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  • All Blogs/ Entertainment Industry Insights: Jan. 08 2026

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January Reset + Don’t Miss the Production Restart

By Abigail Hardin, January 08, 2026

Eye60
Happy New Year, UTDA Family!!

I’ll be honest — 2026 did not start quite the way I’d envisioned. The flu tore through our household (and seemingly half of New York City). I rang in the new year bundled in bed next to my equally flu-ridden 4-year-old, and by the end of the week our 1.5-year-old joined the party. Several team members at UTDA were hit as well. All that to say: if you have been healthy and thriving, I am cheering for you — and if not, you are in very good company.

This rocky start has been a sharp reminder that before the vision boards, goals, hustling, and manifestation practices — we have to care for the vessel. Health and energy fuel everything else.

And here’s the good news: January 1st isn’t the only “new beginning.” I recently listened to Mel Robbins’ conversation with Professor Katy Milkman, PhD, who talks about the power of “fresh starts” — mini resets that happen throughout the year. Mondays. Birthdays. Seasons. The first day everyone in the family is finally healthy enough to go back to school (major fresh start over here!).

If you’re also getting a slightly later launch into 2026, consider this your invitation to press a different reset button — one that aligns with the cycle you’re in right now. It still counts. It always counts.

Jumpstart Your 2026 Professional Reset

If a career reset is on your list, we’re making it easier to begin: we’re offering 20% off new ANNUAL GOLD subscriptions to celebrate the New Year. That’s a full year of the most current contact info for Casting Directors, Agents, Managers, Regional Theatres, Projects Now Casting, and more — plus weekly updates. Just in the past week, dozens of TV projects have resumed production. Momentum is here.

The industry wakes up quickly after the holidays — don’t miss the seasonal restart. Use this window. Refresh your outreach. Plant seeds for spring. Upgrade to ANNUAL GOLD and set yourself up to capitalize on this year’s opportunities.

Select our ANNUAL GOLD subscription at sign-up to unlock this offer and get 1 year of the Up-To-Date Actor at the lowest price possible!

Sign Up - 20% Off

As you scroll through the wealth of news articles from the past month, there are two sections not to miss (find more articles and info on these sections below):

Casting News: Artios Awards — Film Nominations Announced Today
The 2026 Artios Award nominations for Film just dropped. If you’ve been following UTDA for a while, you know we’re big believers in using moments like this to reach out, congratulate CDs, and nurture relationships in a thoughtful, professional way. (We covered this strategy in depth in our two previous blogs — worth a re-read before you draft emails: Artios Awards: An Opportunity to Evolve Your Relationship with Casting Directors).

Read the Screenplay: Award-Season Scripts Now Available for Free
Awards season also means one of our favorite gifts: Deadline releases screenplay PDFs for nearly all the major films from last year. It’s an incredible opportunity to study structure, character arcs, and scene work directly from the page — and it’s a gold mine for fresh material if you’re in scene study or on-camera class this month. The screenplays are only available for a short time, so if you see one available, read/download it immediately!

Here’s to a year of health, clear intention, and energized professional growth.
The big question: What will you manifest in 2026?

Happy Manifesting,

2025 / 2026 Review
2025 - A Year End Review

2026 - A Look Ahead

Film & TV Business
Production & Tax Incentives
Warner Bros. / Netflix Deal
Casting News
Theatre Talk
AI Buzz
Read the Screenplay
Award Season
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Movie Theatres
Actors on Acting
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