The adage “quality over quantity” is a guiding principle of Janice Min’s business strategy. When she joined Richard Rushfield in 2022 to turn his entertainment insider newsletter The Ankler into a media company, the two agreed the future of publishing must involve depth of knowledge over a constant barrage of updates and developing news.

Ankler Media has grown from Rushfield’s flagship Substack newsletter to six newsletters and four podcasts. The most recent newsletter, “Strikegeist,” documenting the Writers Guild strike, was constructed quickly as tensions built between the guild and studios, and gained 3,000 subscribers in its first 24 hours.

While Rushfield offered a jaw-dropping list of bigwig Hollywood subscribers cultivated through his independent expertise, Min brought business prowess born from two decades in lead roles at major publications including Us Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

She monetized The Ankler newsletter through ad sales, gained investor backing and brought in new editorial talent to build the franchise. Ankler Media has begun expanding into live events and is looking to grow its coverage internationally.

Since Min joined, Ankler Media has grown its subscriber revenue 400% to more than 42,000 readers and 900,000 podcast downloads. The company’s revenue is in the low seven figures.

“In a town that really is driven by stars, it’s all about that X factor,” said Min. “Together, Richard and I bring an X factor to coverage of the industry.”

What advice would you give your younger self? 

Don’t waste your time with low-quality people.  

Don’t be afraid to be really good. Don’t hold back. It was like a revelation to me when I was starting out—you would have an idea and you’d think if it were good, someone else would have had it. Then you realize that’s not the case. Be the shiny penny. Everybody’s dying for a shiny penny in their workplace.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? 

Quitting Us Weekly at its peak without another job. It felt like it was time. 

If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing and why? 

I’d be a house renovator and flipper. I moved in and out of seven apartments in New York City when we lived there. Two years in one place felt long.

What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks? 

Bring one or two women or people of color onto the leadership team. It’s incredible what that does in terms of opening up the field for more diverse hiring below.

How do you expect emerging tech like Web3 and AI to impact your job in the future? 

Luckily, ChatGPT can’t report. And I dare any bot to write as well as the people who write for The Ankler.