The news of Herbert “Herb” Lazarus’ death came at the end of MIPTV on April 19, 2023; it is important to remember how for him “Doing business while having fun was a priority.”
Herb was the reason and example of why many TV executives no longer (voluntarily) retire. At 88 years old, with 68 years in the business, Lazarus was still going strong as president of the Los Angeles-based Carsey-Werner TV International. A few weeks ago this journalist spoke with him about recollections of the early days of the L.A. Screenings.
Lazarus remembered exactly when his fun began: it was January 10, 1954, when he was a 19-year old gofer at the two-year-old Television Programs of America (TPA) in his native New York City (gofer as “go for coffee, go for mail, etc. …”) “Later, I moved into the shipping department, sending film reels to TV stations. We used to bicycle 16-mm prints around the U.S.,” he explained.
Over the course of his career, Lazarus worked with 13 companies, including a brief stint as a consultant, and at three incarnations of Silverbach-Lazarus, a partnership with close friend Alan Silverbach.
In 1963, he was hired by Alan Silverbach, who was running the domestic and international TV operations at 20th Century Fox Television. He began as his assistant, and ended up becoming vice president, TV International, because, he said, “International was a fun business in those days.”
Eight years later, Lazarus went to Columbia Pictures Television, also as vice president, TV International. He left New York in 1973 and moved to Los Angeles. After six years with Columbia, he reunited with Silverbach, partnering for the Silverbach-Lazarus Corp., an international distribution company, which in its first incarnation lasted until 1978.
That year, the partnership was sold to Metromedia, Silverbach became president and Lazarus EVP of Program Distribution. In 1979, Metromedia created Amicus, a distribution company formed with Polygram and Lorimar, which lasted just 30 months, before both Silverbach and Lazarus bailed; after getting back both the name and the catalog, they revamped the Silverbach-Lazarus company. “What we put in, we got back,” said Lazarus during a telephone conversation.
That second incarnation lasted until 1985, when S-L was sold to London Weekend Television (LWT). When LWT decided to get out of the distribution business, ownership of S-L went back to the original principals for its third and final incarnation, which lasted until 1993. After one year of freelance and consultancy work, Lazarus joined Stephen Cannell as vice president, Cannell Distribution. He left Cannell when the company was sold to New World. He then became president of Carsey-Werner International, his last company, in 1996.
Lazarus attended his first MIP-TV in 1965 for 20th Century Fox and, as he recalled, “I can be certain that no American studios [attended the first MIP-TV in 1963]. I do remember an MPAA export committee meeting, where we were told that ‘a market’ had started in Lyon and was moving to Cannes, and would we attend? All the companies sitting around the table said no until it came to Fox, which said yes, and that’s when the other guys said ‘if Fox goes, we will have to go as well.’”
Lazarus is survived by his wife of 66 years, Shelley; his two sons, Sid and Michael; and three grandchildren, Sam, Karly and Faith.
By Dom Serafini
A gentleman, always approachable, constantly helpful. What a guy. RIP, Herb
Herb was a dear friend and business mentor. I will miss him.