​If there’s anyone in Hollywood who “gets” social media, it’s Orlando Jones.

The actor, who plays Captain Frank Irving on the Fox drama “Sleepy Hollow” could practically write a book on mastering the art of tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and other various social platforms.

His tumblr—The Orlando Jones Tumblr Experiment—began shortly after “Sleepy Hollow” went on the air. And he can talk about things like “shipping” and “slash” with the ease of someone who clearly enjoys the finer points of fandom.

So what’s his advice for marketers?

Nothing. That’s not his game, he says.

“My interest isn’t in eyeballs. My interest is in fans. And those are two very different ideas,” Jones said Friday in Los Angeles. “It’s a business, and there’s nothing wrong with it being a business. I love the business. But digital has transformed the landscape.”

Jones was speaking at the 5th Annual Transforming Hollywood conference at UCLA.

He said that for him, interacting with fans on social media isn’t about monetization and business goals. It’s about something much bigger: celebrating artistry and returning a bit of civil discourse to the world.

“The internet is a language—a new language. It’s many to many. Previously we’ve only had one-to-one and one-to-many,” Jones said. “Rather than looking at a way to monetize it, I look at it as a language.”

Tags:


  Save as PDF