Simone Polanen is a writer, performer, film- and audio-maker based in Brooklyn, NY. She most recently hosted Not Past It, an original podcast from Spotify, Gimlet Media, and ZSP Media. The show explores how history shapes the world we live in today — delivered via thorough reporting, cinematic audio storytelling, and Simone’s signature comedic voice. The Atlantic named it one of the 50 best podcasts of 2021. In 2023, she was invited to speak at TEDxCarnegie Mellon University about the lessons she’s learned telling history from a contemporary perspective.Prior to hosting NPI, Simone worked as an audio producer on narrative non-fiction podcasts such as Start Up, The Nod, and Reply All. She also produced for Trevor Noah’s interview podcast On Second Thought with Trevor Noah and Spotify’s award-winning The Decade Wrapped podcast, recapping a decade’s worth of pop culture and music hits. Simone writes HIGHBROW/LOWBROW, a Substack newsletter recommending and reviewing culture across the spectrum. She celebrates everything from art house films to K-pop girl groups, nature documentaries to YouTube videos, experimental animations to campy classics. You can subscribe at subscribetohblb.com For more, please visit: www.simonepolanen.com