Van Lathan is a cultural commentator and co-host of The Ringer’s Higher Learning, focusing on the intersection of Black culture, politics, and entertainment. Based in Los Angeles, his work combines historical analysis with incisive social critique.
Successful pitches to Lathan should:
Avoid superficial celebrity gossip or international affairs pitches lacking U.S. cultural connections.
Lathan’s journey began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his early fascination with storytelling evolved into a career spanning journalism, podcasting, and film production. After gaining recognition through TMZ’s investigative reporting (2010–2018), he pivoted to deeper cultural analysis:
This April 2025 episode dissects Trump’s tariff policies through the lens of historical racial capitalism. Lathan and Harriot trace connections between 19th-century protectionism and modern economic disenfranchisement, using agricultural subsidies as a case study. The analysis stands out for its unflinching examination of how political rhetoric masks systemic inequities, particularly in Southern Black communities.
Methodologically, Lathan employs oral history techniques, incorporating firsthand accounts from small business owners affected by trade wars. This ground-level reporting complements macroeconomic data, creating a multidimensional portrait of policy impacts. The episode sparked national dialogue, trending #1 in Apple’s Government category for 72 hours.
March 2025’s deep dive into entertainment industry racial dynamics showcases Lathan’s ability to connect celebrity narratives to broader cultural patterns. The 93-minute analysis positions Majors’ career trajectory against Hollywood’s history of Black male typecasting, using box office data from 1995–2025 to reveal systemic barriers.
Lathan’s critique of Disney’s Snow White rebranding effort combines audience sentiment analysis with production budget disclosures. His finding that "diversity casting budgets average 23% lower than traditional projects" became a benchmark for industry reform discussions. The episode’s impact led to renewed scrutiny of studio accounting practices.
This March 2025 commentary on media representation wars demonstrates Lathan’s mastery of cultural archaeology. By juxtaposing Robinson’s 1947 MLB integration with modern DEI rollbacks, he reveals how historical revisionism serves contemporary political agendas. The episode’s viral clip dissecting a Florida textbook alteration received 2.8M YouTube views in 48 hours.
Lathan’s use of archival radio broadcasts and congressional records creates a forensic timeline of erasure tactics. His proposal for "cultural impact statements" in education policy has been adopted by three major civil rights organizations.
Lathan prioritizes stories demonstrating how legislation affects cultural production. Successful pitches should:
"Connect the dots between committee hearings and what’s playing in theaters – show me how the Farm Bill influences hip-hop lyrics about food deserts."
Recent examples include his analysis of the CHIPS Act’s impact on Southern hip-hop studio infrastructure. Focus on unexpected cultural ripple effects of economic policies.
Move beyond tabloid-style pitches to examine stars as societal mirrors. Lathan’s Kanye West coverage (17+ episodes) uses the artist as a lens to examine mental health stigma in Black communities. Effective angles might explore:
Lathan’s Jackie Robinson analysis exemplifies his interest in recursive cultural patterns. Pitch stories with:
His team actively seeks primary sources like unedited interview tapes or unproduced scripts.
Lathan received top honors in Digital Commentary for his series on AI’s racial bias in music recommendation algorithms. The judging panel noted his "innovative synthesis of streaming data and civil rights jurisprudence," particularly his exposure of platform bias suppressing Black female artists.
Higher Learning’s groundbreaking conversation with voting rights activist Stacey Abrams clinched this award, with the jury praising Lathan’s "ability to distill constitutional law into cultural touchstones." The episode’s voter registration drive component led to 14,000 new registrations in Georgia.
As executive producer of this Oscar-winning short film, Lathan helped craft a searing examination of police violence loops. The project’s innovative narrative structure – repeating a fatal encounter 100+ times – has become a case study in trauma representation.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Culture, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
