Welcome to PassTheAux, a culture newsletter for people who want smart, essential recommendations in an era of information overload.
I’m Eleanor Halls, and for more than a decade I’ve been obsessing over culture and the media for a living, first as a writer at British GQ then associate culture editor at The Telegraph. I’m also the co-host of pop culture podcast Straight Up. So, trust me, I’ve watched a lot of films, read a lot of books, and interviewed a lot of interesting people.
PassTheAux is where I distill everything I find brilliant, surprising or thought-provoking into something readable in under five minutes. On Mondays, that’s five things to make your week smarter. On Fridays, three things to make your weekend more entertaining. You might get a bonus essay or interview every now and then too.
This newsletter began as a project to help more women writers pitch confidently. After it was featured in The Sunday Times’s best newsletters, it evolved into somewhere I could share my thoughts, insight and recommendations on this fast-changing cultural and media landscape. Now, after a year’s hiatus, I’m re-launching my Substack to give my subscribers more of what they want.
Below I spell out exactly what to expect from my free and paid-for memberships, and how to get in touch. Glad to have you hear!
What you’ll get (free):
💌 Weekly curated lists: the smartest, buzziest things to read/listen to right now
🎬Weekend what to watch: the best things to watch across film and TV
📝Original essays: on media, pop culture, and internet trends
📚 My end of year best-of lists, across TV, film, books and more
What’s behind the paywall?
If you become a paying member you’ll get:
⭐️Full access to all weekly posts, and my paywalled author & journalist interviews, from Sam Knight to Annie Lorde
⭐️Bonus recommendations each week
⭐️A community of culture lovers, with which you can swap recommendations, opinions and more in the comments
⭐️Occasional interviews with journalists, authors and more
PassTheAux is for you if:
✍️ You need a little cultural curation in our era of information overload
✍️ You want smart, expert, commentary on the most important cultural news, shaped by my decade as a magazine writer, interviewer and newspaper editor
✍️ You want to stay ahead of culture and media trends
Want to get in touch?
Find me on Instagram here.
For anything work related, from freelance writing to media training and brand consultancy. please get in touch via email: eleanorahalls@gmail.com
