When it debuted in 1931, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso brought the ingenuity and glamour of the Art Deco movement’s bold, geometric vocabulary to the watch world.

Its unique reversibility was created to solve a rather esoteric problem: how to protect the delicate glass covering a watch dial from smashing on the polo fields. René-Alfred Chauvot, a French industrial designer tapped by Jacques-David LeCoultre, founder Antoine’s grandson, devised an ingenious solution: flipping the watch within its case so the glass was hidden and the metal back could absorb the impact of errant balls and mallets.

As the watchmaker approaches its 200th anniversary, the Reverso Tribute collection pays homage to this original streak of genius. While Jaeger-LeCoultre has expanded the Reverso to include three collections, the clean lines and Art Deco aesthetics of the original have endured. The instantly recognizable rectangular case also remains, decorated with three horizontal gadroons on each side of the dial. The watch swivels in its case, revealing a polished surface for engraving or a second dial.

The hero of this homage is the Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds, which is receiving an update with a monochrome pink-gold design and a stunning Milanese bracelet woven from more than 50 feet of pink-gold thread. Clever finishing techniques soften the look of the all-gold piece: The case and the bracelet are polished to a high shine, which contrasts with the matte finish of the textured, grained dial.

The applied polished gold indexes and Dauphine hands display the time, and at 6 o’clock, there’s a small seconds subdial. The result effortlessly bridges almost a century of innovation, one move at a time.

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Introducing a Play For Every New Yorker Who’s Had More Bad Dates Than Good

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Every fashion house has its mascot, and at Valentino, the panther reigns supreme. The feline first appeared as a motif seven years into the brand’s existence when Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti unveiled their Fall/Winter 1967 couture. The sleek panther graphic—bared teeth and all—appeared on a suite of flowy, jewel-toned gowns and tunics that quickly became staples of a fashion world that was shedding its postwar rigidity.

Decades later, the jungle cat reemerges from the brush on the Valentino Garavani Panthea bag. Twin feline heads, delineated by an antique gold finish and set with Swarovski crystals, anchor the design from strap to strap. Chevron-style nappa leathers—in matte and waxed finishes, or ostrich and python—give the accessory a so-passé-it’s-great-again touch.

The Panthea has now made two appearances: first for its debut during the Fall/Winter 2025 season in Alessandro Michele’s sophomore show, Le Méta-Théâtre Des Intimités, and next for the Cruise 2026 offering. Already, its variations have been spotted under the arms of Lily Allen, Lana Del Rey, and Lila Moss. Every It girl needs a big cat.

More of our favorite stories from CULTURED

14 Books Our Editors Can’t Wait to Read This Summer

Inside the Closet of a Revered Stylist Who Has Only Worn Prada For Over 30 Years

Charles Melton Actually Has No Idea Where His Career Goes From Here

Introducing a Play For Every New Yorker Who’s Had More Bad Dates Than Good

7 Commandments for Rookie Collectors, From CULTURED’s Power Art Advisors

Sign up for our newsletter  to get these stories direct to your inbox.

If there’s a new pipeline—influencer comedian to celebrity interviewer—Jake Shane is its construction superintendent. His podcast, Therapuss, is a staple of the modern press tour, and this spring saw him slide into the talent chair himself with back-to-back Broadway and film debuts. Oh, and he’s set to play a version of himself in a still-cooking Hulu show. He’s keeping busy.

What keeps you up at night?

The idea that everything could go away tomorrow.

What are you looking forward to this year?

I’m really looking forward to putting myself out there creatively more this year. I want to push myself to try new things, explore different formats, and flex creative muscles that I haven’t fully tapped into before. I’m excited to experiment, take a few risks, and see where that can take me. I’m also looking forward to gaining more confidence in myself and intentionally working through my OCD. 

What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?

More of me. Less of the word “bestie.”

When’s the last time you laughed hysterically?

My latest Meg Stalter interview. She has such a unique point of view and is completely herself in everything she does, which is inspiring and endlessly entertaining. She’s genuinely one of the funniest people I know and the future of comedy. If you get it, you get it, and when you get it, it’s the hardest you will ever laugh in your life. 

What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?

Reading negative things about myself.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?

I’d probably still be working in music. That’s what I was doing before all of this and I just remember finally feeling a sense of purpose I hadn’t felt in a while. Going to work every day and feeding off the energy of my coworkers was always so much fun. I’m grateful that I’m still close with many of them today. Music has always been a huge passion of mine, so in a way it feels full circle that my current work is still connected to the music industry, just in a different capacity. It’s such a universal language. 

