There are many hard-working folks in the entertainment news industry. From influencers taking full advantage of social media and the resources around them to those on primetime slots on well-known shows like Access Hollywood and All Access. Everyone is busy scheduling interviews and watching content to show you what’s coming up in television and movies. As well as any news about their favorite stars. While many may only see the glitz and glamour of the job, they also don’t know the hours and hours of work that happens behind the scenes.

With that in mind, LRM Online‘s Emmanuel Gomez had the opportunity to talk with Scott Evans. He is currently the co-host of NBC’s primetime nationally syndicated entertainment news show, Access Hollywood. Currently, it’s in its twenty-fourth season. He also hosts on All Access and Access Daily. His years in the industry have massively paid off as he is often personally requested for interviews with some of the entertainment world’s top talent.

During our conversation, Evans tells us about how he came up in the business as well as some of what it takes to be successful. We also hear about his first-look deal and what he hopes to bring with that. Finally, he gives us some words of wisdom that have the potential to shift our perspective on how we look at our goals. It’s a great conversation that you can check out down below!

A Conversation with Access Hollywood’s Scott Evans

Emmanuel Gomez: You got a busy schedule doing all these day-to-day shows with Access Hollywood, All Access, and Access Daily. That’s a lot of work!

Scott Evans: Man. We are all busy. You know? We are all busy. I think the fortunate thing that I have realized is that I’m living my dream every day. You know what I mean? So while it is a really demanding schedule sometimes I love what I do, man. So it doesn’t even matter.

Emmanuel Gomez: That’s an amazing attitude to have. It’s interesting you say it that way because a lot of people look at people in media and just see the glitz and glamour of it. They see you on the red carpet, they see you talking to, so and so, and so, and so. They don’t know about all the grind that goes in the background. I mean, I’m obviously not even close to, to your level of, of the amount of work you do, but I know how much work I have to put into to just get a couple of junkets here and there. Then having to edit and things like that. Tell me, tell me about some of the daily struggles that a lot of people don’t get to hear about.

Scott Evans: Well, you know, I think that sometimes the misconception can be that once you get on, like, it happened overnight, right? Like a show called you, they saw your Instagram page and they just picked you up and they were like, you’re gonna be the host of a show. Or you’re gonna do our, our junket interviews, or you’re gonna be our red carpet guy. And that’s just not how it goes. You know what I mean? Like it was years of work before I even got to, to Access Hollywood. I have to be honest, I was in the third grade when I realized this is what I wanted to do. I was portraying a young Reggie Miller playing basketball against a young Larry Bird in the player intro videos at the Indiana Pacers. And my sister, Stacy booked me on this gig. I remember we were in the car and on the way home.  I was like, this is what I want to do. Like I got 50 bucks and a day outta school, and it was like one camera and one audio guy. But for me, it felt like a movie set. You know what I’m saying? 

I’ve been pursuing this thing ever since. So, you know I think, to me the most common misconception is that like, oh you just popped. Right? And it takes, I think they say seven years before the pop really happens like seven years of solid, concerted, consistent effort day in and day out, pointed in the direction of your dream. I think also the thing that continues to surprise me about people and their perceptions of this gig, or really any gig in kind of Hollywood, is that if I just get an agent or if I just get a manager, then this is how am I found. Especially with, with all of the resources and all of the avenues and outlets, now that you don’t have to wait on.

You don’t have to wait on a network. You don’t have to wait on anybody to get your experience up. To even try to start planning and producing and creating. With YouTube and TikTok, Instagram, and Patreon, there are so many avenues that someone can go in to create content that they love and they believe an audience will love and start cultivating that audience. So that’s what I would say, I think are the biggest misconceptions, my day varies, you know day to day, for the most part, there are at least two show tapings a day. But for beyond that, I could be on a red carpet. Like I’m, I just got back from San Diego covering, the Top Gun Global premier.

On for that particular, several days was driving down to San Diego, interacting with the key talent from Top Gun Maverick. Then culminating kind of in this premier scenario where we did literally did the red carpet on an Naval aircraft carrier. Tom cruise lands the helicopter in the middle of the carpet. Right. and then gets up, jumps out, and is like, all right, who’s up first, you know what I mean? So there, there, those kinds of interactions that are also coupled with the founders of the black and missing organization. This group of individuals has charged themselves with the responsibility of helping make sure that the stories of missing black and brown girls in particular. But children or really people it’s not just children, actually, people are told and make sure that, those stories are captured in the media and that there are resources presented to the families of those people.

