Inside Scoop: Profile of a Canadian Writer

The Highs and Lows of a Pop Culture Writer

Natasha Reda is a 29-year-old Montreal-based writer who eats, breathes, and sleeps pop culture. She started out her career as an intern at an entertainment blog called SocialiteLife.com and graduated from Concordia University with a major in English Literature and a minor in Professional Writing. Soon after, the blog’s sister-site Celebuzz took a chance on this Canadian girl and gave her a paid position. At Celebuzz, she learned everything she needed to know to be successful in the competitive field of the writing industry. Her writing improved, she wrote faster, and she loved what she was doing. That’s until Celebuzz got shut down.

She has been a writer for quite a while now and even though there were ups and downs throughout her career, she can confidently say that “I absolutely love what I do and wouldn’t change anything about my journey because it led me exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

This profile will include questions on Reda’s career, the highs and lows of writing professionally, and how she overcame various obstacles. She’ll give the scoop on what it’s like to be a pop culture writer in today’s world.

How did your career in pop culture start?

My career started before I even knew I could make a living writing about pop culture. I started writing pro bono for a website to gain exposure and have something to put on my resume, but little did I know a connection I made during my internship would eventually lead to my dream job. I had just graduated university and I was working at a bank when I got an email asking if I was interested in a freelance position at Celebuzz.com. I accepted the offer and the rest is history. I went from a freelance writer to a full-time staff writer and weekend editor within six months and literally said yes to every assignment and every shift. I worked my butt off but it was worth it and I would do it all over again because I loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, though, sometimes good things must come to an end…

Who do you write for right now?

Right now, I work for three websites: Glamour, PopCrush, and HelloGiggles. I’ve made myself a full-time schedule based on all three of these gigs because I like consistency.

So why a pop culture writer?

Since I can remember, I’ve always loved reading about celebrities: The Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake. I loved the MTV Video Music Awards. Writing about celebrities and the pop culture surrounding them comes easily for me. Because I know so much about them, the words simply flow out of me. A lot of people have asked me: why celebrities? And I simply say, I have a passion for it. It’s not that I wouldn’t be able to learn how to write about topics like politics, but they don’t interest me like celebrities do. Plus, it helps that my brain is filled with so much information about so many of them.

What are the challenges of being a pop culture writer?

I think it’s every writer’s challenge but I find it difficult to write about celebrities or movies and TV shows that I don’t know anything about. Like I said before, I’m not a political writer because I don’t know much about it. The same goes for when I don’t know much about a certain celebrity. For example, when I first started out, I knew nothing about the royals. I got assigned an article about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s dating history and though I was familiar with Meghan because I watched her TV show Suits, I had to do a lot of research on Prince Harry. It just felt like I wasn’t writing from the heart. The same thing happened with the K-pop group BTS. PopCrush always covers BTS but because I do not follow them nor am I a fan of the genre per se, I had a hard time creating original content about them. It just takes much more time and energy to write on things I don’t know about.

What are the stakes you have to deal with?

It depends on the piece that I'm writing but I have to be careful about what I say on certain celebrities. While it is one way to get noticed, I don't want to be noticed by bashing someone in one of my articles. At the end of the day, while they may be celebrities, they are still human beings. If I am not careful about what I say about BTS, their fans could tear me to shreds. A lot of passionate fans go after writers for saying the wrong thing. I think one writer got into a heated Twitter argument with one of Ariana Grande’s “Arianators.” I’m not saying I have anything negative to say, but I definitely think twice about certain touchy topics.

How did you feel when you lost your job at Celebuzz and how did you overcome it?

I’ll never forget December 22, 2016. It was the day my co-workers and I got an email saying the company that owned Celebuzz had been sold and that our jobs were in jeopardy. It all happened so fast—one second, I was writing about Brad Pitt’s Christmas plans and the next I was out of a job. It was an awful feeling and one I was not prepared for. The next few months were really hard. I felt like I was never going to find a job like the one I had. I sent resumes, but struggled to get positions because I’m Canadian. I had the experience but many websites wanted writers who could work in New York. I always dreamed of moving to New York, but it’s not as simple as picking up and leaving. You need to be prepared and I just wasn’t. So I continued to look for jobs until I finally landed another gig. It wasn’t perfect, but I was back in the game and that’s all that mattered. I needed my foot in a door.

What tips do you have for new writers?

My advice for new writers is to start writing as soon as you can, even if you have to write a few articles for free. Exposure is important and many editors want to see writing clips. When it comes to finding good writing jobs, you need to sell yourself. Make a killer cover letter because that’s what will get a potential employer’s attention and get you through the door. Once you’re in, you need to work hard and prove yourself every chance you get. Take on extra assignments and say yes to everything. (This absolutely doesn’t mean you need to overwork yourself, but showing your editors that you’re passionate and hungry is a plus.)

Are you happy about your journey?

I’m so happy. I’m also so proud of how far I’ve come. I absolutely love what I do and wouldn’t change anything about my journey because it led me exactly where I’m supposed to be.

So, lovers of pop culture, now you know what goes into these articles you know and love. Let us know what you think after getting a backstage pass to the process!