCK OF THE IRISH and other films influenced Ryan  (42:43) Question #4: When they knew they made something groundbreaking IN PROXIMITY IS A PRODUCTION OF PROXIMITY MEDIA Host, Director, Producer: Paola Mardo Executive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian Theme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig Göransson Co-Director and Director of Photography: Patrick Epino Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken Nana Editors: Patrick Epino, Ken Nana, Ben Caloza Motion Graphics Designer: Apollo Baldoz Associate Producer: Celine Mendiola Production Coordinator: Joy Woo Social Media Coordinator: Alexandria Santana Production Intern: Ben Caloza Footage: Mirrored Media for TikTok