Fred Berger

Fred Berger grew up surrounded by the wild energy of New York City, which, honestly, might explain his knack for picking stories with bite. You probably know his name from the huge splash La La Land made back in 2016—yeah, he helped bring that musical fever dream to life. He’s not just a one-hit wonder, either. Fast forward to 2024, and he’s all over A Complete Unknown, that much-hyped Bob Dylan biopic everyone keeps buzzing about. Throw in Bad Education from 2019, and you’ve got a guy who clearly loves getting tangled up in complicated characters and messy truths. He’s the kind of producer who doesn’t just chase shiny things; he wants stories that actually stick with you. Like, sure, La La Land was gorgeous and soaked in color, but it also ripped your heart out with all that “what could’ve been” stuff. Bad Education? That one’s all about the cracks beneath the surface, those weird secrets lurking in supposedly perfect places. Berger seems to have a radar for scripts that are a little off-kilter, a little uncomfortable—stuff that makes you squirm in your seat or hum the soundtrack for weeks. It’s not just about the big names, either. He’s known for championing projects that could easily slip through the Hollywood cracks, and he’s not shy about taking risks. Some producers play it safe; Berger, not so much. He’ll chase down a story if he thinks it’s got guts. New York raised him, but Hollywood’s where he’s made his mark—turning oddball ideas into movies people can’t stop talking about.