Professional career
Berg’s early career began as the Musical Director of the Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles Music Center, where he worked on productions including Me and Bessie and Tooth of Crime . [2] He was the guitarist in the American debut production of The Rocky Horror Show which was performed for a year at the Roxy Theatre. [2]
Soon after, he met and was mentored by Jack Nitzsche. Under Jack’s guidance, they worked with The Neville Brothers.
In 1978, he began a three-year tenure as Bette Midler’s musical director, touring the country and working on the album Divine Madness .
As a composer, he wrote and arranged music for Robert Altman’s A Perfect Couple , writing for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and several movies of the week.
Berg's music career began in the late 1970s as a session guitarist who appeared on notable releases by artists including Air Supply and Debby Boone, [3] as well as on The Rocky Horror Picture Show LP and several Muppet Show records. In the early 1980s, Berg founded Zeitgeist Studios. His first major success was with Michael Penn's 1989 debut March . From there Berg went on to produce for Edie Brickell, Public Image Ltd, Altered State, Aimee Mann, and numerous other artists.
In the early 1990s, Berg became an A&R executive with Geffen Records, where he played a role in signing artists including Beck, Wild Colonials, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and At the Drive-In. During this time he continued to produce records and play on a wide variety of releases, among them Peter Gabriel's Up .
Berg’s career as a record producer first garnered attention with the release of Michael Penn’s debut album, March . This was followed by productions of music by Aimee Mann, The Replacements, Squeeze, Public Image Ltd, Wendy & Lisa, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians, and X.
In 2004, Berg founded, 3 Records, with industry veteran Michael Rosenblatt and producer Eric Valentine. Their first release was Mellowdrone's Box.
In 2006, Berg shifted his focus entirely on working with developing artists and producing. During this time, he built mentor/mentee relationships with Blake Mills, Ethan Gruska, and Shawn Everett. Berg also began working with Phoebe Bridgers while working on her first album, Stranger in the Alps.
Berg has owned and run Zeitgeist Studio in Los Angeles since 1985, which served as the incubator for dozens of Los Angeles-based recording artists, including Dawes and Phantom Planet. In 2018, Berg and Mills took over the lease for Sound City Studios in Van Nuys. There, Berg has produced recordings by Bridgers, Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Hornsby, Katie Gavin, Amythyst Kiah, Fiona Apple, Nina Gordon, boygenius, Molly Tuttle, Victoria Canal, Andrew Bird, and Switchfoot.
In 2023, Berg began working with Warner Records recording artist, Sombr. Sombr’s debut album, I Barely Know Her , was released on August 22, 2025 which Berg co-produced.
