Laura Sydell

Like Meryl Streep, Lauren Hill, and Frank Sinatra Laura Sydell is a product of the most diverse state of the union, (Look before you laugh.) New Jersey. Sydell has always believed in the power of great stories to open hearts and change minds. For many years she put those stories in audio form as NPR’s Digital Culture Correspondent and as a contributor to “This American Life” and “Planet Money.” But she became increasingly fascinated with the explosion of creativity in TV. Currently, she is working on a depression era historical drama based a true story, a near future sci-fi drama about a Silicon Valley start up connected to the white supremacist movement, and a one woman show about being a reluctant technology reporter. As the many people she’s interviewed can attest - among them Actress Jodie Foster, Google Founder Sergey Brin, and Civil Rights Activist Al Sharpton - her bottomless curiosity means she’ll ask anyone anything.. Currently, she resides in San Francisco. Before that she lived in New York City and was a reporter with NPR member station WNYC where she covered the cultures and conflicts found in New York City’s diverse communities. She holds a JD from Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law and a BA with honors in Theater and Russian History from William Smith College.