About See Hear

See Hear covers the arts and culture of Western North Carolina through short-form video, conversational podcasts and news articles. I’m Matt Peiken, an Asheville journalist and the founding editor.

Before launching See Hear, in summer 2026, I hosted and produced the hyperlocal Asheville podcast The Overlook and spent more than five years as the arts reporter for Blue Ridge Public Radio. Previously, I was a staff journalist with WCPO-TV, in Cincinnati; the St. Paul Pioneer Press, in Minnesota; and a longtime contributor to Modern Drummer Magazine.

Free for audiences

See Hear videos, podcast episodes and news articles will always be free for anyone. Over time, we’ll look to produce ticketed events that are free to paid individual members, but we haven’t introduced that paid tier yet.

Become an inaugural member

If you’re an individual artist, ensemble or arts organization of any size, you can ensure See Hear coverage of your programming through a paid membership.

Through their memberships, local arts organizations and individual artists/collectives can request a certain amount of coverage throughout the year, based on their membership tier. Commissioned podcast interviews and short documentary videos (at my editorial discretion) can preview performances, profile artists, illuminate artistic process or show audiences how your work serves the community.

This is a unique funding model in arts journalism. You can read more about it here and here.

This isn’t pay-to-play. I’ll always cover artists and arts happenings I deem interesting or newsworthy, regardless of membership. Many organizations, artists and small collectives aren’t in a position to pay for memberships, and it’s important See Hear remain a gateway of discovery for a broad spectrum of artists. Simply, paid memberships guarantee my attention on your programming.

Bonus months for joining early

Memberships started any time in 2026 carry through all of 2027. From Jan. 1, 2027, all new memberships are annual. After you join See Hear, I’ll set up a meeting to look at your programming calendar, discuss your needs and build a coverage plan. To be clear, members only commission coverage—for instance, locking in a preview of a specific production or performance that would likely otherwise go uncovered. Members don’t have editorial control of See Hear stories or the opportunity to vet or approve them before publication.

Over time, I’ll diversify See Hear revenue through advertising, grants, memberships to the general public, consulting and special event ticket sales.