Dea Lawrence has assumed the top business role at Variety , succeeding Michelle Sobrino Stearns as publisher and also becoming co-president (a role she’ll share with Ramin Setoodeh, Variety ’s co-editor-in-chief). Lawrence is already in the trenches. Here she outlines her plan to take Variety into its next 120 years as Hollywood’s magazine of record.

What was the publication that got you hooked on media as a kid?

Ms. Magazine. That was a huge influence for me. I devoured every fashion magazine growing up, laying out in the sun with my girlfriend Kathy. I was very active growing up. I was the morning announcement girl, head of the drama club and editor of the school paper — which nobody read. It was white stapled pages, and you had to pay for it. Even then, I instinctively knew w

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