Ep 889: The Man Who Controls Music's Biggest Night: Inside the 2026 GRAMMYs by Ben Winston

What does it take to pull off the biggest night in music — live, global, and with zero room for error? In this episode, Linda sits down with Ben Winston, executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, founder of Fulwell Entertainment, and one of the most influential forces behind modern live television. Ben takes us inside the pressure, creative decisions, and cultural responsibility of producing music's biggest moments — and what it really means when you only get one shot to get it right.   Behind the GRAMMYs What must go right in the first 60 seconds of the broadcast How live TV chaos is managed when millions are watching The unseen risks audiences never realize are happening in real time The State of Music & Culture What the 2026 GRAMMY nominations reveal about where music is headed Balancing genres, generations, and global representation Protecting the soul of the GRAMMYs in the age of streaming and AI Creating Iconic Performances What separates a good performance from a historic one Working with artists like Adele, Elton John, Bruno Mars, and Harry Styles How creative trust between artist and producer is built Beyond Music's Biggest Night Lessons learned producing live television at the highest level What unscripted fame (The Kardashians) reveals about modern celebrity How GRAMMY-level production thinking carries over to the LA 2028 Olympic ceremonies Leadership & Perspective The most valuable mistake Ben has made in live television The moment that tells him, "We nailed it" once the lights go down Connect with Ben Winston Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrbenwinston/ X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/benwinston Threads: https://www.threads.com/@mrbenwinston LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-winston-95a603301 Fulwell Entertainment: https://www.fulwell.com/about-us GRAMMY.com Artist Page: https://www.grammy.com/artists/ben-winston/52241 Television Academy (Emmys): https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ben-winston 📺 Don't Miss It The 2026 GRAMMY Awards 📅 Sunday, February 1 📺 Live on CBS 📲 Streaming live and on demand on Paramount+