Office Ladies — “An Interview with Teri Weinberg”

Podcast: Office Ladies
Episode Date: December 10, 2025
Hosts: Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
Guest: Teri Weinberg
Theme: Behind the Scenes with an Executive Producer — The Untold Stories, Early Struggles, and Women’s Leadership on The Office

Episode Overview

In this special episode, Jenna and Angela welcome Teri Weinberg, the pioneering executive producer of The Office (US) and later NBC Entertainment EVP, for an honest and uplifting conversation about the show's early struggles, the nature of creative producing, and the realities of being a woman in television. From the pilot’s rocky beginnings to stories of backstage advocacy, Teri shares both untold history and sage advice, with warmth and humor. The trio also tackles listener Q&As and reflects on friendship, resilience, and ongoing personal growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Teri Weinberg and Her Impact

• Teri was the only female, non-writing executive producer on The Office, serving from development to finale.
• Expanded career to projects like Ugly Betty, The Tudors, and is now a keynote speaker and TED Talk presenter (“Aging into Power”) (09:05–10:33).
• She’s also a triathlete and nonprofit advocate.
• Memorable introduction: “She’s basically a force of nature... There’s really nothing she can’t do.” — Jenna (10:12)

2. The Office’s Precarious Beginnings

• The American Office was “originally sold to FX” before moving to NBC thanks to Kevin Reilly, who fought to keep the show alive (14:47–15:07).
• Major executive opposition: “Truth is Jeff Zucker did not like the show.” — Teri (15:58)
• First season was a tiny 6 episodes, and pickups beyond that were always on a “razor’s edge,” often announced at the last minute (16:21–16:53; 34:39–35:04).
• Early episodes’ limited settings (the bullpen) and small budgets were due to strict financial constraints: “We couldn’t afford to leave...[the office].” — Teri (36:03)

3. The Role and Reality of Executive Producing

• Teri’s approach: maximize her value for every project and support showrunners so they could focus on creativity:

  “It’s my job to focus on the business of the business… You want [the showrunner] to focus on the creative.” — Teri (20:01)

• Would handle network battles, casting, even editing and wardrobe if required.
• Famously went to bat to preserve The Office’s unique tone — including during the infamous Super Bowl slot debate:
  • Network wanted “movie stars” in the cold open, threatening the show’s authenticity.
  • Teri and Greg Daniels found a creative workaround: movie stars within an in-universe movie, not as themselves (23:08–24:38).

4. Women's Experiences in TV Production Leadership

• As the sole woman in executive roles, Teri worked “10 times harder to be seen and heard,” often facing outright hostility:

  “You’re so stupid. You have no idea what you’re talking about. You do not belong in that job.” — Teri, on being addressed to her face (27:07)

• No women were profit participants on the show, which means they do not benefit from its lucrative afterlife (28:12–30:27).
• Teri insists on finding positivity:

  “How can I take that and turn it into something that is good for me or how can I capitalize off of that?” — Teri (29:06)

• Notable quote: “You protect your chicks with your life. I mean, I would kill for you guys.” (30:51)

5. The Office’s Unique Casting Process

• The audition process included improvisation and was filmed/produced to show the real style; if it had been a typical execs-in-the-room audition, “they would have said, you people are crazy. We will never make this show.” — Teri (33:58)
• Heartfelt moment: Jenna credited for “flatlining a line” perfectly, a tone crucial to the Pam character (32:10–32:24).

6. Mentoring & Encouraging Women in Entertainment

• Teri’s advice for aspiring creatives: “You better love what you do.”
• Tenacity and discipline are essentials (“My job is to get a yes... I will do whatever I have to do to get that yes.”) — (41:14)
• Maintaining boundaries and caring about the stories you tell are non-negotiable.
• Teri shares her open-door policy for mentoring and her commitment to integrity and lifting other women (46:31–47:12).

7. Personal Growth — TED Talk, Book, and Fears

• Teri discusses her TED Talk, “Aging into Power” — challenging the myth that it’s “too late” to try something new (47:26–49:45).
• Emphasizes that even at 65, she’s “still learning who I am, what my voice is, and what I want to share.”
• Wrote a memoir-style book, but is pulling it back to rewrite, as she’s “grown so much” recently (58:40–60:06).
• Sage advice: “We put limitations on ourselves, and that’s the only reason why we don’t do certain things, because we convince ourselves that we can’t do it. We can do whatever we put our minds to.” — Teri (62:25)

