Meet Your Neighbor: Lauren Doral

By: LiliAnn Paras | February 2, 2022 |  Meet Your Neighbor |  Fair Haven

Photo Credit: Suzan Globus

Lauren Doral is always one interview away from the next uplifting story.

Through her Real Jersey Shore series on Facebook and YouTube, she has interviewed close to 1,000 locals – when and where she finds them. Her interviews have led to an invitation to become a co-host on a NJ-based streaming network’s weekly morning show, Coffee With Joe. And recently, she was approached by the Garden State Film Festival to consider doing interviews of the participating directors. Lauren lives in Fair Haven with her husband, Dan, their children, Oliver and Lia, their new rescue dog, Juno, and thier “forever dogs”, Claude and Margaux. Lauren found herself on the other side of the microphone in her recent interview with CM.

CM: When did you begin doing interviews?
Lauren: I started at age 19 for a local cable station. When I set foot onto the sound stage for the first time, I felt at home. The next thing I knew they had me interviewing out on the street. I’d never done it before, had no idea what I was getting into, and just went for it. Fourteen years later I launched my own series.

CM: How did the Real Jersey Shore concept come about?
Lauren: When my son was an infant, I realized I missed film production. I took in the goings-on in my community from a fresh perspective, that of an NYU Tisch-grad and film producer, and I wanted to share what I saw. I hit the streets with my tripod and son in tow. Now, Oliver will call me from his bike when he spots a story he thinks I’d want to capture.

CM: How do you choose your interviewees?
Lauren: I am captured by a person’s energy. I’ll spot a quick moment, a transaction, the way someone holds something, and I’m enrapt. This winter I walked briskly by a woman in a mall. I saw her take a sip of a drink, pause, and to herself say, ‘Um…that’s good.’ It struck me as a sweet gesture of self-care. I had promised myself I’d ‘take the day off ’ from asking people for stories but I knew I had to go back. All sorts of thoughts pop into my head in these moments; Will I get rejected? Am I obtrusive? Will they want to talk to me? Am I about to embarrass myself publicly?

CM: How did that one turn out?
Lauren: I located the woman at a table having a late afternoon rejoinder with her son – a young man in a wheelchair – and his caretaker. Her son had started a Neptune-based organization for people with disabilities called Voice On Wheels. The three gave me an interview so moving I cried on camera. At the end of the piece, they thanked me for giving them a voice.

CM: Are there other interviews that also resonated with you?
Lauren: They all do in different ways. I profiled a revered local teacher who was reluctant to come on camera for fear his story would tarnish his image. We worked through his fears and he shared with me his history of overcoming alcohol addiction, a DUI, and the loss of employment and athletics opportunities, prior to getting sober. He ultimately used his journey to help children keep focused and disciplined, none of which I’d known when I approached him. His story changed lives, including his own.

CM: You have an interesting project: 20 Strangers in 30 Days.
Lauren: I asked myself what I could do to push myself out of my comfort zone. This gave rise to my #RJSTalkToStrangersChallenge #20in30 (my mom and daughter helped me come up with the name). I challenged myself to get twenty people on camera with me in thirty days. It worked! I surpassed my goal, and walked away with 54 in– spiring stories.

CM: Final thoughts?
Lauren: I’m deeply grateful to perfect strangers for taking the leap and going on camera with me, especially to those who bare their souls in unexpected ways. Many turn to me after the camera stops rolling to say, ‘I’ve never told anyone what I just told you, and I feel so much better having shared it.’
 

CM: Favorite quote or philosophy?
Lauren: My Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School yearbook quote still holds true: “The thing is, if you never risk anything, you risk even more.” -Erica Jong. I’ve added one more: “Dream while you’re awake” -Andre Agassi

To view the Real Jersey Shore series, visit laurendoral.com.