Rebecca Vélez Barnard is a writer, producer, host and director. Her work in activism and entertainment ranges from managing large scale advertising and political campaigns, short films, masterclasses and live shows across the U.S. and around the world.

Rebecca is the creator and host of The News Dump, a weekly late night style podcast, in collaboration with 12+ writers and guests from places like SNL, The Tonight Show, The Daily Show, Whose Line Is It Anyway, and others. She recently wrote and directed her first short film, One Night with John Oliver, a comedic reflection on the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

She has directed, written and produced live shows for venues like Second City, iO Chicago, the Comedy Central Stage and The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, with comics from Just For Laughs, Comedy Central, CBS and Peacock. She previously served as an associate producer for an indie film company, and was creator and executive producer for The Atlantic’s first ever podcast, which covered the 2016 presidential election.

She holds degrees in English and Philosophy from Cornell University, was part of The Onion’s Diverse AF Fellowship, studied production and directing at UCLA, and is an alum of Second City and iO Chicago.

Rebecca grew up in New Jersey with a British mother and a Puerto Rican father. She now lives in Los Angeles with her (South African) husband.