Max Cutler is an American entrepreneur, creator, author and businessman best known for founding the podcast studio Parcast in 2016.
Spotify acquired Parcast in 2019.[1] Max Cutler has been featured on Fortune 40 Under 40,[2] The 40(ish) Most Powerful People in Podcasting,[3]Forbes 30 Under 30,[4] and The Hollywood Reporter's 35 Rising Executives Under 35 lists.[5] In 2023, Cutler stepped down from Spotify.[6]
Cutler's father, Ron Cutler, is a veteran radio broadcaster who went by the name Ron Diamond. Ron started Cutler Productions, a radio syndication[8] company in the 1980s. Max has cited his father as having a huge influence on his career and life.[7]
Career
In June 2016, Max Cutler and his father founded the podcasting Studio Parcast[9] without outside investment. While he has cited podcast Serial by Sarah Koenig as an inspiration, his vision was to consistently produce high-quality content across various genres.[10][11] In the latter half of 2021, Parcast ventured into limited-run investigative series, including podcasts Imposters and Revelations (with Blumhouse Productions).[12] At its peak, Parcast achieved over 1 billion downloads, employed a team of over 120 staff and produced more than 140 shows weekly in eight different languages. Cutler is known for creating and producing podcasts like Conspiracy Theories, Supernatural, Horoscope Today[13] and International Infamy.[14]
On April 1, 2019, Spotify acquired Parcast for $56 million.[5][6] Cutler would become Spotify’s VP, head of creator content and partnerships, responsible for deals and partnerships.[15][16]
Under Cutler's guidance, Spotify attracted notable podcast creators including Ashley Flowers (Crime Junkie), Ash and Alaina (Morbid), Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy),[17] Emma Chamberlain (Anything Goes),[18] Mark Fischbach (Markiplier) and the Fantasy Footballers. Cutler also greenlit a number of nontraditional podcasters such as Kim Kardashian, Brené Brown,[19] and Addison Rae.[20] In addition, Cutler was tasked with leading Kids Content and Audiobook Originals as well as developing content for Spotify’s push into live audio.
Cutler is also the author of Cults: Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them, based on the podcast Cults. Cutler left Spotify in 2023 to launch a new venture.[17] In April 2024 Pave Studios launched, describing itself as a production company "at the intersection of audio, video, books, and entertainment."[21]