You probably don’t recognize Evan Lovett’s name, but if you’ve scrolled through Instagram or TikTok, you’ve likely seen videos by the the “L.A. In A Minute” guy.
He’s been at his TikTok game since 2021 and his short videos about L.A. news and history have spread all over the internet. Lovett, who was born and raised in North Hills, is a fan of his city and a creator who loves to report fun facts (like food and culture) and news, like city policies.
“I think people just realizing that whatever neighborhood they're in, whether it's Los Feliz or Wilmington or Northridge, there is history there. And there's a story there. And it just helps people feel more connected and not left out,” he says about his content.
He has over 162,000 followers on TikTok, 187,000 on Instagram, and more on X and YouTube. Lovett also hosts a weekly podcast based on some of the video topics he’s collected.
Giving TikTok a shot
The beginning of his content creator journey started with a family discussion about — what else — kids and screen time. His son was about 8 years old and had discovered a love of TikTok viral dances and other videos. Lovett, a self-described history and news enthusiast, wanted a way to connect with his kid and friends who gravitate online while making sure his son knew what was going on in the world. Someone threw out the idea of watching news on TikTok.
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“I was like, ‘Oh no that sounds terrible,’” he recalls. “But I watched it and I was like, ‘You know what? As long as the youth are at least getting news and seeking out news, it can't be all bad.’”
The first few videos he produced were him talking about the day’s L.A. news in under a minute. He wasn’t the first one doing this type of content with news — he nods to The Washington Post and the “Under The Desk News” host as inspirations — he just put a local flair to it.
The first video that really took off was about the history of the Taco Bell founder “stealing” the idea of tacos dorados from a Mexican restaurant in San Bernardino. (You can still see people reposting on TikTok or Instagram to this day.)
Growth on social
This is now Lovett's full-time job, and he admits he doesn’t have much time for anything else. His social media reach has allowed him to contract work with the city and other organizations. Each campaign is different, he says, whether it’s working with an urban planning office or a small business.
“I will talk about reality and what's going on in the city … It's not always 100% positive, but I want to make people happy, especially if it's a true partnership or collaboration,” he says.
L.A. neighborhoods
Lovett is an L.A. guy, through and through. His dad is from Glendale and he went to UCLA. He’s lived here all his life except for a few years when he lived in other cities.
He’s adamant about his love for the valley — it’s where his wife was living when he met her (Sylmar) and where they currently live (Studio City).
For him, it’s really about exploring different neighborhoods to find what you really like in the city.
“Any neighborhood you’re going to have these awesome spots and you’re going to have so much fun and find your own secret,” he says. He jokes that people need to explore on their own before he finds it and shares it with the world.
One of his favorite L.A. spots is Catch 818, a mariscos restaurant that started as a pop-up in Sylmar. His favorite thing there is to grab chicarron de pescado. (He also gives a shout out to Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks — it's a valley Mexican food institution for over 65 years.)
His wife is the coffee house expert of the two, he says.
The perfect L.A. day
Lovett says he’d start his perfect L.A. day outdoors, to workout or take a hike. It’s usually nice enough in L.A. to wear a tanktop and shorts at 7 a.m. (emphasis on usually) and get those endorphins going, he says.
Hold the breakfast burrito and opt for a donut because, as he says, the city is the donut capital of the world. He says he knows everyone in L.A. loves breakfast burritos, but he’s not that guy.
“I know. And that's like such an L.A. thing,” he says. “I respect it, but it's just so much to start your day with.”
(I warned him about being canceled by Angelenos by publicizing this statement).
To keep things going, he suggests a visit to Griffith Park, or a Dodger game or a hangout at a local farmer’s market, or hit up a dispensary. You also need to try a smashburger or L.A. pizza. There’s so much, he says.
“Every day is different for me,” Lovett says. “Tell me where you’re staying and I'll tell you what to see.”
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Lovett has previously worked as a paid influencer for LAist to expand the reach of our voter and gift guides, and other civic engagement work.
