WHO WE ARE
Pineapple Street Studios is based in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.
Founded in 2016 by Jenna Weiss-Berman and Max Linsky, Pineapple Street Studios creates podcasts that stick with you. Our shows widen perspectives, extend the industry's boundaries, and make people press play. We believe that can be accomplished in any format and through any voice, but only in a workplace rigorously committed to equity, respect, and professional growth.
OUR TEAM
Kat Aaron
Kat Aaron is the Executive Producer for Development, soliciting and assessing new programming. In her prior role as Senior Producer, she led shows like Will Be Wild and Because of Anita. She loves feminist sci fi and rollerskating.
Elliott Adler
Elliott is a Producer at Pineapple. He joined the team in 2019 and has worked on Stay Away from Matthew McGill, The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, and Project Unabom. He performed Soul Bossa Nova in a top hat and tails for the middle school talent show.
Pedro Alvira
Pedro is a Senior Audio Engineer at Pineapple He worked at NowThis Media as their Head Audio Engineer and was tasked with building the audio infrastructure of the company's new broadcast studio, as well as operating and maintaining the equipment. He spends his free time playing with his kid, cooking and reading comics.
Je-Anne Berry
Je-Anne is the SVP/Co-Head and Executive Producer of Brands podcasts at Pineapple, where she has worked on shows like Going Through It, The Invisible Seam and Trained. She loves a family Halloween costume, and is trying to get them all in while her kids will still humor her!
Lisa Cerda
Lisa is an Associate Producer at Pineapple. She previously worked for Television Broadcasting and Film. Currently, she’s working on “Humans vs Machines” and “The 4%” – when she’s not working, she’s at home watching an A24 film, eating at her favorite Peruvian restaurant, or reading Isabel Allende’s books.
Grace Cohen-Chen
Grace is the Marketing Manager at Pineapple. When she’s not bragging about the latest Pineapple podcast, she loves crocheting or playing with her dog (or crocheting something for her dog).
Justine Daum
Justine is a Senior Producer at Pineapple, where she has worked on Because of Anita and many other shows. When the NY Rangers aren’t playing, she’s usually down a rabbit hole chasing archival tape.
Xandra Ellin
Xandra is a Producer at Pineapple, where she has worked on The C Word, Back Issue and many other original shows. She loves a story that makes you go, "Good for her." Her bat mitzvah was "Saturday Night Lived" themed.
Bari Finkel
Bari is the SVP/Co-Head of Pineapple, where she has also worked as a producer, executive producer, and host across many shows including The Chernobyl Podcast, Unhappy Hour and Heavens Gate. Bari was Ad Week’s 2021 Podcast Innovator of the year and 2022 Best Dog Parent according to her dog, Puddy.
Ben Goldberg
Ben is a Podcast Producer at Pineapple, where they work on TV/Film podcasts like the Interview with the Vampire Podcast. Previously, they worked as a film producer with the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Marshall Curry. They can tell you every episode title of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in order, in case that's helpful.
Josh Gwynn
Josh Gwynn is a Senior Producer and host at Pineapple Street Studios from Southern California who has created work for companies like The New York Times, Higher Ground, Netflix, Essence, Stitcher, Mailchimp, and Nike. Their vibe is a combination of palm trees, confetti, limes, rhythm, vitamin E oil, melanin, and bones. They are still waiting on a ticket to Oprah’s Legends Luncheon.
Jess Hackel
Jess is a Senior Development Producer at Pineapple, where she has worked on 70 over 70 and many other shows. She is a model but only in Australia.
Emmanuel Hapsis
Emmanuel Hapsis is a Senior Producer at Pineapple, where he has worked on shows like HBO’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Netflix’s The Last Movie Ever Made, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, and Back Issue. He once was almost run over by Lindsay Lohan in Greece (she was wearing a toga).
Courtney Harrell
Courtney is a Senior Producer at Pineapple, where she’s worked on ESPN’s Bloodlines, the Peabody-nominated series Running from COPS, and 9/12, which was a Dupont finalist. Her most serious relationship is with her planner.
Marialexa Kavanaugh
Marialexa is an Associate Producer at Pineapple, where she has worked on original shows like 9/12, Will Be Wild, and Undistracted with Brittany Packnett Cunningham. Prior to her work in journalism and podcasting, she did a stint as a tourguide, giving walking tours on the history of beer brewing in Brooklyn and Queens.
Kamilah Kashanie
Kamilah is a Managing Producer at Pineapple, where she is working on Going Through It. She's pretty sure shes allergic to avocados but that doesn't stop her guacamole consumption.
Gabe Kawugule
Gabe Kawugule is the Office & Operations Manager at Pineapple. He has previously worked in the fundraising world and the fashion industry. If you need a recommendation for a new TV show, he has too many to name.
Stephen Key
Stephen is a Senior Producer at Pineapple where he has worked on shows like The Invisible Seam, WorkLife with Adam Grant and The World as You'll Know It. Not to be confined only to the world of audio, Stephen is also a visual artist.
Dina Kleiner
Dina is a Senior Producer at Pineapple, where she created The C-Word. When she isn’t scouring the internet for vintage tabloid gossip, she is lending her services as Pineapple’s resident skincare expert.
