Bloomberg TV Features Interview With Rodge Cohen Exploring His Career

June 21, 2011

On June 21, Bloomberg TV aired excerpts from a half-hour feature on Mr. Cohen that it plans to run in full at a later date as part of its “For the Record” series. The show was filmed at S&C's New York headquarters and also included the participation of Mr. Eitel and Mr. Wiseman. In the portions that aired last week, Mr. Cohen shared his thoughts with reporter Deirdre Bolton on “Too Big To Fail,” HBO's film adaptation of the Andrew Ross Sorkin book of the same name about the 2008 financial crisis and its major players. Mr. Cohen, who is depicted in the film for his role as adviser to Lehman Brothers, said that former Lehman chairman and CEO Dick Fuld recognized “the jeopardy the company was in,” adding that “there were extensive efforts…to find a merger partner.” The interview also touched on Mr. Cohen's role in the 1981 Iran hostage negotiations, which he referred to as the “most stressful and ultimately exhilarating” experience of his career. He also discussed his work, along with Mr. Dietderich, in the restructuring of The Weinstein Company, which reduced the majority of the company's debt. Ms. Bolton noted that Harvey Weinstein decided that he needed Mr. Cohen to advise on this restructuring upon reading “Too Big To Fail.” Mr. Cohen observed that what helped make the restructuring a success was that “everyone came to the table with a sense of realism.”