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Jeff Rake | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jeffrey Paul Rake June 19, 1966 |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA) UC Berkeley School of Law (JD) |
| Occupation(s) | Television showrunner, producer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Co-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]
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 [ which? ] and joined one of L.A.'s top law firms[ which? ]. 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]
Rake is married to Paulette Light, executive director of the Charles Bronfman prize, who he met in college. [4] [16] He is Jewish. [17] "As a Jewish writer, I’m inspired by Jewish themes of redemption, second chances and Tikkun olam,” he told the Jewish Journal. “We come to discover that the characters [on Manifest] are flawed human beings who’ve been given a second chance, an opportunity to redeem themselves."
| 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 |