Alec Berg
Alec Berg (born August 28, 1969) is an American television writer, producer, and director renowned for his work on landmark comedy series including Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Silicon Valley, and Barry.[1] Over a career spanning more than three decades, Berg has earned multiple Emmy nominations for writing and producing, contributing to shows that satirize everyday absurdities, Hollywood culture, and the tech industry.[2] His collaborations with creators like Larry David, Mike Judge, and Bill Hader have produced critically acclaimed episodes and seasons, including a 2023 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series for Barry.[3] Berg grew up in Pasadena, California, attending Polytechnic School before pursuing higher education at Harvard University, where he graduated and honed his comedic skills as a writer for The Harvard Lampoon.[4][5] After college, he broke into the industry in the early 1990s as a staff writer on Seinfeld, penning episodes that captured the show's signature observational humor during its run from 1994 to 1998.[6] He later transitioned to feature films, co-writing screenplays for The Cat in the Hat (2003), EuroTrip (2004), and The Dictator (2012), often partnering with fellow Lampoon alum David Mandel.[6] In the 2000s and 2010s, Berg expanded into producing and directing, serving as an executive producer and director on Curb Your Enthusiasm for multiple seasons starting in 2009, including its final season in 2024, earning Emmy nods for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2010 and 2012.[2] He joined HBO's Silicon Valley after its pilot, rising to co-showrunner alongside Mike Judge and receiving writing nominations, including for the 2015 episode "Two Days of the Condor" and a rare double nomination in 2018 for writing and series production.[7][3] As co-creator and executive producer of Barry (2018–2023) with Bill Hader, Berg helped craft the dark comedy about a hitman turned actor, securing additional Emmy recognition.[8] In recent years, he signed an overall deal with ABC Signature in 2022.[8]Early Life and Education
Family Background and Childhood
Alec Berg was born on August 28, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts.[9][10] His family later moved to Wisconsin and Colorado before settling in Pasadena, California, around age 10. Berg hails from a family of Swedish descent, with his father working as a biophysicist who built his own microscopes and his mother serving as a professor of Latin American history and literature.[6][11][10] This academic environment provided an intellectually stimulating upbringing that emphasized education and creativity, fostering Berg's early interest in humor and narrative forms.[10] From a young age, Berg was exposed to media through his admiration for comedians such as Bill Cosby and Steve Martin, whose routines he could perform word-for-word by age ten, reflecting the household's encouragement of expressive and imaginative pursuits.[5][12] This foundation in storytelling and comedy, combined with familial influences, shaped his comedic sensibilities before his transition to formal education at Harvard.[5]Academic Background
Alec Berg attended Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California, for high school.[13] He then attended Harvard University, enrolling in the late 1980s and graduating in 1991 with a bachelor's degree.[14] During his undergraduate studies, he took filmmaking classes that ignited his passion for visual storytelling and the entertainment business.[15] Berg became deeply involved in student media through his work on The Harvard Lampoon, the university's renowned humor publication, where he contributed satirical pieces and collaborated with like-minded peers.[5] This extracurricular involvement allowed him to experiment with scriptwriting and comedic structures, building foundational skills in humor and narrative craft.[16] These academic and campus experiences, including early script projects at the Lampoon, equipped Berg with the creative tools essential for his future pursuits in writing and producing.[15] No specific academic honors are documented from his time at Harvard, though his Lampoon contributions marked him as a standout in comedic extracurriculars.[5]Career
Breakthrough in Television Writing
Alec Berg entered the television industry as a staff writer for the final four seasons of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, spanning 1994 to 1998, marking his breakthrough in comedy writing. After gaining initial experience on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Berg was hired during the show's sixth season, where he served as an executive story editor and co-wrote multiple episodes alongside collaborators like Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel.[12][17][18] Under the guidance of co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, Berg contributed to Seinfeld's hallmark observational humor, focusing on the mundane quirks of everyday life and interpersonal awkwardness. He co-wrote episodes such as "The Secret Code" (season 7, episode 7), which explores Jerry's reluctance to reveal his ATM PIN, and "The Maid" (season 9, episode 19), delving into hiring dilemmas and escalating mishaps. The writing process emphasized rigorous outlining—often lasting weeks or months—to weave interconnected storylines, ensuring punchy, character-driven dialogue that avoided resolution or emotional growth, true to the series' "no hugging, no learning" philosophy.