Simon Says... I Don't Miss Working in Entertainment
It's not as glamorous as it seems.
Welcome to Simon Says, a weekly newsletter from Rachel Simon all about freelance life—from the inside scoop on just-published stories to advice on how to pitch to what it’s *really* like to leave a cozy full-time gig for the chaotic, unpredictable world of invoicing (jk, freelancing, but IYKYK).
Work-wise, this week feels like a major throwback. I have two celebrity interviews to do (a musician and a director), and I’m watching an early screener of a Big New Movie to prep for the latter. It’s the kind of stuff that I used to do nearly every day back when I was an Entertainment Editor at Bustle, but in recent years, I’ve focused much more on lifestyle/career/ecomm than on pop culture, and when I have gone back into that world, it’s typically been to write essays or listicles, not to talk to the ~talent~ firsthand.
It’s kind of nice to be back in this old territory for a bit! I’ve always liked doing interviews, and it’s cool getting access to a movie most people won’t see for another month. But at the same time, I am so freakin’ glad not to be covering Entertainment full-time anymore. It was certainly fun and glamorous at times—there were fancy junkets and trips to Europe and chats with Natalie Portman and Michael B. Jordan!—but it also was exhausting. Working in Ent meant having to keep tabs on what every celeb was doing at any given moment, watching every single movie and TV show coming out, hopping online at 11 PM or 7 AM to cover some messy divorce or pregnancy news… you get the deal. It was a lot.
Now, I have a way more reasonable work-life balance and only cover pop culture when it’s something I’m really passionate about or I get a particularly cool opportunity, like this week. It’s just funny to me, though, that four, five years ago, if you’d told me I would’ve voluntarily left the entertainment world, I would’ve thought you were absolutely insane. Change! It’s weird and good!
Anyhow, onto my (non-entertainment) stories from the past week:
Some Stories I Wrote Last Week
For Glamour, I reported a feature on women who’ve devoted their lives to pickleball, whether by starting companies or traveling to tournaments.
For Travel + Leisure, I wrote about a pair of heels from Amazon I own in two colors and wear to literally every wedding/fancy event.
For People, I highlighted a blanket with fancy cooling tech that makes it ideal for use in the summertime.
And over at Daily Paws, I listed a bunch of cat breeds with particularly cool features and personalities.
The Inside Scoop
Each week, I’ll pick one story I’ve written (new or old, if needed) and explain how it got from pitch/assignment to publication. This week, it’s the Glamour story on the women of pickleball.
After writing Pickleball for All, I became so intrigued about the people, particularly women, who’ve chosen to devote their lives to the sport in some way or another. I decided to pitch the idea to Glamour because I knew an editor there was looking for features…. and I didn’t hear from her for over a month. I was planning on taking the pitch elsewhere, but then, she got back to me and commissioned the story!
It was a lot of fun to chat with several women making it big in the pickleball world, and I hope you all enjoy reading the story.
Other Work/Life Stuff Of Note
I published a new crossword puzzle for Vulture! It’s themed around Laura Dern (because why not?), and I hope you all have fun solving.
Friendly reminder that you can pre-order my book Pickleball For All right now from lots of different places. Two and a half months to go!
Also, we went on our mini-moon to Charleston this weekend, and I ate the best BBQ of my life. Message me for recommendations!
Coming Up…
Lots of classes:
-Want to learn about essay and opinion writing from the comfort of your home? Sign up for my one-hour open house via Zoom with Gotham on Tuesday, June 28.
-If you’re ready to commit to a full writing course, it’s not too late to sign up for my Creative Nonfiction class with Gotham (also on Zoom), starting in July.
And for my North Carolina friends, it was *just* announced that I’ll be teaching a six-week class all about personal essays with Redbud starting in July as well! Sign up here.
That’s it for now, friends. Thanks for reading, and talk soon!
-Rachel