Based inside the beltline in Raleigh, North Carolina, Lauren Van Hemert is an award-winning podcaster who has been covering regional theater for over three years. She has been called a "pioneer" for her community-based approach to cultural arts reporting and candid conversations about diversity and inclusion in the theater industry. Her guests have included Tony Award-winners, Broadway veterans, international recording artists, and television icons, including Eric Woodall, Lauren Kennedy, Robert Hartwell, Karen Ziemba, and Ed Asner. Van Hemert is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, Society for Professional Journalists, and the Broadway Makers Alliance.