Deborah Barak, a longtime CBS business affairs executive who helped guide the Eye network through a transitional era of television, died Saturday after battling cancer. She was 65.
Barak was widely respected throughout the industry as a sharp negotiator and a savvy dealmaker. Among the many groundbreaking pacts she steered for the network was the original licensing agreement for “Survivor” in 2000. She also helped the company revive the “Star Trek” franchise with an innovative global agreement with Netflix in the early years of the streaming content boom. She spent 35 years with CBS, signing on in 1985 as broadcast counsel for the West Coast.
“Debby was a mentor and dear friend to so many of us at CBS,” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “She was the person everyone turned for counsel and guidance, both professionally and personally. You always left her office feeling a little bit smarter and emotionally stronger. There...
Barak was widely respected throughout the industry as a sharp negotiator and a savvy dealmaker. Among the many groundbreaking pacts she steered for the network was the original licensing agreement for “Survivor” in 2000. She also helped the company revive the “Star Trek” franchise with an innovative global agreement with Netflix in the early years of the streaming content boom. She spent 35 years with CBS, signing on in 1985 as broadcast counsel for the West Coast.
“Debby was a mentor and dear friend to so many of us at CBS,” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “She was the person everyone turned for counsel and guidance, both professionally and personally. You always left her office feeling a little bit smarter and emotionally stronger. There...
- 1/22/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
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