The Twilight Fandom: Personal Branding and Nostalgia With Eden Cantrelle
Dear Creator,
This episode is like no other. Nearly two decades after Twilight first was in movie theaters in that unmistakable blue color grade, we refuse to let it die. Eden Cantrelle and I decided to sit down and unpack why Twilight has had such a huge impact and end up covering everything from personal branding to the strangest pop-culture moment on the internet.
If you don’t know who Eden is, you’ll want to. She’s a multi-passionate creative, business consultant, and operations strategist. If she's not getting chatty on Threads, you can find her nose in a fantasy book or enjoying the nature of her home in Midcoast Maine. Eden's currently re-building the business of her dreams while helping her clients reach theirs!
Key Highlights
Twilight in Your 30s. Why We’re Still Obsessed With The Movie That Made Everything Blue
Ever since me and Eden have connected, we’ve talked about Twilight. We send each other memes, fun parties that have cakes with Edward Cullen’s face on them, and different trips you can take to visit Forks, Washington. We’ve known each other for about two years, originally connecting through business coaching. Eden actually sent me a cute Twilight, blue color graded, keychain where if you hold it up, you can look through to see your surroundings as if you’re in the movie.
Our Twilight Origin Stories: How We Both Fell Into the Twilight Saga
Being in your 30s and reminiscing about Twilight in 2026, was the most interesting activity. We traced back to our first Twilight moments. I discovered it around the age of 12 after a friend started reading the books as they were released. And once the movies came out, I literally went to bed watching it every night. Eden graduated high school in 2011, right as Twilight was peaking and described it as a “pop culture syncing with youth situation.” She’s only really rewatched the first movie repeatedly. It functions as comfort media now.
The Blue Color Grading Effect: What Twilight Taught Us About Aesthetics and Branding
Eden talks about how Twilight’s heavily stylized blue color grading was one of the first times she remembers consciously noticing a film’s visual choices and how it was shaping her emotional connection with a story. As opposed to more “straightforward” realistic media she was consuming at the time. She connects this directly to her approach to business and personal branding. Eden openly admits to caring about aesthetics and curation, even as social media has trended toward a raw, unfiltered version of authenticity. She mentions how that curation and authenticity aren’t mutually exclusive. Eden describes her own home as fully thrifted and intentionally put together, and frames “whimsy” and visual intentionality as something that shapes how people perceive a brand (or a piece of art) just as much as the content itself.
Team Edward, Team Jacob, or Team Charlie?
We had a fun rapid-fire of our favorite characters, underrated characters, who’d create a podcast, and more. I was Team Edward, but let’s be so for real. When you get older and see the actual dynamics of the characters… Team Charlie is also an option. Eden landed on Team Edward as an adult after once favoring Jacob’s energy as a teen. For most underrated character, we picked Jessica because since she has that support-friend energy and confidence. We both agreed that Bella and Jacob are a bit overrated. In this episode, we also run through some of the most iconic scenes and quotes like the baseball scene, meadow scene, Rosalie smashing the salad bowl, and the biology class owl shot.
The Twilight, My Chemical Romance, and Fifty Shades of Grey Pipeline Explained
Something I wasn’t fully aware of, but Eden brought up, was the pop-culture butterfly effect she’d heard about when it comes to Twilight, My Chemical Romance, and Fifty Shades of Grey. So we looked it up. The chain goes: Gerard Way witnessed the events of 9/11, which inspired him to form My Chemical Romance, Stephenie Meyer has credited MCR’s music as an inspiration while writing the Twilight novels, and the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise began as Twilight fan fiction before being created into it’s own series. MCR famously declined to contribute a song to the Twilight films, and later poked fun at the frances with their track “Vampire Money”.
Would Twilight Blow Up If It Came Out In 2026? Here’s Our Take.
We believe that Twilight would absolutely succeed if it were release today, for two main reasons. First, audiences currently love pop-culture dissection and discourse. Second, we note how there’s a growing culture backlash against heavy CGI use in favor of more tangible, handmade craftsmanship. Eden compares the practically-built original Lord of the Rings trilogy to the criticized heavy Rings of Power. Twilight’s very dated, over-the-top blue aesthetic would actually land well today and we believe it’d be embraces as intentionally “campy” rather than mocked.
Final Thoughts: What Twilight Still Teaches Us About Creativity Today
After this warm and fun conversation, we both reflected on how much Twilight has shaped our perspective on movies, characters, and even relationships. If you are (or were) a Twi-hard, we’re curious about your thoughts! Make sure to leave them down below.
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