8. Fun and Friendship: BFF Practices and Listener Questions

• Jenna & Angela discuss their own BFF routines (rambling voice memos, video tours, seeing each other weekly) in response to a fan mail question (04:36–07:57).
• The “Office Question of the Week”: Would you rather invest in Jan’s Serenity by Jan or Ryan’s Woof.com?
  • Teri and Angela pick Serenity by Jan; Jenna (always the dollar-and-cents thinker, jokes Angela) goes for Woof.com if forced to pick (65:14–67:54).
  • Banter about pyramid schemes, Goop’s infamous “vagina candle,” and the power of niche products (68:05–69:39).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On The Office’s ‘Impossible’ Origins:

  “That little teeny tiny show that should never have seen the light of day.” — Teri (14:34)

• On battling for the show:

  “If not for you, [Kevin Reilly] we would not be here. Because he fought and fought and fought for this show.” — Teri (16:04)

• On women’s work being overlooked:

  “We do not participate in the profit of that.” — Jenna (28:37)
  “That is true.” — Teri (28:38)

• On being an ‘added value’ as a producer:

  “It’s my job to focus on the business of the business…The only thing I didn’t do...was put pen to paper.” — Teri (20:01–21:02)

• On learning by doing & on-the-job training:

  “I learned by doing it. I would just sit in the corner and watch people and listen and learn and make notes... I just learned on the job.” — Teri (17:43)

• On fighting for the right cold open in the Super Bowl episode:

  “We don’t do movie stars... It was a way to have [the celebrities] in it, but not break the wall we had worked so hard to create.” — Teri (24:14–24:38)

• On mentorship and personal integrity:

  “If we can help each other, why wouldn’t we? There’s room for all of us.” — Teri (46:36)

• On reinvention at any age:

  “I’m going to start something new until I can’t breathe.” — Teri (49:45)

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Highlight | |---------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 09:05 | Introduction of Teri Weinberg and her career impact | | 14:34 | Teri remembers the show’s insecure beginnings and network moves | | 16:01 | Behind-the-scenes struggle: Jeff Zucker didn’t want The Office on NBC | | 17:43 | How Teri became a producer and learned by doing | | 20:01 | Explaining executive producer duties, “added value” philosophy | | 22:21 | Teri’s biggest “battle”: the Super Bowl cold open vs. network’s movie star demands | | 27:03 | Teri’s candid account of sexism in TV leadership | | 28:12 | None of the women are profit participants, despite their labor and commitment | | 33:58 | Filmed and improvised auditions—the key to selling The Office’s unique style | | 36:03 | Early budget constraints explain the show’s “locked in the office” early seasons | | 41:14 | Teri’s advice to aspiring producers: Tenacity, discipline, “love what you do” | | 47:26 | TED Talk: “Aging into Power”; challenging age myths | | 54:18 | Call Sheet Questions: Quickfire, fun Q&A with Teri | | 63:44 | First “Office Question of the Week”: Serenity by Jan or Woof.com? |

Listener Q&A & Fun Tidbits

• BFF Vibes: Angela and Jenna share their best friend “care rituals” — daily voice memos, video tours of new places, porch chats (05:10–07:57).
• Casting Nicknames: Teri gave Angela the nickname “Button” and Jenna “Snap,” reflecting how tiny and endearing she thought they were during auditions (31:21–31:38).
• Oceanaut Watch Story: Jenna recounts keeping a $100 watch in a safe for years, thinking it was “super expensive” — only to discover it was a freebee handed out by the producers (39:01–40:19).
• Listener's Ethical Investment Dilemma: Would you put your money in Serenity by Jan or Woof.com? Spirited banter, ending with a side trip to the saga of Goop’s “vagina candle” (65:14–69:45).
• Teri’s Weekend: Surfing—learned at 55! (57:12)
• Personal Growth: Teri is writing a new memoir after “outgrowing” her first draft, underlining her commitment to continual self-evolution (59:11–62:12).

Tone & Style

The episode is warm, candid, and empowering, with plenty of laughter and inside baseball. Teri is articulate, pragmatic, and deeply supportive, matching the hosts’ blend of humor, vulnerability, and BFF chemistry.

Takeaways

• The Office’s success was never guaranteed; it survived because of courageous, creative people willing to fight for their vision.
• Executive producing, especially for women, means blending business acumen with the humanity of advocacy.
• Keeping your integrity, mentoring others, and being open to new opportunities—at any age—are key themes.
• Audience questions bring out both sincerity and goofiness, balancing heavy realities with signature Office Ladies warmth.
• Teri Weinberg remains a role model for reinvention, leadership, and empowering the next generation.

For anyone fascinated by the genesis of The Office, women in Hollywood, or creative persistence, this episode is rich with wisdom, wit, and the kind of real talk you only get from people who were there.