Remembering Diane Rotteau, Senior Producer of The Passionate Eye

Diane Rotteau had a life force that was truly amazing, and a positive nurturing way with people that she managed to sustain, giving us all pep talks right to the very end.
Very sadly our extraordinary work colleague, and friend passed away on Sunday Nov. 13, 2011 after a valiant 3 year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was at home surrounded by the people that she loved most, her husband Ron and 2 beautiful daughters Thea and Leahora.

Besides those of us lucky enough to have considered Diane a dear friend, she's going to be very missed here at the CBC.

After fine-tuning her business reporting skills and sharp wit at MacLeans in the early '80's, the CBC wisely hired her to become part of the start-up team for Venture in 1984, an eclectic group of writers and producers from print and television charged with making business 'entertaining' and journalistically sound.

In the mid-nineties we were lucky to persuade Diane to bring her strong editorial eye and people skills to the CBC Documentary Unit where she helped nurture and inspire hundreds of international and Canadian documentary film makers who yearned to get their work on The Passionate Eye.

Eventually Diane became the Senior Producer of The Passionate Eye on CBC News Network, where she helped build an audience for provocative international documentaries, a role she both excelled at and loved. We all miss her terribly. As a tribute we dedicate the 2011 season to her.