No Tricks in 2026: A New Job Search Mantra

Survive until ‘25 sounded good…until it became meaningless. That’s why we’re coining a new mantra for this year - no tricks in ’26. This is the year where job seekers and entertainment professionals embrace the reality that no one knows what’s coming next. There are strong bets you can make - the creator economy, Netflix maintaining its behemoth status - but what's the secret to landing your next great job, avoiding the next round of layoffs, or finding the kind of stability that existed back in the good ol' days of film studios making a variety of movies across budgets and TV seasons garnering millions of viewers for 22 episodes? The secret is that there is no secret.

This is not as scary as it sounds! In fact, the landscape has changed before, and it’ll change again. We did a little bit of research, and here’s some data to show this “who knows” content landscape isn’t new:

• The top 5 primetime shows in 1996: ER, Seinfeld, Suddenly Susan, Friends, and The Naked Truth (NBC really had some must-see-TV!).

• The top 5 primetime shows in 2006: American Idol and Dancing with the Stars (this is only two shows, but five total airings of new programming because of results shows – this was the era of shiny floor reality TV dominating the market).

• The top 5 primetime shows in 2016 (when the streaming wars were just between Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu): The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, NFL, and Bull (CBS solidified its place as the leader in broadcast - but compared to ER’s 34M viewers a decade before, CBS as a whole averaged only 9M viewers - TV was officially fragmented).

Part of building a successful career in this industry is weathering these changes. For some people, that means sticking to the format they love, regardless of how popular it is, and finding peace with the more limited opportunities, lower salaries, or instability in service of a career that’s extremely creatively fulfilling. For others, it means following the trends and innovating new ways to tell stories that connect with changing audience tastes, taking the risk that the trend you latch onto may not be long-term.

With either approach, it means going back to basics when it comes to searching for jobs. That means starting with you and what your career goals and needs are.

It has always been the case that the way to cultivate success in entertainment is to have a strong point of view, a collaborative mindset, and a network of people who champion you, and who you lift up in turn. When you have a clear picture of what you want next and why (the strong POV), it becomes easier to build the network that has confidence in you. That doesn’t mean it won’t take work! You’ll have to take time to identify and clarify your story, set targets, conduct outreach, meet new people, follow up with existing contacts, and apply for jobs with your best foot forward. And even if you do this, you may not land a job immediately - but you will land a job that can sustain you.

This all seems pretty straightforward, but we’ve been tracking job seeker trends, and there’s a lot of desperation that’s leading candidates to try to find shortcuts or the easy way out. Our “no tricks in ‘26” mantra is one that we hope will help you avoid that. Now is not the time to apply for every job posting you see regardless of whether it’s a fit or not. It’s not the time to rely on ChatGPT to create a one-note, generic resume that hiring managers will gloss over. It’s not the time to use EasyApply or outsource your applications to AI agents. It’s not the time to post a meaningless call for help on LinkedIn that says you’re looking for your next opportunity but doesn’t explain what that is or why. It’s not the time to apply for roles that bore you just because you’ve heard that’s where the future is going (unless you want a boring role, which is respectable in its own way). 

No tricks in ‘26 means going back to basics. It means getting real with yourself about what you need next financially and creatively and making decisions that align with your picture of your personal definition of success. It means figuring out what roles you’re interested in, why you’re well-positioned for them, and translating that narrative into a cohesive, compelling resume and a strong LinkedIn profile. It means applying selectively for roles and taking the extra step to see who in your network can refer you. It means growing your network so you have more people who will send you open roles and refer you to them. It means soaking up the content you love so you can stay current and remember why you got into this business in the first place, or just so you can have some fun watching movies. It means having patience with yourself and the market, recognizing that the change to the industry is so much bigger than your career, and letting go of the notion that there’s something wrong with you. There isn’t. Uncertain times in a massive industry - and to an extent, the global landscape - have nothing to do with your personal life choices, expertise, or worth.

No tricks in ‘26 means centering yourself in your career moves, rather than contorting yourself to fit the mold of something whose shape you don’t quite know yet. This is the year where we might not be able to guarantee immediate success, but we can advocate for you to find peace while we all move forward into the unknown together.