Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Judy Farinet was no stranger to the entertainment industry. Her father was a press agent with film, TV, and Broadway clients, including writers, producers, and directors. Needing a summer job while at NYU, Farinet’s father, who was the CBS director of press information in the 1960s, pointed her to a summer job in guest relations at NBC during her junior year. She enjoyed the job so much so that upon graduating with a degree in psychology, she went back to NBC, where she has been employed ever since.
Following her stint in guest relations, Farinet was promoted to a secretarial position in the unit manager division, getting her first taste of pre-production and production work. She was soon exclusively assigned to Chet Huntley of The Huntley-Brinkley Report, learning the ins and outs of live television production. In 1968 she was promoted to a production assistant on The Huntley-Brinkley Report, where she was mentored by Marcia Kuyper Schneider and learned what associate directors and directors did in the control room. In her PA capacity, Farinet worked on political conventions, inaugurations, and numerous instant specials including POW releases, the Vietnam War cease-fire, and Watergate scandal, among other national and international events. She secured a summer relief staff associate directing position in 1973 and was kept on as a permanent staff AD soon after, associate directing NBC Nightly News, NBC News Specials, NBC Entertainment Specials, including The Sound of Music Live! and Peter Pan Live!, and variety programs, including America’s Got Talent and The Voice. Farinet also has an extensive career in directing the NBC Nightly News, Weekend Edition, Dateline NBC, and various NBC Entertainment Specials.
For her work in directing, Farinet has received four Emmy Award nominations, with one win for the Dateline NBC: Miracle on the Hudson (2010) special. She has also garnered an Emmy Award and a DGA Award for her work as an associate director. She has been a Guild member since 1973 and has served three terms on the Eastern AD/SM/PA Council since 2012, and has also served on the 2008, 2011, and 2014 Network Negotiations Committees.