I loved your piece about Tyrone Huntley, who played Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl and then returned to the venue as a seat usher, which is his usual gig. Reading the piece made me think about how so many people in L.A. don't talk about what they do to make money. Have you gotten any feedback from readers who now feel more comfortable discussing what they do to pay the bills after reading your piece?

Yes! Most feedback came from actors. It published about a month after the SAG-AFTRA union struck a deal. So many in the biz hadn't worked for years—because of the strike, or the fires, or the pandemic, even—and saw themselves in Tyrone's story. No shame in the side gig game, that's for sure.

I saw your Instagram story sort of saying that you're not that into posting on Substack. I very much related to that. I recognize that publications aren't able to pay as much as they used to and the freelance lifestyle can be really tough, but I just think Substack is Not Cool. And I think editors are cool! Are there any other journalists not on Substack who you wanna shout-out or are you the last hold out?

I often think about the line between what's cool and what pays, and how few people have the privilege to choose the side they exist on. I'm all for OPS (Other People's Substacks), but where I'm at right now, I'm betting my energy and focus on on pitching and writing for places that have existed more than 10-20 years. And sure, there's the Chris Black argument, but not "starting a Substack" is less about being snobbish and more that I've written for so many sites, platforms, outlets, etc. that simply don't exist anymore. And I'm sick of it. Thank G-d for the Wayback Machine. I'm super apprehensive to adopting new technologies or publishing models these days. It's been 10 years since I graduated during the digital revolution that I was promised was going to save journalism. Emily Sunberg said it best: “I get concerned when people speak about Substack as if it’s a sorority or a community — it is a venture-backed tech company.” 

The weather is usually really nice around here, but with spring coming in April, do you have any favorite spring activities in the L.A. area?

Hiking, beaching, gardening, hosting, sunbathing, reading, walking my dog, apertivo.