On Sharks, TV and the Perfect Storm

What's the formula for a successful movie promo online? Make it about a natural disaster -- with sharks. #Sharknado has been "making waves" on social media recently after it was featured on the SyFy channel, bringing to viewers some 90 minutes of pure camp -- and it worked! Imagine three tornadoes hitting Los Angeles, each with a school of sharks for that added "effect." A bar owner, played by Beverly Hills 902010 (the original) star Ian Ziering, tries to control the situation by bombing the various shark breeds (yes, great whites and hammerheads) using homemade explosives. It also starred Tara Reid. The movie immediately drew amused comments online. Social media users posted their excitement and witty remarks using the hashtag #Sharknado. CNN said the the movie was the "perfect fodder" in social media, where users can easily bounce off ideas and add to the fun. See #Sharknado at its peak. To date, the hashtag has generated over 405,000 tweets and made over one million impressions. Based on user comments, many found Sharknado to be the funniest movie in the past years so far. Others were quick to anticipate a sequel or the birth of similarly crazy shows depicting how the apocalypse might actually turn out. Needless to say, #Sharknado was a Twitter favorite. The TV movie is expected to get even more responses as it reaches a wider audience. The SyFy screening has so far only been released in the East Coast.