MailChimp

An Interview with Adriana De Barros

Founding Editor and Art Director of Scene 360

Scene 360 is a really cool publication. Where did your initial idea to start it come from?

Thanks! In 1999, I began writing analyses about art and literature influences/inspirations in movies. An example is: I remember seeing a detail in the film poster of “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), seven nude women forming a human skull on the Death’s Head Hawk Moth that lies over Jodie Foster’s mouth. This skull was originally a gauche painting by Salvador Dali, and then recreated into a photo shoot by Philippe Halsan, 1951 (including Dali’s presence). And basically 10 years ago, this detail was unknown to most viewers (Wikipedia wasn’t around then.) So I just began to report these finds, and also study more about the various art forms that interested me. The “Editing Room” section was initially the reason behind the entire site. “360” represents a rotation, as in 360 degrees. Film, art, music, and literature are analyzed in-depth from unfamiliar characteristics to similarities, inspirations, or just coincidences.

Since its birth, the project has developed into an actual magazine. I don’t think I knew it was a magazine when I first started it. Maybe a year into it, after receiving comments from readers stating/titling it as an “e-zine”—it grew into one (smile). In terms of content it still focuses on art, film, music, and literature—interviewing talented individuals with a focus on their career and the driving force behind their work.

What is the best part of your job?

The best part is learning something new every day. The reason why I launched this project was to continue reading more, studying and learning, and sharing the things that I liked with others. I’m still doing that today, almost nine years later. I enjoy every publication because each one is selective and diverse. I think all , contributors, and invited guests have contributed to Scene 360 in a positive and insightful way.

Why MailChimp?

I speak highly of MailChimp even when you guys don’t ask me this question. I’ve recommended your services to clients and friends. Mailchimp is a great service-- practical, simple, and with good customer service.

I recall about a year and ½ ago, Scene 360 had a custom-coded newsletter system that was great for many years but had became out-dated. There was an increase in spam and viruses—and before anything actually “happened” in terms of security of the mailing list, myself and Lech Deregowski (360 developer) decided it was time to upgrade it. The web had changed, and we needed to keep up with those changes. Instead of putting so much time into coding, we thought why not partner up with a company that just focuses creating a secure newsletter system. I thought it would be the right decision, and now I can confirm it was! Not only do I not worry about security and spam issues... Your system is so clean and simple that I began to take advantage of it. I now do an HTML and a text email. The HTML email has become almost like my hobby every month, doing something artistic with it. It has been talked about (in a good way!) and I just have to thank you for providing an A-quality system. This year you’ve made some great updates that took almost 8-months of work on your end. Wow! I love saving drafts as I work on the newsletter, and I like being able to copy the HTML content to text form because it saves me time! I honestly have no complaints, I like Mailchimp and the people involved in your project.


Tell us about your nomination for this year’s Pixel Awards.

There is always hope, but given the type of sites usually nominated for Pixel Awards—big companies like BBC, Sony, and others-- we honestly didn't expect the nomination. It is fierce competition, and many of these projects are setup with a bigger budget to put all the nuts and bolts into a website. We’re still literally a non-commercial project, and no one on the team makes a living off of Scene 360. We do this because we love to write about stuff, it is our passion, love... joy! The whole team is pleased with the nomination!