Mark Peikert, Journalist, Meet Me At Crafty

Arts Journalism: Building Your Career

Mark Peikert is the founder and editor of Meet Me At Crafty, an independent publication investigating artists and craftspeople in film and TV. Previously, Peikert served as editor-in-chief of Playbill and Backstage and deputy editor of IndieWire.

If you’re a creative professional, then arts journalism can be a significant part of your career. While it’s true that the industry is rapidly changing — and that many traditional outlets are closing — it remains possible to report stories about the arts in a variety of interesting and remunerative ways. To discuss how, arts journalist Mark Blankenship (DGSD Faculty) will host a Q&A with Mark Peikert, who has been an editor at Playbill, Backstage, and IndieWire and currently runs the entertainment industry newsletter Meet Me at Crafty. Mark and Mark will offer insights from their own lengthy careers, discuss the realities of being an arts journalist in 2026, and take questions from anyone who wants to do this work themselves.