Fund Named After Larry Barron ’87 Aims to Carry on Late Alumnus’ Legacy of Helping Students Make Connections in Media and Entertainment Business
A new fund named after the late alumnus Larry Barron ’87 aims to carry on the TV executive’s legacy of connecting students aspiring to work in the media and entertainment business with key industry professionals for mentorship, networking and internship opportunities.
Two students will be chosen each year as part of the Larry Barron Fund for Mentorship (LBFM) program, which will include a four-day trip to Los Angeles for meetings, meet-and-greets, tours and other activities to connect recipients with established media and entertainment executives.
Applications for the inaugural LBFM recipients are due 6 p.m. ET on Nov. 30. Those selected will be notified by Dec. 15, 2023, and the trip to Los Angeles will take place March 11-14, 2024, during spring break.
Barron died in 2020. The fund was organized by his longtime friends Carl Weinstein and Scott Bergstein, both 1988 graduates of Newhouse.
“We are very grateful to Larry’s friends, colleagues and Syracuse University for all their efforts to make LBFM a reality to honor our son,” said Barron’s parents, Roberta and Hal Barron.
Barron’s prolific career included producing or consulting on hit shows including CBS’ “The Amazing Race,” “Paradise Hotel,” which aired on Fox, and “America’s Next Top Model,” which aired on multiple networks. He was co-creator and executive producer of Fox’s “Couples” and VH1′s “What Chilli Wants.”
Barron also served as senior vice president at Fremantle Media before launching his own production company, Larry Barron Entertainment, in 2013.
He graduated with a dual degree in television, radio and film from Newhouse, and management and marketing from the Whitman School of Management. While in school, he was a disc jockey, station manager and general manager at student-run Z89 (WJPZ-FM).
Barron helped to lead the station on its transition to FM radio, a critical period in WJPZ history. In 2012, he was named part of the first class of inductees into the WJPZ Hall of Fame.
Weinstein and Bergstein fondly recalled Barron’s enthusiastic outlook, infectious personality and a capacity to make “everyone feel truly special.”
“His ability to inspire, connect and mentor young people was superhuman. The entertainment industry is full of people who were touched by Larry,” Weinstein and Bergstein said in a joint statement.
Many worked with Barron, some worked for him and others got their first break because of him.
“Larry instinctively knew that getting a start in the competitive business of media and entertainment would require not just smarts and hard work, but a little help from established professionals in the business,” Weinstein and Bergstein said. “It is fitting that Larry’s legacy of mentoring will live on through this program.”
Barron started his professional career at CNN before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his passion of becoming a television producer and focusing on content formats including pop culture, reality TV and game shows.
But Barron took his love for Syracuse University wherever he went, his family and friends said. He stayed deeply involved with the University through his life, especially through Syracuse University Los Angeles (SULA) and the Newhouse LA program.
“Larry Barron’s steadfast commitment to Syracuse stretched from his days as a student and leading WJPZ to mentoring the next generation of leaders in media and entertainment,” Newhouse School Dean Mark J. Lodato said.
“We are thankful for the partnership with his friends and family that has resulted in this tremendous opportunity for Newhouse students,” he added. “What an appropriate tribute to Larry’s dedication to the University.”