Harold Gaba, also known as Hal Gaba (January 22, 1946 – March 9, 2009), was an American businessman. He served as president and CEO of Act III Communications, chairman of

Concord Music Group Concord Music Group was an American independent music company based in Beverly Hills, California, with worldwide (including the U.S.) distribution through Universal Music Group. The company specialized in recordings and music publishing. On Apri ...

, and co-chairman of Village Roadshow Pictures.

Early life

Gaba was born January 22, 1946, in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. He received a bachelor's degree in finance at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, where he was a member of Pi Lambda Phi, and a master's degree in finance at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

Career

Gaba's career began in 1967 as a research analyst at William O'Neil & Co. His long-time association with

Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922December 5, 2023) was an American screenwriter and producer who produced, wrote, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms, including ''All in the Family'' (1 ...

started in 1974 when he joined Lear, Bud Yorkin, and Jerry Perenchio at Tandem Productions as an acquisitions consultant. Gaba went on to serve as president of Embassy Pay Television and vice chairman of Hal Roach Studios. In 1990, Gaba became president and CEO of Norman Lear's Act III Communications, a media holding company with interests in broadcasting, theatrical exhibition, publishing, motion pictures, and music. In 1999, Lear and Gaba became co-owners of Concord Records, founded in 1973 as a jazz label in

Concord, California Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...

. In 2006, Gaba and Lear, joined by their long-time colleague Michael Lambert, acquired a 50% interest in Village Roadshow Pictures. Gaba was a member of the board of directors for World Trade Bank, Union Rescue Mission,

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...

, Herbalife, the Henry Mancini Institute, and the Curtis School. He also was part of the executive committee at the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( ''Machon Weizmann LeMada'') is a Public university, public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, fourteen years before the State of Israel was founded. Unlike other List of Israeli uni ...

Personal life

Gaba was married to Carole Gaba. They lived in the Bel Air neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and had two children, Lauren and Elizabeth. Gaba died from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

on March 9, 2009, at the age of 63.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaba, Harold 1946 births 2009 deaths American entertainment industry businesspeople Haas School of Business alumni UCLA Anderson School of Management alumni