So you have Top Gun and Tom Cruise flying in a helicopter. Then you have really emotional conversations with people who are trying to find those that are missing. So the show that I work on operates in this really kind of unique space, that is entertainment news, but there are elements of true crime. There are elements of the everyday person as well. So yeah man, it’s the misconception, I guess, to try to answer your question most concisely, the misconception, I think, is that, that there is ever a regular day, because it’s certainly not.

Emmanuel Gomez: No, believe me. I know. I actually picked this up alone as a hobby with a friend and just kept saying yes to every opportunity that I’ve been given. So now to learn more about the industry, I’m actually a cameraman at our local news agency for NBC actually In the central valley. Just learning more about it and, gaining more respect for it. For everything that it is and everything that goes into it into the production of a show. So when I, when I’m sitting there at the station watching Access Hollywood, I have a better idea of the amount of teamwork, the amount of grind that everyone has to put into for those few minutes of coverage.

Scott Evans: It’s so funny. I started in this career as a camera operator myself and an editor and then moved into segment producing. One day in particular, the talent didn’t show up to, I think it was called the 360 Eatery. I was doing it with uncle art’s barbecue in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the talent didn’t show up to do the shoot. So I did it and act from that point on, I was like, Oh yeah, this is where we need to be on this side of the thing. So, yeah man,  it’s been a crazy, crazy ride, but it you’re right. You do have to be willing to broaden or deepen your understanding right. In order to really grow and really kill in this, in this industry. For sure.

Emmanuel Gomez: With that said, how important is it for people in general that are trying to move up in the industry to develop self-confidence, and self-worth. Not having a self, a sense of imposter syndrome, and then kind of like you did being ready for that opportunity when that day comes. Because it, it may come out of nowhere when somebody doesn’t show up.

Scott Evans:  I think that recognizing that imposter syndrome is, is inevitable, right? If you have never done it, if you don’t have a whole lot of evidence pointing to that, you are great at it or that you have any sort of longevity, this imposter syndrome is bound to creep in. I think that you’d be silly to try to avoid it. I feel it even now, you know what I mean? Even today. So I think that you have to be willing to move through that, to not allow it to prevent you from getting more education into the medium about doing the most research you can before you show up to an interview. Really preparing yourself. I think to me, the one who is prepared is always in a better scenario to take advantage of the opportunity.

But I also think that you have to just be willing to try, right? And not delay. I think that you also have to be willing to just get out there and do it and whatever capacity that means. Like, it doesn’t necessarily mean that like going from someone who’s never done a red carpet before that you’re gonna be hosting the Oscars for ABC. But you could turn on the photo call, like the red carpet, the pre-show, and do an Instagram live and call the carpet. Like you see it. Start somewhere and don’t let anybody prevent you from getting active as soon as possible. That’s what I would say to anybody who is like, okay, but what do I do? Where do I start? Or how do I get started?

Emmanuel Gomez: Especially in this day and of technology and how good phones are. I’ll be honest. I did a red carpet, my first real red carpet that I did from start to finish just a couple of just about a month ago,  and I shot it with an iPhone and with a plugin microphone, and it looked pretty good. I was actually quite impressed.

Scott Evans: You know, the point remains that this is a space where if you are willing to do the work, then you belong. Period. I don’t care what your background is. What your gender is, what your orientation is, what your experience level is. If you’re willing to do the work, then you belong. You know what I’m saying? So, we need you to be honest, like we need various perspectives and, and ways of thinking and backgrounds and all of that, right? Like we’re all better when there are more at the table.

Emmanuel Gomez: Yeah! I one hundred percent agree with you. I have to ask you something that is really important to me. When you’re doing all these interviews with a variety of different people, different backgrounds, directors, producers artists just so many different perspectives and careers and movies and genres. How, how do these interviews affect you? What do you, what do you try to take away from these interviews for yourself?