What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?

“The Archer” by Taylor Swift and “Sable Fable” by Bon Iver.

What question do you ask yourself most when making work?

Is this going to make my friends laugh?

What is your biggest vice? Your greatest virtue?

 Weed is my biggest vice and my self awareness is my greatest virtue. Or self deprecation. 

What grounds you, and what invigorates you?

I have Confession OCD, which I learned today, which is when you feel like you have to tell everyone everything. Having my friends around me, the ones who’ve been there since the beginning, has always been really grounding because I know they love me for me. They’ve seen all sides of me, and knowing they have my back keeps me centered and reminds me why I do what I do. Being told “no” pushes me to work harder and not get too comfortable.

The A.I. wars are in full swing—and Anthropic’s head of brand, Andrew Stirk, and chief communications officer, Sasha de Marigny, are two of its most influential generals. As the architects of Anthropic’s public image, they have positioned Claude as a cooler and more ethical alternative to its competitors.

What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?

Andrew Stirk: I have been lucky to work for some big companies developing campaigns that have reached millions and, in some cases, billions of people around the world. My sister is an award-winning playwright; when she puts on a play she might reach hundreds or thousands of people with something they might remember for the rest of their lives.

My work is more ephemeral. What motivates me is accessing an emotional truth that may not be obvious—landing a message in a way that shifts how people think and feel about things. In a previous role someone described it as putting the heart in the robot. That has stayed with me.

Sasha de Marigny: Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving and deeply misunderstood, and the general public can’t make informed choices about a technology they don’t understand. My team and I want to change that by being radically transparent about what’s happening in A.I. research and development. We want to demystify the technology and teach everyone how to use A.I. tools effectively and creatively so no one is left behind. We want to deepen public awareness and understanding of the technology’s risks so everyone is better equipped to manage them for themselves and their loved ones. And we want to be open about the speed at which the capabilities are improving and the potential societal and economic impacts this may have, so everyone can adapt and prepare. Ultimately, I hope we can help our users envision and create a future they’re excited to be part of, where A.I. helps us achieve things we never could have without it.

What keeps you up at night?

Stirk: I hate the idea that the future is something that happens to us. I have to believe that the future is something we can shape. I am a dad with two teenage sons. I’ve seen data that suggests that Gen Z feels less optimistic about the future. They feel problems like climate change are too big to solve and lack faith in the institutions and systems that are supposed to lead. My kids’ coping mechanism seems to be a wicked and weird sense of humor and a focus on their immediate friends and world.

This generation is the future, and they will be the most affected by the transition to powerful A.I. systems. I want them to feel that they have a say, to feel empowered to shape the world. I want the technology we are building to be a reason for them to feel optimistic that they can take on problems that previous generations would have thought were intractable. I want them to feel that their voices, imagination, and creativity matter. The technology we are building has the potential to be the most powerful tool ever created to solve problems, or it could create new ones. I feel that responsibility. It’s why I work at the company I do, and it keeps me up.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?

Stirk: I would be studying to be a gardener. I know nothing about plants, and I am in awe of those who do. There is something magical about gardeners. It is a special kind of creativity. My role often requires urgency—there is a clear outcome we are working towards, and success is reliant on meeting the moment and mood, which can be fleeting and changeable. Gardening requires patience. The work is to nurture, not force an outcome. I like the idea of being less in my head and more in my body, hands in the dirt.

De Marigny: My dream job would be to restore old homes. I think a lot about the decline of beauty, timelessness, and craftsmanship in contemporary architecture.

When you were little, what were you known for?

De Marigny: I come from a long line of thespians, and from as young as 4 years old, theater and performance always lit me up. Auditions, backstage life, and rehearsals, watching the costumes and sets come together, the energy of opening night and that indescribable, electric feeling of performing live for an audience—I was just completely besotted. It was my whole life.

What is your biggest vice? Your greatest virtue?

De Marigny: Too many vices to name! But I suppose if I had to choose, I am unfortunately not a very patient person, and I’m terrible with routine—my skin starts to itch if things become too predictable and repetitive. On virtues, I’m not a transactional person. Authentic relationships mean a great deal to me. I’m an open book that way, for better or worse.

What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?

