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]
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]
Personal life and family
Rake is married to Paulette Light, executive director of the Charles Bronfman prize, who he met in college.[4][16]