As fans of LA history, we started following forgottenmaddness_la filled with great stories and photos. We became obsessed and begged creator Scott Collette for an interview. He reluctantly agreed but we got to sit down with him last Fall. He started the account in 2018 after completing an extensive research project for a movie set in Los Angeles in the 1940s.
This week he announced the account had attracted 100,000 followers!
“Longtime followers have heard this before, but this account was started in 2018, when I was writing a post-war film noir that wound up getting shelved before it was ever completed. Having spent two years in development, learning everything I could about 1940s Los Angeles to bring that world to life, I decided that I did at least want to keep exploring this city’s history, and Instagram seemed like the best outlet for that research. Never in a million years would I have expected it to turn into this beautiful, collective patchwork-mystery of piecing together the puzzles of our past, and chasing answers to questions that I can’t imagine any normal person would have asked,” wrote Collette.
When he started the account he had fewer than 2k followers. All his followers are real people who love LA, no bots here. The images and well-researched stories draw followers. It’s a testament to his storytelling and the vast amount of people who love learning about our city’s past.
Here’s one locals will appreciate. Then Senator John F. Kennedy was photographed at the Mauretania Apartments during a visit to LA for the 1960 Democratic National Convention.
Collette told us he is deeply grateful for librarians and historians who share images and stories about our city. We are too and also grateful to Collette for putting them together for us. Congrats on reaching the 100,000 milestone!
