It was Evan Lovett’s then 8-year-old son who inspired the local dad to begin a social media project—take news items and give followers a bite-size overview. Since its inception in 2022, “L.A. in a Minute” has grown into a podcast featuring people, places and history of Los Angeles.

Tell us more about how your son was the inspiration behind “L.A. in a Minute.“

When Felix was 8, I really wanted him to read the newspaper but he had a great point; people my age don’t really read the physical newspaper anymore. And that was the ah-ha moment; I would present two-three stories about Los Angeles in less than a minute for him to watch to start his daily screen time, and it turns out there were many folks aside from Felix that were interested in getting a truncated version of L.A. news, events and culture through TikTok (and soon other platforms).

How old is your son now and is he involved with your video and podcast creations?

Felix is almost 13 and though he doesn’t quite watch each episode, he is very supportive – especially when I have guests like Paul “P-Rod” Rodriguez or Roy Choi on the show! He really does enjoy exploring L.A. with us when we go film new episodes as well.

You grew up in the San Fernando Valley. What has surprised you the most about L.A. since starting this project?

I was born and raised in Sepulveda (now North Hills), the geographic centerpoint of the Valley. I think that was something that really influenced my outlook on L.A. The Valley was shunned growing up, but I learned to appreciate the culture first, and then the history. For instance, without the Valley – there is no L.A. The L.A. River only has enough water for 100,000 people but the Los Angeles Aqueduct is the reason we can support 10 million people in the region. And that enters L.A. in Sylmar, and was the reason the Valley was annexed into the city enabling such tremendous growth.

What do you think makes L.A. special?

The depth and richness of culture. We have more than 500 neighborhoods, reflecting people from more than 190 countries who speak more than 240 languages. Wherever you go in Los Angeles, you’ll find L.A. American Dream stories – the business owners, the mom & pop restaurants, the family histories that people are so proud to share. Los Angeles is truly the land of opportunity for people from all over the globe.

Tell us a little about your research and how you find hidden gems throughout our city.

My friend once told me, “it’s like you do a term paper every day” – and that’s mostly true, but I love research. One of my first CEOs called me an ‘information station’ since I LOVE consuming information, but I also love disseminating it. I am always reading books, newspapers and online troves of history about L.A. and there are so many fun facts and stories that whenever I come across a nugget, I make a note and use those as inspiration to put together complete episodes.

What do you enjoy doing in and around L.A. as a family?

Oh my gosh, we love exploring! Again, one of the most fantastic things about Los Angeles is that wherever you are in our 500+ neighborhoods, Pomona to Palisades, Sylmar to San Pedro, Wilmington to Woodland Hills – you’re always going to find interesting people, excellent food, unique culture and great stories. Some days we’ll head to somewhere just to explore (Boyle Heights), or other days with a specific destination (Santa Monica Pier), but along the way we’ll stop in communities that look interesting or that are unfamiliar to try to embrace the unique culture of each place. Los Angeles really is special.

When not working, where will we find you?

I’m always ‘on the clock’ because there are 10,000,000 stories in L.A. and I want to uncover all of them.

How would you say parenthood has changed you? How does it inspire you in your daily life and in your work?

I want to make Felix proud and also instill in him the love for this city and he is my main motivation each day. My parents grew up exposing me to this city, from Venice Beach to Dodger Stadium; from Griffith Park to South Los Angeles, and I hope to have that same impact on Felix.

One word to describe L.A.?

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