Nicole Sperling

I’m a New York Times reporter based in Los Angeles, covering Hollywood and the streaming revolution.

What I Cover

Since I started at The Times in 2019, I’ve been covering the streaming revolution and how traditional media companies are navigating the infiltration of tech companies into Hollywood. I’m interested in how the on-demand ethos of streaming influences which movies and television shows are made and for whom, and the threat that streaming has on the traditional media landscape, specifically movie theaters. In 2023, this tension led to strikes by Hollywood’s writers and actors that essentially shut down the town. How it gets resolved will set the course for the future of the industry.

My Background

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, a massive suburb of Los Angeles, and light years away from Hollywood (at least it felt so at the time). After graduating from University of California, Santa Barbara with degrees in English and psychology, I moved to San Francisco and began reporting on the technology sector for magazines such as Red Herring. In 2000, I moved to Los Angeles and worked for The Hollywood Reporter. After five years, I moved to Entertainment Weekly, then The Los Angeles Times, and finally Vanity Fair, before arriving at The Times in 2019.

I still live in Los Angeles, with my husband and three teenage children.

Journalistic Ethics

In accordance with The Times’s ethics policy, I don’t have a direct financial stake in any companies I cover or write about. I don’t own individual stocks and while I occasionally attend movie screenings and events, I don’t accept money or gifts from any companies or people who may factor into my reporting. I do not pay sources for information or interviews and always identify myself as a reporter for The Times in news-related conversations.

• Email: [email protected]

• X: @nicsperling

• Threads: @nsperling2000

• LinkedIn: Nicole Sperling

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