De Marigny: I graduated into the recession of ’08. It was a scary time for young people. It felt like opportunities were evaporating, and I viscerally remember how hard it was to get a foot in the door. I had been acting, teaching drama classes, turning my hand to freelance writing to make ends meet. I felt a huge amount of anxiety around whether I would ever get my start or be able to realize my full potential. Eventually someone gave me a chance, and I’ll forever be grateful to them for that. My life would look very different if they hadn’t seen that little spark in me.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Stirk: This is the first year in my life where I don’t know what to expect. Everything feels uncertain right now. That can be paralyzing or galvanizing. It would be so easy to retreat at this moment, but I want to push against that instinct. When things are most unpredictable, that’s the time to show up and step forward. We are listening to different communities—business leaders, developers, artists, school teachers—to understand their needs, hopes, and fears so that we can build toward a future they want step by step, even if it is not always clear what the next right step is.

What question do you ask yourself most often while you’re making work?

Stirk: What will this make people feel? I love stories. They are one of our earliest technologies. Stories are how we make sense of the world and our place in it. Not just by ordering events on a timeline, but at a deeper level, to understand how to feel about things. The message is encoded in the feeling as much as any of the words we choose. Creative rigor means not rationalizing this away but staying alive to it, paying close attention to how people respond to work.

To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.

Think of Fred Armisen and what comes to mind? Celebrity impressions? Niche documentary parodies? Uncle Fester? This year, think music: the comedian, whose delightful 2025 album 100 Sound Effects inventoried highly specific, well, sound effects, is continuing to expand his purview by hosting a new CNN docuseries on iconic bands like Nirvana and Guns N’ Roses.

What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?                         

Being a consumer. I bought multiple iPod Classics that I still use today. 

What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?                                   

More tipping. Like, actors should tip the director after each scene. No more music scoring in films and shows, please. Do you want me to listen to music or watch your movie? It can’t be both.

When’s the last time you laughed hysterically?                                     

When I was asked to laugh hysterically in the audience at a TV show taping. 

What would you like the headline of your obituary to be?                      

“Hundreds Die of Fright at the Revenge of the Mummy Ride at Universal Studios, Including Crooner Fred Armisen.”

What grounds you?                               

My parents and grandparents were gang members, on both sides. Meaning, they were from opposing gangs. Seeing them all together at family banquets grounds me.          

What invigorates you?              

Watching the new generation of kids at these banquets, completely disinterested in what the grown ups are talking about. Good for them.    

What keeps you up at night?

I have this stand-up bed that I bought in Italy. It’s completely upright and very difficult to fall asleep in. 

What’s something people get wrong about you?                                           

That my family comes from the banking world, going back to Pittsburgh in the early 1900s.

Where do you feel most at home?     

Any hospital waiting room. 

What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?                               

Learning to draw/perspective angles. It’s so much harder than you think, even when using a ruler.

To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.

Haynes helped turn Tribeca into New York’s most exciting gallery district with 52 Walker, the downtown spinoff of David Zwirner she opened in 2021. Now, she’s global head of curatorial projects for the mega-gallery’s broader network—and is staying committed to ambitious, often impractical shows.

What keeps you up at night?

That if I fall asleep right now, I’ll get seven hours of sleep… And if I fall asleep now, I’ll get six and a half hours of sleep… If I can fall asleep immediately, I could get a solid four hours of sleep.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?

When I was younger I dreamed of being A&R (artist and repertoire) for a major record label (back when A&R was still a real job) and I would hope that I would be working in the music industry in some capacity. I realize now that I’m sort of an A&R for the art world.

What would you like the headline of your obituary to be?

“Real Gs Move in Silence Like Lasagna.”

What’s something people get wrong about you?

When people ask me how I’d like my coffee and I say “cream and sugar,” they never put enough cream or sugar. I like it light and sweet and it has to be full-fat cream and white sugar.

What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?

John Waters‘s Hairspray, 1988, got me through many moments in my life.

What would you wear to meet your greatest enemy?

An exact replica of the suit George Clooney wore as Michael Clayton.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Koyo Kouoh‘s Venice Biennale.

Name an influence of yours that might surprise people?

Rick Rubin.

Where do you feel most at home?

In Tobago.

To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.

In a world transformed by A.I., Ari Emanuel is betting big on live experiences. But the legendary entertainment dealmaker, whose memoir comes out in September, hasn’t sworn off life online. He recently opened his first Instagram and launched a new podcast, Rushmore.

Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.

