From that moment, I wanted one of those jobs.” Harbert began his broadcasting career while a student at Boston University’s college radio station, WTBU, where he worked alongside his friend, Howard Stern.

After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in Broadcasting and Film from the Boston University School of Communications, Harbert returned to New York, where he worked at ABC.

[9] In 1999, after a two-year post as a producer for DreamWorks TV, Harbert was named president of NBC Studios,[10] overseeing primetime, day time, and late night programs.

[13] When Harbert extended his contract with Comcast in 2010, it was noted that E!, in particular, had been a "big success" under his auspices, achieving six straight years of record ratings.

He serves on the boards of Urban Arts Partnership,[21] the Friends of the Saban Free Clinic, City Year LA, Paley Center for Media, Hollywood Radio and Television Society, and the Executive Committee of Boston University's School of Communications.