[19][20][12][21] As a relatively new writer in his mid-20s, Berg encountered challenges in the fast-paced, high-stakes environment of a top-rated show, including the pressure to deliver consistent laughs amid tight production schedules. However, he experienced significant growth through David's mentorship, mastering script structure, multi-threaded plotting, and the art of protecting story integrity over individual jokes. This period solidified Berg's expertise in traditional sitcom mechanics while fostering his ability to capture subtle social observations.[10][21] Berg's success on Seinfeld paved the way for his transition to HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm in the mid-2000s, where he rejoined Larry David as a writer starting in season 6 (2007), adapting his skills to the show's semi-improvised, cringe-comedy style.[12][22]Key Producing and Directing Roles
Alec Berg transitioned from writing to producing and directing in the mid-2000s, leveraging his experience on Seinfeld to take on leadership roles in comedy television.[1] Berg served as an executive producer on Curb Your Enthusiasm starting with season 5 (2005) through season 8 (2011), where from season 6 onward he oversaw the show's improvisational format by developing detailed outlines that guided actors' semi-scripted performances while preserving Larry David's vision of awkward social dynamics.[23] During this tenure, he made his directing debut on the series in season 6, helming six episodes from 2007 to 2011, including "The Lefty Call" and "The Hero," and incorporated stylistic elements like deadpan delivery and understated framing to amplify the humor in everyday discomforts.[24][25] In 2003, Berg co-wrote the screenplay for the live-action film The Cat in the Hat alongside David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, adapting Dr. Seuss's concise children's book into a 81-minute feature that required expanding the simple narrative into a broader story of chaos and resolution, while navigating challenges like balancing whimsy with adult-oriented humor and securing estate approval for deviations from the source material.[26][27] Through these mid-career projects, Berg influenced ensemble-driven comedy by fostering collaborative writing rooms that emphasized character interactions over punchline-heavy scripts, a approach honed under Larry David's guidance and applied to nurture structured yet flexible storytelling.[5]Major Co-Creations and Recent Projects
Alec Berg joined the HBO series Silicon Valley (2014–2019) after its pilot, serving as executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Mike Judge for all six seasons.[28] The show satirized the tech industry's culture of innovation and disruption, following a group of young programmers navigating startup challenges, venture capital pressures, and ethical dilemmas in the competitive Silicon Valley ecosystem.[29] Berg's contributions emphasized sharp critiques of ambition-driven excesses, drawing from real-world tech dynamics to highlight themes of corporate greed and technological hubris.[30] In 2018, Berg partnered with Bill Hader to co-create Barry for HBO, executive producing and writing across its four seasons, which concluded in 2023.[8] The series blended dark comedy and thriller elements, centering on a Midwestern hitman who discovers a passion for acting in Los Angeles, exploring his internal conflict between violent instincts and artistic aspirations.[31] Berg and Hader crafted narrative arcs that delved into moral ambiguity and redemption, with escalating tension across seasons that examined the inescapability of one's past amid pursuits of reinvention.[32] Following Barry, Berg developed the comedy pilot Downforce for Hulu in 2024, co-written with Adam Countee and centered on a dysfunctional Formula 1 racing team, but the project was not advanced to series after production.[33] As of November 2025, Berg is executive producing a Hulu half-hour comedy inspired by podcaster Jake Shane's life experiences with therapy and personal growth, developed under his overall deal at 20th Television.[34] Berg's co-creations reflect an evolving thematic focus, merging humor with incisive social commentary on ambition's psychological toll and the fluidity of personal identity, from tech entrepreneurs' cutthroat pursuits in Silicon Valley to the hitman's identity crisis in Barry.[35] This approach underscores his vision for narratives that probe how societal pressures warp individual aspirations, a motif extending into his recent exploratory projects.[8]Filmography
Writing Credits
Alec Berg has amassed writing credits on more than 40 television episodes and several feature films, spanning traditional sitcoms, improvisational series, workplace satires, and dark comedies.[1]Television
- Seinfeld (NBC, 1994–1998): Co-wrote 13 episodes with Jeff Schaffer across seasons 6–9.[18]
