‘ShumDario News’ is a fan account dedicated to keeping fans updated on Shadowhunters, but more specifically, everything related to Harry Shum Jr. and Matthew Daddario (‘ShumDario’ is a combination of their last names). Their team consists of Mélanie, Davina, and Agnès from France; and Erika, who is from the U.S.A. They all work together to provide a positive, highly active account that keeps fans engaged and in the loop.
What inspired you to start your account?
M: Actually, Davina and I started this account as a joke! Over a year ago, we started watching Shadowhunters and immediately fell in love with both Alec and Magnus. We already knew Harry from Glee and we discovered the extremely talented actor that Matthew is. We were going back and forth about opening an update account on one of them and then we joked about opening one about the both of them, and when we realized that this was something that didn’t exist yet, we immediately saved the username and slowly started posting updates.
D: You need to know that Mélanie, Agnès, and I are best friends in real life. The three of us have been fans of TV shows for years and we love to share our passion with each other; we even kind of met thanks to it! Last year, we heard about the TV show Shadowhunters, and as Glee fans, we had to at least watch the pilot for Harry! And then, ShumDario News was born. We also used to have another co-admin who had joined us back in August, and later on, in December, Erika joined the team to update the account when it’s nighttime for us!
E: Back in December, I saw a tweet that ShumDario News was looking for an American to join their team. I immediately typed up a sort of ‘fangirl resume’ about myself and sent it to them in hopes of being selected. Luckily, I met the qualifications of what they were looking for and I joined as a co-admin on December 17, 2016.
How long have your members been involved in fandom, and what brought you into it?
M: In fandoms in general, I would say that I started becoming really involved (creating update accounts, reading fanfictions, etc.) around 2009/2010, so about seven years ago. But when it comes to Shadowhunters, I became involved quite early. I had heard about the project when Harry was cast in it, so I started watching it as soon as it started on Freeform, but really became fully involved with the creation of ShumDario News in February 2016.
D: On my side, it was a little earlier than Mélanie, around 2006, I think. And at the same time as Mélanie and Agnès for Shadowhunters.
E: I was heavily involved in the Harry Potter fandom dating back to the year 2000 (the-leaky-cauldron.org and the HPEF – Harry Potter Education Fanon). I first fell in love with the Shadow World back in 2009 and have been a fan of the television show since its inception.
What has been your most memorable moment on the job?
D: Our 5,000 followers! The girls and I couldn’t believe it; we never ever thought we could reach such a big number. It’s such a pleasure to see that it’s still growing and to see that so many people trust us to keep them updated on the lives and careers of Harry and Matthew. Our followers have always been adorable to us. We often receive tweets of people thanking us and it’s really touching for us. That’s what keeps us motivated to keep getting better.
A: Definitely when the official Shadowhunters account retweeted one of the illustrations I made for our ‘Advent Calendar.’ At the time, I was just starting to draw Magnus and Alec more and more and this retweet suddenly brought attention to my work in a fandom I wasn’t familiar with yet. But all the reactions from the fans were so amazing. People I didn’t know were being so adorable and I kinda fell in love with the fandom that day.
How much time do you commit to your account per week?
M: Honestly, I couldn’t put a number on it. We spend pretty much every waking moment checking everything for new stuff or working on original content. Unless we’re sleeping or somewhere we can’t check our phones/computers (like at work for example), we’re always online, ready to update anything that might come up.
D: [laughs] Exactly! For me personally, ShumDario News allows me to apply what I learn in class to a real-life situation. I’m a student in web development and web design, but I can also do some brand content and community management, so we can say that SDN is the platform that lets me test out my knowledge.
E: It really varies depending on what happens to be going on at the time. If Matt and/or Harry are making public appearances or doing interviews, live chats, etc., it can easily take up an entire day to cover it all. During this hiatus, it has been a bit quieter, but the entire team works every day to produce original content as well. As a writer, I find myself working on something related to ShumDario News almost every day.
How do you stay organized? Do you have designated responsibilities?
D: When Harry and Matthew are attending an event, we do our best to have at least two of us available to update. If everyone’s there, we split the tasks: Mélanie will update the live streams/interviews, Erika will check all the social media, and I will update Instagram/Snapchat, for example. We always have assigned responsibilities, especially to make sure that we’re fast and organized and that we don’t tweet the same thing twice. Also, we’re usually always on Skype to make it easier to communicate. It’s more enjoyable that way, the time goes by faster and we often laugh a lot while doing all of this together!