Scott Evans: It’s so interesting. That’s a really great question because I don’t know that I’m necessarily ever looking out for something for myself. I find things along the way. But I wanna share this with you. I think that it’s important to note that I came up with a kind of mandate or a kind of, I’m trying to think of the better word, the best word to say. It sounds crazy, but I came up with like a personal slogan, right? Which, was the process of it helped me kind whittle it down into a sentence. My intention in everything that I do, whether it’s professional, personal or somewhere in between is that I am, I believe myself has, I believe myself to be put here on this planet to be a reflection of the light and the love that has been shown to me in my life, so that someone may become more comfortable with themselves in the process.

So if you watch one of my interviews, I’m working to ensure that the person that I’m interviewing feels comfortable. That they feel that this is a space where they can say something that they’ve never said before. Share something they’ve never shared before. But certainly feel a real connection, even if it’s five minutes, you know what I mean? 10 minutes. That my goal is to be a reflection of the light and the love that’s been shown to me in my life, so that someone may be, become curious enough about that kind of interaction that they become more themselves. So I think that’s what I’m ultimately intending with every interaction. I think that along the way, I find really meaningful conversations I have, I have been able to get or have really beautiful relationships with, people who are in this industry as icons and trailblazers and people that I can count and, been able to, to count on throughout the years.

While those things are kind of specific to me, I think for me, the focus has always been, how can we give to an audience? How can we give to someone who’s gonna be interacting with this content, either watching it on TV or on social media? What’s the bigger play here? Me is a very small a very little part of this bigger thing. You know what I mean? Like if we’re looking at some of these TikTok videos, millions of people, or should say millions of views on some of these interviews and some of these moments, and it’s like, how do you, in a time that can feel like is so much darkness out here, how do you reflect the light? So that’s the thing that I’m always focused on, you know?

Emmanuel Gomez: Yeah. In looking through your Instagram and following you, I get that vibe. So you, you’re doing a, you’re doing a heck of a job at doing that. I’ll tell you that.

Scott Evans: Oh, man, I appreciate that brother. I really do.

Emmanuel Gomez: One final question, after years of working so hard and doing so many interviews, what is it like for you to maybe reflect a little bit, or just the idea that now you’re the one being interviewed by a variety of different media sources.

Scott Evans: I’ll be honest with you. I’m not good at it. Like, I do feel much more comfortable on your side of the conversation. I think that’s probably mostly because I have not gotten to be, or not become the most comfortable talking about myself, because so much of my work is wrapped in shining on someone else or putting the spotlight on someone else. It can sometimes get it can sometimes be uncomfortable to talk about me.

But I will say that I could not be more proud. I could not be more excited. I could not be more thrilled to be in the position that I’m in now with NBC and, and Universal under this development and first look deal. To be able to usher in more stories with a greater reach, a greater impact. Stories that are rich in texture and culture as a means to try to strike a balance in some of the messages that black and brown people and even queer people are ingesting on a regular basis. So to be in this position, to offer my position to help elevate other storytellers, man, I love it. I couldn’t, I could not be more proud.

Emmanuel Gomez: Scott, thank you so much for your time. I look forward to following what you do with your career going forward and some of the things you got in the works. Most of everything, I just appreciate your insight because, it’s, it’s a path that I’m trying to follow.

Scott Evans: You’re not trying, and you’re not following. You’re blazing your own path. I wanna offer you this as we wrap this up. The only reason I’m interrupting you is because it’s  a word that I have seen limit us. Right. Just for today, try for the next 24 hours work to remove the word try from your vocabulary. Even if the sentence is the same sentence, just lifting the word, try out of it, see how that feels in your mind, in your body, and in your practice. What I have found is that as soon as we start focusing on trying to do something, we move ourselves away from actually doing it, right. So when you’re trying to be your best, you’re not being your best, right.

When you’re trying to get the job, you’re not getting the job, you know what I’m saying? So if it’s, especially if it’s language, that’s framing a dream or an effort toward a larger go toward a larger goal, take try out and call it like it is. You are on this path, you know what I mean? You are killing it, and you are surprising yourself on a regular basis with how good you are at it. How resources and opportunities find you and how much you’re enjoying it. How much you’re learning. Take, try out, you’re killing it.