Ankler Agenda No Jobs, No Ladder, No Relief — Except, For Some, a Cigarette
Apr 2, 2026
Deegan Penner, editor and writer who reported on smoking’s return by interviewing young L.A. entertainment workers. He recounts club-hopping research and why cigarettes function as social currency. Conversation touches on stress and long hours, smoking as counterculture and aesthetic, and how Los Angeles conditions amplified the trend.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Millennial Career Stagnation Versus 90s Opportunity
- Millennials and Gen X both face real career setbacks, but the entertainment industry's boom years created a different sense of opportunity for older cohorts.
- Elaine and Sean contrast pre-streaming cable/DVD-era rapid advancement with today's contracted job pipeline and fewer breakout opportunities.
Stalled Succession Cuts Industry Mobility
- Succession in Hollywood slowed as older executives and agency heads stayed in place, reducing mid-level mobility.
- Sean points to fewer agency moves and big mergers that eliminate middle management roles, shrinking promotion paths for millennials.
Street Interviews Found Working Entertainment Smokers
- Deegan went club hopping in Echo Park and the Sunset Strip asking 20-somethings about smoking.
- Many respondents worked in entertainment (script supervisors, assistants, animators) and were eager but reluctant to use their names.