Why You Should Read the Trades Every Morning

By Natalie Lifson, Agent Trainee and Executive Assistant at Buchwald, your Co-Editor-in-Chief at THA, and most relevant, writer of THA's monthly "Hollywood Buzz" column

Every time I speak to students, recent grads, or new assistants who reach out to me for informational meetings, I’m always asked the same question: “Do you have any advice for breaking into / building a career in the entertainment industry?” I always have the same answer: 

Read the trades every morning. 

By “the trades,” I mean entertainment industry trade publications. Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety are the three big ones. 

The Cynopsis daily newsletter is also a helpful tool. It comes out every night at 12am PT / 3am ET and summarizes the most important industry happenings of the day in a few sentences each. Every morning, I look at the Cynopsis newsletter, pick out the things I want to learn more about, and look up articles on those topics in the trades. My Hollywood Buzz column was heavily inspired by Cynopsis. Instead of summaries of the day, we give summaries of the month, and instead of sharing news most important to the industry as a whole, we curate topics most important to assistants.

Why, you might ask, is it important to read the trades every morning?

You can’t break into, or succeed in, an industry you aren’t tapped into. Knowledge is power.

Here are some specifics:

1. It helps you make informed decisions and stay ahead of the game. 

2. It makes you better at your job.

3. It helps you network and maintain industry relationships.

4. It makes you someone people come to for information.

Stay ahead of the game.

What shows have just been greenlit? Who just inked what overall deal? Is there a strike coming, and, if so, how do you prepare for it ASAP? What companies are merging or acquiring, and what does that mean for your projects / buyers / colleagues / the industry as a whole? Who’s partnering with who, who’s launching what streaming service or program, and when does it go into effect?

If you know or can predict what’s about to happen, you won’t be totally blindsided by things like the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, mass layoffs, or entertainment companies eliminating their DEI initiatives en masse. 

You’ll know who to pitch to and when, what trends to hop on early, what companies you’ll want to keep an eye on.

For example, you should be aware of the ins and outs of the rise of content creators in more legit media: Did you know that the WGA wants to organize in YouTube, verticals, and the creator economy? Or that YouTube is the most-watched streaming service, or that Netflix wants to invest more in YouTube content creators? 

Staying informed will make you better at your job. 

Send your boss articles that are relevant to them as soon as they come out, ideally before they get a chance to read it themselves or hear about it from someone else. If you have insights and opinions, and if you can connect the dots to what you’re doing at work, even better. 

This is an easy way to prove that you’re (even more) valuable. It not only shows that you have your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the entertainment industry, but that you’re learning, absorbing, and can identify what’s relevant to your job and your boss. 

Staying informed can (and should) influence your career moves. 

For example, if you see that someone is launching a new production company, or opening an office in your city, you can be one of the first to ask if they’re hiring assistants yet before they even post a job listing.

It will also help you be more targeted in your approach to applying for jobs or deciding who to reach out to for informationals. If you notice a certain trend you’re particularly interested in (the rise of digital media, international film/TV/streaming expansion, etc.), you might want to take a closer look at leading companies investing in or involved in that trend. 

Staying informed will help you network.

Here’s how:

Have opinions to share. 

As you network with other people in the industry, you’ll understand what they’re talking about and be able to chime in with your opinion. If they agree, you’ve found common ground. If they disagree, it can spark a conversation.

One exception: politics. We live in a tricky time where half of the industry happenings are political. The Paramount x Skydance merger is being investigated for illegal side deals with President Trump. Congress defunded PBS, which is now shutting down. The FCC is cracking down on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 

Talking about politics is pretty unavoidable these days, but you have to tread carefully and try not to be too controversial while also being true to yourself and your opinions. If you can’t, better to not discuss them at all. The best way to tread carefully while discussing politics? Be informed about them and how they impact our industry. 

Making Introductions

When you read that someone’s been promoted or started a new job, write a “congratulations” email! If you don’t know them, it’s okay to track down their email and cold reach out. If you have some sort of connection with them - college, hometown, summer camp - mention it. If not, that’s okay too.

Don’t ask them for anything, not even a 15 minute phone call, because they probably have a million other people reaching out to them too and are busy getting used to the new job. But now you’ve made a good first impression as the type of person who congratulates others on their achievements, as someone who stays informed, and as someone who’s bold enough to reach out. 

They’ll probably respond with a “thank you,” and now you’ve started an email chain. If you do want anything from them in the future (at least a few months), like a brief informational call, an intro to your boss, or something you want to pitch them for work, you can reply to the same email chain. 

You’re probably thinking: How do I get their email at all? The answer: If Googling doesn’t work, look up the company’s email formula, plug in the person’s name, and go to an “email checker” website to confirm you’re correct. Or just ask around! 

Maintaining Relationships

It’s a lot easier to meet people than it is to maintain relationships with them. If you get an informational coffee with someone, don’t let two years pass before reaching out again, but you don’t want to be annoying either.

Be on the lookout for articles that are relevant to them, or that remind you of them. When that happens, shoot them an email saying “I hope you’re doing well! Saw this and thought you might find it interesting,” or whatever phrasing makes sense in your context. You can even add a life update or two or share how a specific piece of advice helped you after all this time, but nothing that demands a detailed response. 

Being a Source of Information

You want to be a trusted source people reach out to for information. This is an easy way to be helpful, establish good relationships with people, and have an easier time maintaining relationships by having them come to you. You can start doing this by actively sharing and offering information to people you know who could benefit from it. 

To share a personal example, THA’s Hollywood Buzz column informally began as a Google doc before it became part of the newsletter. During the 2023 WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes, so much information was coming out every day, and I made sure to stay on top of it by reading the trades every day. My friends kept coming to me for updates. I started a “strike updates” Google doc that my friends shared with their friends, and their friends shared with their friends. It became so popular that I started another informal doc of industry updates.

A few people suggested I reach out to our founder Cathy Campo to formalize my list and add it to the Hollywood Assistant newsletter. Thus, the Hollywood Buzz column was born. It wasn’t until a year later that I was asked to become co-Editor-in-Chief.

Now, because of my Hollywood Buzz column, I’m still a person people text or email when there’s something going on in the industry that they want to know more about or they want my educated thoughts on.

The most important takeaway:

Knowledge is power, but only if you use it. 

Don’t just read the trades every morning. Use them to be better at your job, to network, to make decisions, and to help people.