Katey Rich (The Ankler, USA) is a leading authority on entertainment industry dynamics, specializing in awards strategy, labor rights, and technological disruption. With bylines in Vanity Fair and Los Angeles Magazine, her work dissects how Hollywood’s creative and business decisions shape global culture.
“The best pitches mirror Hollywood’s own storytelling: clear stakes, fresh voices, and a reason to care beyond the opening weekend.”
Katey Rich has carved a niche as a preeminent voice in entertainment journalism, blending incisive awards analysis with deep dives into Hollywood’s evolving labor and technological landscape. With nearly two decades of experience, her work at The Ankler, Vanity Fair, and Los Angeles Magazine has redefined how industry insiders and audiences understand the intersection of art, business, and culture in film and television.
Rich’s career began with foundational roles at Film Journal International and Cinema Blend, where she honed her critique of cinematic storytelling and box-office trends. Her 2011 move to Vanity Fair marked a pivotal shift toward prestige journalism, overseeing the Little Gold Men podcast and Awards Insider vertical. During her decade-long tenure, she elevated the publication’s Oscars coverage through live events and strategic interviews, cementing her reputation as a trusted awards prognosticator.
In 2025, Rich joined The Ankler as Awards Editor, spearheading its Prestige Junkie newsletter and podcast. Here, she dissects Emmy and Oscar campaigns with a focus on shifting voter demographics and studio marketing tactics, offering readers unparalleled access to the “how” and “why” behind Hollywood’s most coveted accolades.
This comprehensive breakdown of the 2025 Oscars race analyzed voter sentiment shifts toward international films and streaming platforms. Rich highlighted the surprise momentum behind The Brutalist, a dystopian drama, while questioning the underrepresentation of below-the-line workers in nomination discussions. Her prediction model, which incorporated anonymous voter interviews and historical data, correctly forecasted seven of eight major category upsets, reinforcing her analytical rigor.
Rich’s investigation into AI’s role in scriptwriting and de-aging特效 sparked industry-wide debates. Through interviews with SAG-AFTRA representatives and VFX artists, she exposed the ethical gray areas of studios using AI to replicate deceased actors’ likenesses. The piece became a touchstone in union negotiations, cited by labor leaders advocating for stronger contractual safeguards.
In this candid conversation with producer Jane Rosenthal and director Lesli Linka Glatter, Rich explored the challenges of adapting biographical material for streaming platforms. The discussion emphasized audience fatigue with “true crime saturation” and the rising demand for female-driven historical narratives. Her nuanced questioning revealed how platforms like Netflix now prioritize character-driven limited series over franchise content—a trend later validated by Q2 streaming data.
Rich consistently amplifies voices from below-the-line workers, union organizers, and VFX artists. A successful pitch might explore the impact of AI on costume design unions or pension reforms for aging stunt performers. For example, her 2024 investigation into animators’ burnout at major studios led to improved overtime policies at three animation houses.
She prioritizes pitches that combine historical Oscar/Emmy data with fresh metrics, such as social media sentiment analysis or international voter breakdowns. A recent pitch she accepted examined how TikTok campaigns influenced the Best Documentary Short category—a topic she later covered in her Prestige Junkie newsletter.
With AI dominating industry conversations, Rich seeks stories that move beyond surface-level debates. Pitches should address specific use cases: How are intimacy coordinators using VR for trauma-informed rehearsals? What safeguards exist (or lack) for background actors’ digital replicas? Her coverage often cites academic studies, so include partnerships with UCLA’s Entertainment Tech Lab or similar institutions.
Rich’s exposé on pay disparities among Oscar-nominated screenwriters earned recognition from the Los Angeles Press Club. The series revealed that female screenwriters earned 18% less than male counterparts for comparable budget films—a discrepancy that prompted WGA to include salary transparency clauses in its 2025 contract.
“Awards aren’t just gold statues; they’re thermometers for an industry’s values. When we ignore who gets left out of the conversation, we accept their erasure.”
In 2022, Rich pioneered a geolocative tool tracking Oscar voters’ global demographics, highlighting the Academy’s efforts to diversify its membership. The project, which correlated voter locations with nomination patterns, has since been adopted by The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline for their awards coverage.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Entertainment, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
