Her Story
About Nicole
Nicole Hertvik is the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of DC Theater Arts, the largest dedicated source of theater news in the Washington, D.C. region, where she oversees editorial direction, contributor development, and the publication's broader business strategy. Her path to arts journalism was anything but conventional: after earning a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Cincinnati, she spent years working internationally in the field of international affairs, living and working in Argentina, the Czech Republic, and France, and later completing a master's degree in International Relations and Affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. It wasn't until she became a mother to her three daughters that she chose to step away from that career entirely and return to her earliest passion — theater and storytelling — launching a second act that would eventually define her professional legacy.
Since making that pivot roughly a decade ago, Hertvik has built DC Theater Arts into a vital institution within the region's cultural landscape, publishing reviews and features that help local artists gain visibility, attract audiences, and secure funding. Her freelance writing has appeared in American Theatre Magazine, DCist, Washington City Paper, and District Fray Magazine, and in 2023 a five-part investigative series she authored on the D.C. theater community's post-pandemic struggles was named a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists' D.C. Chapter Dateline Award. She has continued to sharpen her craft through formal training, including a fellowship with the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a certificate in Entrepreneurial Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, and she remains a committed mentor to emerging arts writers, offering them bylines and hands-on guidance as they enter the field.
Beyond the newsroom, Hertvik channels her curiosity into an active volunteer life and an unexpected personal pursuit: archaeology. She has served as an Author Recruiter for the Gaithersburg Book Festival since 2017 and previously worked as a Refugee Mentor and Literacy Trainer with the International Rescue Committee. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she continues to pursue independent studies in art archaeology, describing it as a grounding counterbalance to the fast pace of digital publishing. Hertvik lives in Maryland with her three daughters, and her career stands as an example of how a willingness to reinvent oneself can lead to a richer, more purposeful professional life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nicole
01What do you attribute your success to?
I credit my success to a genuine belief that I'm capable of taking on new challenges and an unwillingness to let fear hold me back from trying something unfamiliar. A great deal of that confidence comes from the support system my parents gave me; being raised with love and always having a safe place to return to if something didn't work out made it much less frightening to step outside my comfort zone. I try to instill that same sense of security in my own daughters. I also see my ADHD as an asset rather than a limitation — it keeps me curious, pushes me toward new experiences, and fuels my drive to innovate.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to be confident, trust yourself, and never hesitate to reach out to the people you admire — most of them genuinely want to help. When I finally found the courage to do that myself, I was met with warmth and encouragement from people throughout the field. There is so much to learn from those who came before you, and I've found that people respond well to enthusiasm and genuine passion for the work.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I see is the shrinking footprint of arts coverage in traditional print outlets, which has made it harder for emerging writers to land entry-level bylines and for institutional arts criticism to survive. At the same time, I view this as an opportunity: independent and online publications are stepping in to close that gap, offering reviews that genuinely help artists reach audiences and secure funding, while also training the next generation of critics. I've also been expanding into investigative arts journalism, which I see as an important growth area for the field.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Lifelong learning, mentorship, and community-building sit at the core of everything I do, both professionally and personally. Family support has shaped who I am, and I try to carry that same spirit of openness and encouragement into my work with emerging journalists. I place a high value on staying open to experimentation and new experiences, since that mindset has consistently pushed me toward growth in both my career and my personal life.
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