The Tinkercast Story

Tinkercast was founded by three media veterans, storytellers and parents who believe that well-told stories can inspire families to put down their screens and look up at the world together. We tell stories about incredibly cool things happening in the world right now. Stories that inspire families to use their imagination and follow their curiosity. Stories that invite families to lean in and say “Wow!”

Meet the Tinkercast Team

Meredith Halpern-Ranzer

Chief Executive Tinkerer

Meredith Halpern-Ranzer is Tinkercast’s Chief Executive Tinkerer, leading the vision and execution of business, partnerships, brand and marketing strategies and overseeing day-to-day operations. Meredith is an Emmy-nominated children’s media executive and has been a thought-leader in the children’s media industry for over 20 years, building beloved brands, shows and characters most notably at PBS Kids Sprout and Sesame Workshop. She is a founding member and on the board of advisors of Children’s Media Association. She lives in Montclair, NJ where she is a constant seeker of WOW in her world with her husband, son and a dog named Shuggie.

Guy Raz

Chief Strategic Tinkerer

Guy Raz is Tinkercast’s Chief Strategic Tinkerer and Co-Creator of Wow in the World. When Guy is not tinkering, he is the host and creator of NPR's How I Built This podcast and Wisdom from the Top on Luminary. Previously, Guy co-created and hosted NPR’s TED Radio Hour and The Rewind on Spotify. He’s been called “one of the most popular podcasters in history” by the New York Times and has been on the radio for more than two decades, serving as a foreign and war correspondent and as a host of All Things Considered. Guy is the father of two boys and lives in the Bay Area where he can often be seen riding his bike in red pants.

Mindy Thomas

Chief Creative Tinkerer

Mindy Thomas is Tinkercast’s Chief Creative Tinkerer and Co-Creator of Wow in the World. Mindy has been living out her childhood radio dreams for almost two decades by creating radio and audio programs for kids. She’s the co-creator, co-host, and head writer of the award-winning Wow in the World and Two Whats?! And a Wow! podcasts. She is also the Gracie award-winning host of the Absolutely Mindy show. Mindy believes that childhood thrives at the intersection of imagination and curiosity and finds that her best work does too. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband and two kids, and has no plans of ever growing up.

Jodi Nussbaum

Chief Operational Tinkerer

Jodi Nussbaum is Tinkercast’s Chief Operational Tinkerer leading the day-to-day operations on all Tinkercast productions across all platforms while growing and scaling the organization. For over two decades Jodi was a senior executive at Sesame Workshop where she balanced educational programmatic excellence with the realities of the financial and operational rigor necessary to achieve project goals. Jodi’s passion for leading teams that create meaningful stories and characters that not only entertain but address critical issues for families around the globe has been her NorthStar for the last three decades. She and her husband live in New Jersey and will travel anywhere at the drop of a hat.

Ali Paksima

Chief Financial Tinkerer

Ali Paksima is Tinkercast's Chief Financial Tinkerer, leading the planning and managing of Tinkercast's finance activities while driving sustainable growth. With over 20 years of experience in financial management and planning across various industries, Ali has helped organizations manage change and scale up profitably. Children's education is near and dear to Ali's heart and he also serves as advisor and GM of Magrid Learning Solutions. Ali earned his MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and is a State of NC registered CPA. He lives in Durham, NC with his wife, son, and daughter where you can usually find him playing pickleball with his kids in their driveway.