My mother. She was deeply involved in civil rights and had an enormous sense of moral clarity. That stays with you. Beyond that, my career has been shaped by relationships across very different worlds: technology, sports, politics, business. My currency has always been people.

What’s something people get wrong about you?

That I’m purely transactional. I’m very relationship-driven, but I also work intensely and expect results. People assume that means I don’t value fun or downtime. I do. When I’m working, I’m all in. When I step away, I recharge just as deliberately. Get me in the ocean or on a golf course. I like to surf and golf.

What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?

Being told repeatedly that something couldn’t be done and pushing forward anyway. Early on, while preparing to start what became Endeavor [which merged into WME], I was hit by a car and hospitalized. Getting back up, literally and professionally, was a defining moment.

What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?

More adoption of A.I., not fear of it. Every major technological shift has expanded opportunity, productivity, and creativity. A.I. will do the same. It will make us smarter and faster, and open up entirely new kinds of work. The winners will be the ones who adopt it. 

What are you looking forward to this year?

The 250th anniversary of the United States is a historic moment, and we’ll be part of it in a very big way: with a UFC event on the South Lawn of the White House with the President and heads of state. It will be a global spectacle on a scale that hasn’t been attempted before.

Separately, I’m focused on building my new company, MARI, creating live experiences that bring people together in person. 

What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?

When things are difficult, I turn to humor. It creates distance and reminds you not to take everything so seriously. Films like Annie Hall, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Ghostbusters, M*A*S*H, Harold and Maude, Stripes, and The Jerk reset your perspective.

I also live with work by artists including Mark Bradford, Kara Walker, and Noah Davis, artists who confront history and power directly. Being around that kind of work forces you to think differently.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?

Leadoff hitter for the Chicago Cubs.

What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?

Identifying content and experiences that resonate with global audiences. That’s what I’ve spent my entire career doing: working with the creators, writers, actors, authors, and directors who can bring it all to life in ways that leave a lasting emotional impact on millions of people year after year. Talent is the starting point; platforms are what allow culture to travel at scale.

To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.

What do soccer legend Megan Rapinoe and SNL star Chloe Fineman have in common? Daniella Kallmeyer. The designer launched her eponymous fashion line with just $7,000 in her pocket in 2012. Her sharp tailoring has since become the wardrobe blueprint for cerebral, sharp-witted women.

What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?

I want to see more successful businesses and founders celebrated for building something that works, that fills a need, and that isn’t grown on just the illusion of success. I want to see intellect, leadership, and kindness celebrated in fashion the way we idolize thinness and beauty and fame.

What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?

I hope it’s that Kallmeyer captured a shift in how women wanted to be seen. We moved power dressing away from costume and spectacle and toward something more natural: clothes and community that matched the complexities and desires of real lives. If we did it right, my legacy won’t just be silhouettes—it’ll be the feeling. That moment when we stopped dressing to perform authority and started dressing from it.

What keeps you up at night?

Usually time. It always feels like there’s too much life to live with the time we have. I will literally get into bed and keep myself up with a sudden urge to research places I want to go, books I want to read, furniture auctions, ideas I want to fabricate, films to watch… all in an irrational panic that if I don’t make a plan for them right then and there before my eyes close, I’ll never get to it.

What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?

Stone Butch Blues. I read it out loud on FaceTime while I was living alone in a studio apartment during the early quarantine days of Covid. It gave me so much gratitude for my privileges as a queer woman today, and so much perspective about the importance of clothes, style, and identity in society, culture, and community.

What’s something people get wrong about you?

That I’m always an extrovert.

Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.

Psychology. I design and run my company on instinct, and I love learning how people think and behave.  

What question do you ask yourself most often while you’re making work?

Would I pay for this? Is it versatile and clever? Is it necessary? And necessary doesn’t have to mean essential. There are plenty of things we need for the simple purpose of striking inspiration and curiosity. Art is necessary. 

Who do you call the most?

My mom and my partner. Sometimes I just merge their calls for efficiency.  

What would you like the headline of your obituary to be? 

“Don’t Make Me Sing.”

What would you wear to meet your greatest enemy?

I don’t have enemies. (Doesn’t mean everyone’s my friend.)

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?

Maybe branding or advertising? I love consumer behavior and cultural psychology. That said, there was a point when I almost quit fashion and considered moving to the mountains to make furniture. 

What grounds you, and what invigorates you?

Getting my hands dirty. Making homemade pasta. What invigorates me? Flea markets and belly laughs.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Making time for the things that inspire me. Celebrating my 40th birthday with the people I love. Traveling more. Expanding the Kallmeyer universe. Learning to zoom out.