Darby Maloney
Darby is a Senior Editor at Pineapple where she's worked on shows like The Last Movie Ever Made: The Don’t Look Up Podcast, HBO’s Succession Podcast and more. She's an east coast transplant in LA who misses the rain.
Gabrielle Lewis
Gabrielle Lewis is the Executive Producer of TV & Film Podcasts at Pineapple, where she’s worked on podcasts like HBO’s Succession Podcast, The Official The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Podcast, The AMC+ Interview with the Vampire Podcast, Foundation: The Official Podcast, and The Last Movie Ever Made: The Don’t Look Up Podcast. She is the co-creator of the pie emoji.
Max Linsky
Max is the co-founder of Pineapple Street Studios and the host of 70 Over 70. He is a co-founder of Longform and a co-host of the Longform Podcast
Joel Lovell
Joel is the Executive Editor at Pineapple, where he has edited many of Pineapple's original shows, including Missing Richard Simmons, Wind of Change, and 9/12
Raj Makhija
Raj is the Head of Sound & Engineering at Pineapple. Previously, he grew the podcast department at CNN, launching shows such as Silence is Not an Option, 5 Things, and the EPPY and Shorty award-winning series Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction. As a producer, engineer, composer, and sound designer, he has worked with Audible.com, Busta Rhymes, Food Network, Bravo TV, Musiq Soulchild, and the National WWII Museum. He is also a chef.
Jonathan Menjivar
Jonathan is a Senior Producer at Pineapple and made the shows Project Unabom and The Clearing. He came to podcasting through public radio where he worked at shows like This American Life and Fresh Air with Terry Gross, which maybe explains why he has five radios around the house.
Eric Mennel
As a Senior Producer at Pineapple, Eric has created and/or run the 11th, Stay Away from Matthew MaGill, and The Catch and Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow. Those shows were honored by the National Magazine Awards, the Ambie Awards for Excellence in Audio, and the Edward R. Murrow Awards, respectively. He previously worked on Embedded, StartUp, Mystery Show, This American Life, and Criminal. He dislikes talking about himself enough that he had a friend write this bio for him.
Henry Molofsky
Henry is a Senior Producer/ Executive Producer at Pineapple Street, where he's produced documentary miniseries such as Wind of Change, Running From COPS, Missing Richard Simmons, and 9/12, which have received nominations and awards from Peabody, duPont, the International Documentary Association, and the Podcast Academy.
Alexis Moore
Alexis is a Producer of Brands Podcasts at Pineapple Street Studios. She loves story in all its forms, and has worked on a number of series across Pineapple, including Back Issue and Time Machine: The Score (The 11th), for which she and the team won a National Magazine Award. Previously, she worked at St. Louis Public Radio.
Emerald O’Brien
Emerald is a Producer at Pineapple. She previously worked in public radio, playing various roles at Live from Here with Chris Thile (RIP), NPR’s Morning Edition, APM Reports, and KBIA. She thinks you would like Laoganma’s Spicy Chili Crisp.
Marina Paiz
Marina is a West Coast based Senior Audio Engineer at Pineapple. She loves Pro Tools shortcuts, tiny dogs, and cappuccinos (with oat milk). When she’s not providing audio support for Pineapple productions, you can find her producing music for artists and playing with her band, Trends.
Natalie Peart
Natalie Peart is an Associate Producer at Pineapple where she has worked on shows like Interview With the Vampire, Persona, and HBO Docs Club. She works across audio, photography, and film. She has produced for the podcasts The Stoop and Emergent Strategy. Her writing has appeared in No, Dear magazine, Belladonna Press, and Yes! Magazine. Her short film premiered at DOC NYC 2022. When Natalie isn't making media, she's taking epic walks around New York City.
Yinka Rickford-Anguin
Yinka is a Producer at Pineapple, where she has worked on Going Through It, The Invisible Seam and Unhappy Hour. She spent way too much time trying to say something unique, witty and uncontroversial for this bio. Super similar to the stress of creating a dating app profile. Or so she's heard...
Melissa Slaughter
Melissa Slaughter is a Producer at Pineapple, based in NYC. She’s worked on podcasts for Netflix (Behind the Scenes), HBO (In Session, Hacks), Amazon (Rings of Power), and Apple (Project Unabom). You can read her written work on at Mixed Asian Media or more at The Nerds of Color.
Asha Saluja
Asha is an Executive Producer on original and partner editorial podcasts at Pineapple, and has worked on shows like The 11th and The C-Word. She lives in Brooklyn and her best-ever celebrity street sighting was both Olsen twins standing next to each other.
Kristen Torres
Kristen is a Producer at Pineapple, she is one of the founding producers of The 11th and once spent an entire afternoon observing her living room for the Exhausting A Place episode. She's an avid admirer of photosynthesis, clouds, and dogs.
Jenna Weiss-Berman
Jenna is the co-founder of Pineapple Street Studios. After almost a decade working in public radio on such shows as The Moth and StoryCorps, Jenna started the podcast department at BuzzFeed and created Another Round and Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham. She currently sits on the advisory board of The Moth.
Puddy the Pup
Puddy is Pineapple's most senior employee, with years of experience in radio and paw-dcast production.