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, 2011): Wrote 10 episodes in season 8.[36]
- Silicon Valley (HBO, 2014–2019): Wrote 7 episodes, including contributions to the pilot.[37]
- Barry (HBO, 2018–2023): Co-wrote 9 episodes across all seasons with Bill Hader and others.[37][38]
Film
- The Cat in the Hat (2003): Co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Schaffer, David Mandel, and others.[39]
- EuroTrip (2004): Co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Schaffer and others.[39]
- The Dictator (2012): Co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Schaffer, David Mandel, and Sacha Baron Cohen.[39][40]
- Clear History (2013): Co-wrote the teleplay for this HBO film with Larry Charles, Jeff Schaffer, and others.[1][37]
Other
- 68th Academy Awards (1996): Wrote special material.[41]
- The Barenaked Ladies Show (2002): Wrote for this TV movie special.[41]
Directing Credits
Alec Berg has directed over 25 television episodes across multiple series, primarily in the comedy genre, where his work highlights sharp comedic timing and character-driven humor informed by his extensive writing experience.[1] His directing credits span from 2007 to 2023, with a focus on HBO productions like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Silicon Valley, and Barry, as well as episodes of New Girl. Berg has no major solo-directed feature films to his credit, though he co-directed the 2004 comedy EuroTrip alongside David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer (with Schaffer receiving sole directorial credit due to Directors Guild of America rules).[42] The following table summarizes his key directing credits in television, emphasizing representative episodes from each series for reference:| Series | Episode Title | Season/Episode | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | The Lefty Call | S5E3 | 2007 | Features Larry David's improvisational style in awkward social encounters.[24] |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | The Hot Towel | S7E7 | 2009 | Explores escalating misunderstandings in everyday situations.[43] |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Vow of Silence | S8E5 | 2011 | Centers on Larry's attempts at restraint amid comedic chaos. |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | The Hero | S8E10 | 2011 | Culminates in ironic heroism and social fallout.[25] |
| New Girl | Cabin | S2E12 | 2013 | Depicts group dynamics during a secluded getaway.[44] |
| New Girl | Virgins | S2E23 | 2013 | Reveals backstories through humorous personal anecdotes.[45] |
| Silicon Valley | Third Party Insourcing | S1E7 | 2014 | Highlights startup challenges with code debugging tension.[46] |
| Silicon Valley | Bad Money | S2E3 | 2015 | Involves ethical dilemmas in venture funding. |
| Silicon Valley | Two Days of the Condor | S2E10 | 2015 | Builds to a high-stakes presentation climax. |
| Silicon Valley | Exit Event | S6E9 | 2019 | Focuses on the team's final corporate maneuver.[47] |
| Barry | Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast, and Keep Going | S1E7 | 2018 | Barry confronts acting obstacles amid hitman life. |
| Barry | Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth | S1E8 | 2018 | Season finale resolves Barry's dual identities.[48] |
| Barry | The Audition | S2E4 | 2019 | Examines Barry's pursuit of legitimate roles.[49] |
| Barry | The Show Must Go On, Probably? | S2E1 | 2019 | Opens season with escalating personal conflicts. |
| Barry | ben mendelsohn | S3E5 | 2022 | Explores mentorship and moral ambiguities.[50] |
Producing Credits
Alec Berg's producing career spans several landmark television comedies, where he primarily served in executive producer capacities, overseeing production, creative direction, and team management across multiple seasons. On Seinfeld, Berg functioned as executive producer during the show's final two seasons (8 and 9, 1996–1998), contributing to the wrap-up of the series that became a cultural phenomenon.[12][41] He transitioned to Curb Your Enthusiasm, taking on roles as consulting producer and executive producer for seasons 5 through 8 (2005–2011), during which the HBO series expanded its improvisational style under Larry David's vision.[1][36] Berg's involvement deepened in HBO's tech satire Silicon Valley, where he acted as executive producer for all six seasons (2014–2019), helping shape the show's portrayal of startup culture and influencing key hires like showrunners and writers to maintain its sharp wit.[1][51] As co-creator with Bill Hader, Berg served as executive producer and showrunner on Barry for its entire run of four seasons (2018–2023), managing the blend of dark comedy and thriller elements while overseeing casting decisions that included Hader in the lead role.[1][8]| Project | Role | Seasons/Years |
|---|---|---|
| Seinfeld | Executive Producer | Seasons 8–9 (1996–1998) |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Consulting/Executive Producer | Seasons 5–8 (2005–2011) |
| Silicon Valley | Executive Producer | All 6 seasons (2014–2019) |
| Barry | Executive Producer, Showrunner | All 4 seasons (2018–2023) |