Jenna Weiss-Berman, an architect of the podcast boom, oversaw the rise of the instantly viral, The Ringer-produced Good Hang show, putting Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions—where Weiss-Berman is the new head of its audio division—in league with the industry’s heaviest hitters.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Buying more sweatshirts so my wife complains we don’t have room for any more sweatshirts, and takes several to Goodwill (my wife answered this question for me).
Where do you feel most at home?
Cafe Cluny, where I have worked for years to get the waitstaff to like me.
Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.
Sandra Bullock. Impeccable comedic timing is a gift and a miracle at the same level as being a piano prodigy. And Sandy has got it.
What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?
More old women, fewer young men.
What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?
It’s been a very dark winter, but one bright spot was seeing The Testament of Ann Lee, which was also very dark, but a glorious and urgent work of art—sweeping, immersive, fresh, rhythmic, and at times bizarre.
What’s something people get wrong about you?
My gender
What question do you ask yourself most often while you’re making work?
Should I order sushi?
What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?
Working to support new immigrants start their lives in New York City.
What would you like the headline of your obituary to be?
“Kind-Hearted Grump Dies Poolside at World’s Most Exclusive Resort.”
When you were little, what were you known for?
Violence.
To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.
in your life?