To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.

Few people understand the way culture, politics, and public health influence one another more than Alexis McGill Johnson. A political scientist by training, she teamed up with top hip hop artists to launch the “Vote or Die!” campaign in 2004. But her current role—as president of Planned Parenthood in the wake of the Dobbs decision overruling Roe v. Wade—is her most challenging yet.  

What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?

We are in a moment right now. Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny is a powerful reminder that democracy is never guaranteed, and that its strength depends on us as everyday people showing up every day to defend it. It requires courage, truth-telling, solidarity, and participation. Today our democracy feels fragile, but we are not.

What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?

My biggest contribution to culture was turning hip hop’s influence into political power. As a political scientist early in my career in the 2000s, I wrote an article asking how we could turn the hip hop generation into the next NRA—not in ideology, but in discipline, turnout, with a policy agenda for liberation.

Back then, most albums were released on Tuesdays, the same day Billboard charts are updated. The culture had figured out how to drive energy directly through the streets to make hit after hit by leveraging an incredibly well-networked local ecosystem. My research question was simple: If these systems drive turnout every Tuesday, why couldn’t we deliver the same energy on the first Tuesday in November? That premise catapulted me into working with artists, taking over the airways, the streets, the clubs, the barber shops, and beauty salons. We broke down the hustle of democratic politics, no different than power plays in any industry or the streets, and made an urgent case for disenfranchised and disengaged voters to step up to claim our power.

The work worked. In 2004, that work helped Barack Obama get elected to the Senate among others. And youth voter turnout, which hadn’t budged since 1972, increased significantly, largely driven by Black and Latino young people. And the work persists—today, we are continuing to see culture shift policy and politics in powerful ways.

When you were little, what were you known for?

I was a total bookworm. My nickname was “Little Lori from Montessori” (yes, Lori is my government name). My grandmother, who preferred we kids ran around outside all day, found it puzzling. She would say, “All she wants to do is sit in a corner and read a book. It just ain’t natural!”

Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.

When I was a baby organizer in the music business, I had the privilege of being mentored by legendary industry icons, including actor and activist Harry Belafonte, “The Black Godfather” Clarence Avant, and the inimitable political strategists—the “Colored Girls”—Minyon Moore, Yolanda Caraway, Donna Brazile, and Leah Daughtry. They were all leaders who knew that any revolution or movement worth its weight requires moving culture, moving people, challenging processes, and changing institutions—all at the same time.

What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?

More racial analysis to centralize the lived experiences of women of color in this fight. Currently, most organizations in the movement for reproductive freedom are led by women of color. It’s a profound shift from a generation ago, when 12 Black women met at a reproductive rights conference and coined the term “reproductive justice” as the necessary framework, strategy, and vision for a liberation inclusive of all women. While their thought leadership has been recognized, the work to operationalize by reproductive rights organizations has been slow. Having a meaningful racial analysis is not a side hustle, it is key to how we rebuild in this moment and reimagine our future. It’s even more important in these times when people are trying to challenge DEI.

I’d like to see less reliance on false equivalencies when we talk about abortion or reproductive rights. The majority of Americans believe in reproductive freedom. Full stop. Let’s talk like it and act like it.

Where do you feel most at home?

Home is anywhere my family and friends are. But I most love being in my kitchen, music playing, entertaining, cooking for family and friends, or curling up on the sofa with my teenagers binging reality TV. It’s the connections, the catch ups, the conversations that fuel my spirit after long weeks on the movement road.

Who do you call the most?

My mom. Well almost. I lost her in October and I am constantly reminded how many times a day I called her because I keep picking up the phone to tell her the most random things. Today, I thought to tell her about our recent college tours, that the forsythia and dogwoods were blooming in New York, and to laugh about the time I accidentally made brownies with a cup of salt instead of sugar and served them to her boss.

What’s funny is that whenever she was visiting, I complained about how much time she spent on the phone. Now I realize she was the one everyone wanted to call the most!

When’s the last time you laughed hysterically?

I laugh hysterically every day. Our mission is serious, but we can’t take ourselves too seriously. Watching my daughters explain “mansplaining” to my husband, and then listening to him un-ironically mansplain his position back to them, had us all on the floor cracking up.

What is your biggest vice? Your greatest virtue?

