Publishing is full of rankings, from power lists to best-dressed lists to under-40 lists. The CULT100 is different. There is just one criterion for inclusion—but it’s a high bar.

To qualify, a candidate must be actively shaping and changing our culture in real time. The people on this list represent five generations and hail from the worlds of food, publishing, art, fashion, activism, and entertainment. To put this group together, CULTURED‘s editors leveraged the full strength of our network, tapping artists, writers, and cultural leaders to tell us who they look to when they want to feel challenged, hopeful, and inspired.

Some members of the CULT100 are household names; others have been working behind the scenes to make possible the cultural encounters that stop us in our tracks. In a time of binary thinking, the creators featured in this year’s list are embracing contradiction, bouncing willfully between disciplines, and refusing to take no for an answer. They have guts, vision, and a potent cocktail of realism and optimism. None of them is shying away from the anxiety of our moment. Instead, they are thinking big, sharing generously, and embodying courage. The good news is, their work makes us all a little bit braver, too.

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JOSH TELLES
Photography by JOSH TELLES

PAUL FEIG

DIRECTOR & PRODUCER

The director and producer captured the indignities of high school in Freaks and Geeks. He continues to explore the complexities of class and power with projects like Another Simple Favor and  The Housemaid—making us laugh at ourselves along the way.

WHAT’S YOUR TRADEMARK? A martini. To me, it’s the most beautiful drink in the world and the ultimate symbol of grown-up fun. As a kid, I only wanted to be an adult and seeing adults drinking martinis symbolized the height of maturity to me.

NAME AN INFLUENCE OF YOURS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE. James Brown is my hero. He was the ultimate performer and a musical genius who knew how to truly move people. His music always makes me happy.

WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT WERE YOU KNOWN FOR? Crying. I would cry at the drop of a hat. I was scared of everything, and I was too emotional and way too sensitive. It was so debilitating that I had to force myself to not be emotional as I got older. I don’t think I’ve cried in decades. It’s probably not very healthy.

"I have no interest in making things that people consider homework."

WHAT QUESTION DO YOU ASK YOURSELF MOST OFTEN WHILE YOU’RE MAKING WORK? Does anyone want to see this? Is this something that, if I saw a trailer for it and it wasn’t me who made it, I would actually be excited to watch? Is it entertaining? I have no interest in making things that people consider homework.

IF YOU COULD ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO A SINGLE QUALITY, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Tenacious ambition. I’ve always known what I’ve wanted, and I’ve done everything in my power to get it. But I’ve also tried to do it as morally and as kindly as I can. Achieving your goals by ruining other people’s days holds no interest to me. If you can get what you want and still have people like and respect you, that’s the ultimate achievement. And it’s just how you should run your life as a member of society.

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DARREN STAR
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MEGAN STALTER