Leo Duran

Part of The Takeaway’s inaugural staff in 2008, Leo Duran leads his colleagues for the least amount of sleep because of the show. A native-Wisconsinite, he excelled in science and music, but took on journalism as a challenge.

He started his public radio career the way most public radio-ans do: as a listener turned intern turned staffer. Leo led “The Joy Cardin Show” on Wisconsin Public Radio prior to moving to New York, driving the statewide discussion on local and national news. There he developed the love for how listeners can transform and evolve a conversation.

On The Takeaway, Leo has the honor of doing most of the positions on staff, from producing to directing. He’s also an occasional magazine writer, often chef, frequent video game player, and The Takeaway’s main party planner.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, he is a hippie in the many ways that people from Madison can be: he bikes everywhere, sews clothes, and makes his own raw cat food (essentially anything you’ve seen in “Portlandia”).