Raymond Charles Reed, a successful Beverly Hills entertainment attorney and film producer, passed away on February 15, in Los Angeles.
As the founding principal of Raymond C. Reed & Associates, he forged an exceptional career providing private business and legal counsel for international, entertainment and media companies.
Recalling his positive impact on others, his sister, Pamela Jackson, said, “Ray was an expert in his field, a wonderful brother, great friend and mentor. He will be sorely missed.”
His memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 11, at 2:30 p.m., at the UCLA Alumni Center, 325 Westwood Plaza in Los Angeles. The service will also be livestreamed at https://www.trillvision.com/raymond.
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Raymond was born on March 7, 1952 to Mildred Montgomery Reed and Deforest Reed in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1970, Ray graduated from Omaha’s Technical “Tech” High School and was accepted into the Ivy League colleges of Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia.
Ray relocated to the East Coast and chose to study at Columbia University. While attending, he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and served as president of the Alpha Phi Alpha, Zeta Eta Chapter. Following graduation from Columbia University in 1974, Ray worked for IBM and New Jersey Bell.
In 1980, Ray moved to the West Coast to attend Whittier Law School. He completed his Juris Doctorate in Law with a focus on Taxation in 1983. Ray went on to attend the Anderson School of Management at the UCLA where he earned a Master of Business Administration in 1985. Also, he was a member of the International Business Association.
Armed with his MBA, Ray became founding principal of Raymond C. Reed & Associates, a firm still in operation until his death. Initially focused on offering business and legal counsel, he later expanded his firm’s scope from targeting entertainment companies for acquisition and executive management to television, film and media production and international distribution.
Ray was the co-producer of Disney’s “Max Keeble’s Big Move,” from inception through its release in 2001; producer of the yet-to-be-released comedy, “Cuttin Da Mustard,” with Brandon Jackson [“Tropic Thunder”], Lil Zane and Sinbad; and executive producer on the post-college dramedy, “Truth Hall,” which premiered on BET in 2010.
His most recent venture involved the establishment of Global Media Village, a film, television, and digital media company he founded in 2014 to advance a more humane global village by giving voice to communities and cultures around the world. He served as president and chief executive officer until his unexpected death.