So far, Stephen Colbert has not completely re-wired the late-night television machine with his particular brand of arch, sharp comedy. He still knows how to go star-powered clip to star-powered clip with the viral-mad Jimmys–Fallon and Kimmel–by, say, pondering life’s mysteries with Scarlett Johansson or “silly walking” with Lupita Nyong’o . And his writing staff, as with many shows, is rather light on female talent .

But in at least one crucial way, Colbert is breaking with years of late-night tradition by booking guests who, while certainly high-powered, are not necessarily ready for their closeups. These folks are not Hollywood A-listers, but rather stars in government, technology, and, most notably, business. One woman on The Late Show crew is largely responsible for landing them.

“We are a long way from the era of the man in the gray flannel suit,” says Emily Lazar, co-executive producer and head of talent booking at The Late Show. “Many of the CEOs we’re going after for the show are changing the world, and at a very fast pace. Our audience is interested in knowing about the people who are harnessing technology to reorder the way we live.”

Since Colbert’s premiere earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have been guests on the show–guests who would seem more at place on Colbert’s previous politically minded satirical platform The Colbert Report. But as Lazar explains, what she’s looking for when booking guests like inventor and designer Dominic Wilcox–who appeared on last night’s show–is the broad description of anyone at the top of their respective games, and who possesses that catchall buzzword: “authenticity.”

“If you have ideas, or if you have interests, or you have a body of knowledge that is genuine, that you have committed your life to, we are infinitely interested in that,” Lazar says. “Because at the end of the day, Stephen has to talk to a person and that person has to represent their ideas and their beliefs and their motivation persuasively. We’re looking for authenticity like everyone else.”

Here, Lazar breaks down her rationale in booking some of Colbert’s more unorthodox late-night guests.

“He may not be a household name but the Iran deal could end up being the most important piece of negotiation in our lifetime.”