Thomas J. Colbert is an American consultant, writer, producer and former media executive. He is the co-author of ''

The Last Master Outlaw ''The Last Master Outlaw: How He Outfoxed the FBI Six Times—but Not a Cold Case Team'' is a 2016 non-fiction book written by Thomas J. Colbert and Tom Szollosi. It details the results of a five-year investigation of a suspect in the 1971 D. B. C ...

'', a book that documents his five-year cold case investigation of

D. B. Cooper D. B. Cooper is a media epithet for an unidentified man who hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727 aircraft operated by Northwest Orient Airlines, in United States airspace on November 24, 1971. During the flight from Portl ...

suspect Robert Rackstraw. The book became the subject of a documentary on the

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

which Colbert exec-produced. He currently operates TJC Consulting, a consulting firm in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Prior to his work as a consultant, he was a story researcher for CBS and

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

and founder of media service Industry R&D.

Career

Colbert spent his early career as a story researcher for

KCBS-TV KCBS-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent outl ...

in Los Angeles and then with ''

Hard Copy ''Hard Copy'' is an American tabloid television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. ''Hard Copy'' was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence. The original hosts of ''Hard Copy'' ...

''. After 12 years in the business, he founded the true-story tip service Industry R&D, Inc. (IRD). Colbert used his national network of contacts to collect high-profile stories from local media and then sell them to television and motion picture production companies. Tips generated by Colbert became books and films, including '' The Vow'', ''

Baby Brokers ''Baby Brokers'' is a 1994 American true-life-event drama film directed by Mimi Leder and written by Susan Nanus. The film stars Cybill Shepherd, Nina Siemaszko, Anna Maria Horsford, Jeffrey Nordling, Tom O'Brien, Joseph Maher and Shirley Knight ...

'', ''

Fly Away Home ''Fly Away Home'' ( ''Flying Wild'' and ''Father Goose'') is a 1996 family drama film directed by Carroll Ballard. The film stars Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels, and Dana Delany. ''Fly Away Home'' was released on September 13, 1996, by Columbia Pic ...

'', and '' Boys Don't Cry''. Colbert sold the company in 2009. Colbert is the co-author of ''The Last Master Outlaw: How He Outfoxed the FBI Six Times--but Not a Cold Case Team''. The book details an investigation organized by Colbert into the identity of a possible suspect in the

D.B. Cooper D. B. Cooper is a media epithet for an unidentified man who hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727 aircraft operated by Northwest Orient Airlines, in United States airspace on November 24, 1971. During the flight from Port ...

hijacking. The investigation took place over five years and included 40 retired investigators, including a dozen FBI agents. Colbert identified Robert W. Rackstraw Sr. as the main suspect of the crime. The week before Colbert’s team was to turn in all of its circumstantial evidence to the Cooper FBI case agent, the Seattle Division canceled a long-planned meeting and later announced the FBI considered the case of D.B. Cooper "administratively closed." The investigation also became the subject of the

documentary ''D.B. Cooper: Case Closed,'' which aired in 2016 and was exec-produced by Colbert. Colbert currently operates TJC Consulting.

References

External links

Thomas Colbert website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Colbert, Thomas J. American male writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Los Angeles American consultants