As a fan of Harry and Matt, do you have any recommended viewing for fans just coming into the fandom?
M: For Harry, Glee of course; this show and its whole cast will always have a special place in my heart. It helped me go through a difficult time in my life and more than anything else, I’ll always be grateful for the friends it brought me because today, these girls are my best friends. I would also really recommend Single by 30, as I absolutely love the chemistry between Harry and Kina Grannis on that show!
As for Matt, my favorite movie of his so far is Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. It’s a really sweet movie and Matt’s character, Gabriel, is just the type of guy you’d love to have in your life. I also think people should watch Matt in Cabin Fever. It’s not the greatest movie to be completely honest, and I’m not a fan of horror movies, but it was interesting to see Matt in a different genre.
D: Same thing as Mélanie for Matt. I also loved him a lot in When the Game Stands Tall. And, for Harry, I would really recommend the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, in which he is incredible as Wei Fang; as well as all his work with WongFu Productions!
E: I agree with all of Mélanie and Davina’s recommendations. I’m a huge fan of Glee and I absolutely adored Single by 30. Although it did make me cry, a lot! Harry has some amazing dance videos on YouTube which are great to check out. My favorites being ‘If You Are in a Shell’ and ‘Matched.’ For Matt, in addition to his movies, I would recommend checking out some of his interviews and photo shoots; two of my favorites being August Man and The Luxer. He’s such an intelligent and interesting person. Also, I would suggest checking out both Matt and Harry’s interviews with the AOL Build Series.
What is your favorite thing about Shadowhunters?
M: Malec, of course. Magnus and Alec are the two most interesting characters on the show in my opinion; both individually and together. Magnus has so much history and is such a complex character, and I mean, Harry gives him so much depth that it’s impossible not to love him! When it comes to Alec, he’s just my favorite character. I identify with him so much, especially his grumpy/sassy side. Just ask the girls; I’m Alec Lightwood most of the time [laughs].
D: I have always had a lot of imagination, so a TV show that involves both the fantastic and various creatures like vampires, warlocks, fairies, etc., of course I would get hooked! As for the rest of it, I don’t really have anything else to add to what Mélanie said. Magnus and Alec are amazing characters that you can easily identify with, thanks to the awesome job Matthew and Harry are doing.
A: Of course, I really love Malec. But I also love the two characters and their own storylines. And as an illustrator, this TV show is a great source of inspiration to draw – especially Magnus’ outfits; I love drawing clothes!
E: I’m impressed with how Shadowhunters incorporates certain elements from the books but adds new and interesting storylines and characters to further enhance the existing world. Unexpected twists and turns with the plot keep book fans guessing while also bringing in new fans who have yet to experience this epic tale. I fell in love with Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood many years ago and it has been a thrill to see their characters come to life on-screen. Matt and Harry are of course fantastic. Their talent and dedication to not only their individual roles but to the Malec relationship is definitely my favorite part of the show.
What’s next for ShumDario News? Do you have anything you are looking forward to?
M: We’re really looking forward to seeing what’s next for both Harry and Matthew. We really can’t wait to see what other projects they’re gonna do after/during Shadowhunters.
We’re also really excited to attend several Shadowhunters conventions around Europe this summer! We really want to do a full coverage of these events so fans who can’t attend can feel like they’re there with us and hopefully share this experience with us, even if it’s only through tweets and pictures.
Have you had any interaction with the cast? If yes, what has been your favorite?
M: No, we haven’t had any real-life interactions with them as of yet. Just a few replies, likes, or re-tweets on social media, which always puts a huge smile on our faces, even if it’s only through a computer screen! My personal favorite was when Matt answered one of our questions on Tumblr during his live Q&A with Alberto; it was really unexpected so I’ll always remember the moment I saw it.
D: My favorite is Matt’s answer on Tumblr (back in December) as well because we really weren’t expecting it! But also, Harry’s answer on Twitter in August because it was the first time that one of them noticed us.
If you’re a fan of Harry Shum Jr. and Matthew Daddario and wish to stay informed, you can follow ShumDario News on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and their website, ShumDario News.