Coffee, wine, and candy corn are my major food groups. Don’t fight me. Some may consider all three vices, but if it’s wrong, I don’t want to be right! My virtue is that I am a master compartmentalizer.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?

Writing essays.

What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?

Leading Planned Parenthood is the hardest and unrelenting, yet most rewarding, part of my career. I stepped up to lead during our most challenging era: steadying the organization after a leadership transition, confronting our history during a racial reckoning, Covid, the loss of federal abortion rights protections, and now we are in the middle of a federal “defund.” And yet everyday I wake up, there is someone who needs access to life-saving care and I have a team of leaders and colleagues who are waking up to deliver freedom, no matter what.

What grounds you, and what invigorates you?

As the president of Planned Parenthood, I get to be the keeper of stories. Whether I’m at a rally or the airport, I am always meeting new people who share with me how Planned Parenthood helped them when they needed it the most, or why keeping up the fight for reproductive freedom is personal for them. Their stories are a gift every time.

To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.

The average age of a U.S. congressional representative is 57.5. Maxwell Frost, Congress’s first Gen Z member, offers a look at what comes next for the country. As former director of March for Our Lives, the 29-year-old Floridian has championed gun control, helping to establish the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention in 2023.

What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?

We need more passion in Congress and less ambition. I see a lot of ambition with people wanting to climb the ladder, but I strive to have passion. I’m passionate about waking up every day to represent and serve the people of Florida’s 10th Congressional District, making sure the community has access to the services it needs to thrive.

What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?

One of the hardest parts has been watching progress get rolled back and navigating the intense gridlock in DC, which can make it incredibly difficult to pass meaningful legislation. There are so many days when it’s hard to feel hopeful, and I know many people feel that same weight.

But I’ve come to believe that hope is a choice. Despite the constant chaos and gridlock, I choose hope every day. Because the moment we stop choosing hope for a better future is the moment we stop fighting for it.

When you were little, what were you known for?

I spent more days in sixth grade in detention than not, for talking. I was known for talking too much and always making jokes, which is funny because now a big part of my job is yapping. Getting into a lot of trouble led me to get involved in band and advocacy at a super young age.

​​What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?

For many of us, the pandemic was a pivotal and incredibly difficult moment in our nation’s history. Early on in the pandemic, before I ran for office, I was a national organizer for March For Our Lives during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. I found so much comfort in watching Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was my first rewatch since I was a kid, and watching it as an adult, I realized what a beautiful series it was. It had some of the best character development in TV. Speaking of characters, I was also obsessed with Mad Men and shortly after began spending too much money on urban and vintage suits, which has come in handy being in Congress.

Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.

All of my musical training through high school was rooted in classical and jazz. After graduating, I was heavily influenced by George Daniel, the drummer for The 1975, and developed a new appreciation for music beyond what I had been formally taught. I would spend hours playing along to his YouTube videos and even took a couple of lessons with his drum teacher, Dave Elitch.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?

Something in the music industry, for sure. For five years, I worked in production dispatch for Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Festival, and I always thought I’d build my career in the live music world. Back in 2014, I started a lunchtime concert series at my high school, inspired in part by watching Bruno Mars’s halftime show. It made me fall in love with live performance—not just the headliner, but the entire band and production behind it. That experience even led me to create a high school program that still exists today.

Fortunately, I’ve been able to channel that passion into my work in Congress, whether through legislation like my CREATE Art Act, which supports independent artists, or through MadSoul, a music festival I organize that brings together music, advocacy, and politics.

What grounds you, and what invigorates you?

When it comes to the near-constant pressure of the chaos and cruelty happening around us, this work can be incredibly stressful and emotionally heavy. That’s why it’s so important for me to take a step back and ground myself in community and the things that bring me joy as often as I can. I spend as much time as I can back home in Orlando connecting with constituents, playing music, organizing locally, and being with family and friends. Those moments give me the strength to keep showing up for my community and doing this work.

Where do you feel most at home?

It’s the honor of a lifetime to represent the community that raised me, so I’m back in Orlando as often as I can be. For me, home isn’t just a place, it’s the people. Whether I’m talking with constituents, spending time in the community, or hanging out with friends and family, those are the moments when I feel most at home.

What question do you ask yourself most often while you’re making work?

How am I leading with love?

When’s the last time you laughed hysterically?

During the Sundance Film Festival, which was a really difficult weekend for me, there was at least one bright moment. Watching The Invite, there were points where the entire crowd just lost it, laughing out loud all at once, and that shared energy made the experience unforgettable.

To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.