Pitches (Entertainment)

How to Pitch:
Direct pitches to: editors@dirt.fyi
Standard rates start at $0.50/word, negotiable for reported pieces. Q&As are paid out at $0.30/word.
Pieces are generally commissioned at around 500-800 or 800-1000 words. We do occasionally go longer.

What to Pitch:
Dirt is billed as a newsletter about entertainment, and television (particularly streaming) is our bread and butter. We love short essays and posts that take an unexpected angle on a popular show, highlight a previously uncovered element or particular aesthetic of a show everyone is watching, or recommend things that it seems like no one is watching at all.
Beyond TV, Dirt publishes pieces covering all kinds of cultural ephemera: movies, books, fashion and style, art, furniture and design, scene reports, shopping, video games, music, politics, and media. We embrace the esoteric–if you have an idea for a culture piece that you think might be too weird for public consumption, try us.
Dirt is, of course, digital only (it is an email newsletter), and we love to cover the internet, whether it’s a social media trend, the blockchain, or thoughts on How We Communicate Online Now.
We occasionally publish personal essays, especially when the narrative incorporates a larger point of view on culture or the internet.
Being funny is great and important. We support irreverence!
We love a trend piece. But please, when pitching, provide proof that x is an actual trend and not just two disparate thingies you saw online.
Do not always stress about a peg! Pegs are death!
However, if you do have a timely idea that works for Dirt, we would love to get on it as quickly as possible. Please denote all time-sensitive pitches with a “TIMELY” in the subject line (apologies but “URGENT” gives our editors a heart attack).