Jeff Rake
Born
Jeffrey Paul Rake

June 19, 1966
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Alma materColumbia University (BA)
UC Berkeley School of Law (JD)
Occupation(s)Television showrunner, producer
Years active2000–present
Known forCo-creating Manifest and The Mysteries of Laura

Jeffrey Paul Rake[1] is an American television producer and writer. He is known for his work on Boston Legal and creating the NBC shows Manifest, The Mysteries of Laura and Miss Match.[2]

Biography

Rake was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Encino, Los Angeles.[3] He attended Harvard-Westlake School and graduated from Columbia University in 1990.[4][5] He was the president of Columbia College Student Council during his senior year.[6] At Columbia, he was also a classmate of television producer Gina Fattore and Academy Award-winning film producer Dede Gardner.[7]

He received a J.D. degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, where he was a finalist in the James Patterson McBaine Honors Moot Court Competition and an executive editor of the California Law Review.[8][9]

After graduating from law school, Rake clerked for two federal judges and joined one of L.A.'s top law firms. During his tenure as a lawyer, he took a leave of absence and wrote the musical Hound Dog: A hip hOpera, an alternative history of Elvis Presley starring Wayne Brady.[10] The play premiered in 1996 in Los Angeles.[10]

Rake then entered the television business and co-created the Fox series The Street in 2000. He then put his legal knowledge to work by writing and producing episodes of Boston Legal and The Practice.[3] He co-wrote the pilot for Boston Legal, co-created the series Miss Match and The Mysteries of Laura.[11]

In 2017, he created Manifest. The show was initially cancelled, but was picked up by Netflix and became the third show to reach 100 days in Netflix's Top 10 charts.[12] In August 2021, the show was renewed for a fourth season.[13][14]

Los Angeles Times called him a member of the "Ex-Lawyers Club," a group of television showrunners, producers, and writers who were once lawyers before switching careers and joining the entertainment industry. Other ex-lawyers named by the Times were David E. Kelley, Carol Mendelsohn, Richard Appel, and Stephen Engel.[15]

Personal life and family

Rake is married to Paulette Light, executive director of the Charles Bronfman prize, who he met in college.[4][16]

Filmography

Select Film and Television work by Jeff Rake
Year Title Screenwriter Executive producer Creator Notes
2000–2001 The Street Yes Yes Yes Rake's television debut, wrote 4 episodes
2003 Miss Match Yes Yes Yes Wrote 6 episodes
2004 Boston Legal Yes Yes No Co-wrote pilot episode
2008 Cashmere Mafia Yes Yes No Wrote 1 episode
2013–2014 The Tomorrow People Yes No No Wrote 6 episodes
2014–2016 The Mysteries of Laura Yes Yes Yes Wrote 9 episodes
2018–2023 Manifest Yes Yes Yes Wrote 10 episodes

References

  1. ↑ "Jeffrey Paul Rake # 169928 - Attorney Licensee Search". members.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ "'Manifest' Will Keep Its Original Ending, Says Creator Jeff Rake". Collider. September 1, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "A Dream Come True, on Two Coasts". Television Academy. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Storytelling with Columbia". Columbia College. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Columbia Spectator 5 December 1989 — Columbia Spectator". spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  7. ↑ "30 Bingeable TV Shows Made by Columbia Graduates". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Past McBaine Winners". Berkeley Law. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Front Matter". California Law Review. 81 (2): 593. 1993. ISSN 0008-1221. JSTOR 3480755.
  10. 1 2 Foley, Kathleen (November 29, 1996). "'Hound Dog': Elvis Meets Rap Music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (August 23, 2017). "'Manifest' Missing Plane Mystery Thriller From Jeff Rake & Robert Zemeckis Set At NBC As Put Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  12. ↑ Nelson, Elise (September 25, 2021). "How 'Manifest' Made History With Its Streak on Netflix's Top 10 Charts". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  13. ↑ Hibberd, James (September 15, 2021). "Why Netflix Really Saved 'Manifest' (It Wasn't the Tweets)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  14. ↑ Behnke, Megan (September 19, 2021). "Manifest Creator Explains When He Knew Things Were Going South For Show At NBC". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  15. ↑ Tomashoff, Craig (January 22, 2002). "The Ex-Lawyers Club". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Who We Are". The Charles Bronfman Prize. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
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