Few would expect the flannel-dressed girl typing feverishly on her sticker-pasted laptop to be the founder and editor-in-chief of a popular music website. However, Acacia Evans, an Entertainment Industry Studies Major at Belmont University, has never been one to “think inside the box.” At age fifteen, Acacia started media outlet turned digital magazine, Big City Thoughts, which has grown to include staff writers and photographers.
This past week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Acacia about her journey with Big City Thoughts.
To begin the interview, would you tell readers about Big City Thoughts?
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Hey! Thanks again for thinking
of me. Big City Thoughts is a digital magazine/online media outlet I created
when I was 15-years-old. Originating in the alternative/rock scene, I finally
decided that I wanted to expand into different genres. In the spring of 2015, I
temporarily left school for health reasons. While I was home, I decided to make
Big City Thoughts into a digital magazine so our audience could flip through
our work in one place.
What motivated you to start Big
City Thoughts as a teen?
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This is actually really funny
so please no judging! When I was in middle school, I was obsessed with the
Jonas Brothers. Everything about them: their fan base, live shows, and
obviously good looks were extremely fascinating to me. I thought to myself,
“I’m going to interview them one day.”
Did you face adversity, negativity from others?
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I think no matter what
industry you’re in or what company you run, you’re always going to run into hardships.
The media outlet/concert photographer world can get extremely competitive. I’m
not a very competitive person, but I think this industry sometimes brings out a
side of me that I’m not too happy about. I’ve learned throughout the past
couple of years that empowerment is so much stronger and healthier than
competition and jealousy. Better for your mental health as well.
How has the magazine grown?
-
The magazine has grown in ways
that I have absolutely never imagined. I have writers. I have photographers. I
have friends that help me run our social media accounts and who coordinate our
live show coverage. I’m photographing in arenas. I mean, it’s truly incredible
how much support and help I’ve gotten. It’s amazing to have a team of friends
and family behind me who are helping me grow more and more every day.
What are your goals for the future?
-
I always find this a difficult
question because my goals change everyday. As of right now, I want to expand
our viewership and following on all platforms. I also want to make sure that we
are covering all genres of music and successfully doing so.
After years of working with the magazine, what’s been your
favorite experience so far?
-
I think my favorite experience
so far was shooting Demi Lovato for the first time back in March of 2014 at the
Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. I have been a huge fan of Demi since my Jonas
Brothers days and have always looked up to her for so many reasons. Demi
battles mental illness and I do as well, so it’s incredible to see her up on
stage in a really raw and vulnerable state.
If you could give advice to all the young people with large
dreams, what would you tell them?
-
I feel like people get sick of
being told to “just do it,” but it’s entirely true. If you want to do
something, take action. I also feel like a lot of people hold back on chasing
their dreams due to age, but to me, age is literally just a number. It’s never
too late to start chasing!
To learn more Big City
Thoughts, go to: bigcitythoughts.com.
And don’t forget to follow Acacia on Instagram and Twitter @acaciaevans.
