Mark Burnett
James Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960)[3] is a British television producer and author of ten books who is the former Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group.[2] He created The Apprentice, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? and Shark Tank, and produced the reality shows Survivor, The Voice, Beat Shazam, and Generation Gap.
For other people named Mark Burnett, see Mark Burnett (disambiguation).
Television series produced by Burnett have been nominated for a total of 151 Emmys. He has personally won twelve Emmy Awards, five Producers Guild of America Awards, twelve Critics' Choice Television Awards, and ten People's Choice Awards.[4] As of 2024, Burnett is the executive producer of five current network television shows, as well as several cable series. For five consecutive years, Burnett has been included in the Variety500, an index of the 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry.[5]
Under Burnett's leadership, MGM has expanded its cable TV business through the acquisitions of Evolution Media (Botched, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Real Housewives of Orange County) and of Big Fish Entertainment (Live PD and Black Ink Crew).
Burnett co-created and produced with his wife Roma Downey the Christian media series The Bible and A.D. The Bible Continues, and produced the feature films Son of God, Little Boy, Woodlawn, and Ben-Hur.
Variety recognized Burnett and his wife Roma Downey as "trailblazers" and The Hollywood Reporter has included the couple in their "Most Influential People" lists. Downey and Burnett delivered the keynote address and accepted honorary doctorate degrees at Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management commencement ceremony.In February 2016, Downey and Burnett gave the keynote address at the National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington DC by President Obama and in 2017 Burnett was invited to give remarks again at President Trump's first National Prayer Breakfast to a vast amount of world leaders in attendance.
In 2024, Burnett won a People's Choice Award and is nominated for multiple Critics Choice TV Awards.
Early life[edit]
Burnett was born on 17 July 1960 in London, the only child of Archie and Jean Burnett, both Ford Motor factory workers,[6] and was raised in Dagenham, Essex. His father was a Roman Catholic and his mother was a Presbyterian; it is not known in which denomination he was raised.[7][8] At the age of 17, he enlisted in the British Army, and became a Section Commander in the Parachute Regiment.[9] From 1978 to 1982 he served with the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment in C Company and saw action during the Falklands War[6] and Northern Ireland. After his service, he initially planned to go to Central America and work as a "weapons and tactics adviser".[9]
Early career[edit]
In October 1982, Burnett immigrated to the United States, where his friend Nick Hill, who had emigrated from the UK earlier, was working as a nanny and chauffeur. Hill knew of an open position for a live-in nanny with the Jaeger family in affluent Beverly Hills. Despite having no experience as a nanny, Burnett went on the interview. The Jaegers, realizing the advantage of having a nanny and security at the same time, hired him. After a year of working for the Jaegers, he moved on to another family in Malibu, California, taking care of two boys for $250 a week. He was eventually given a position in the insurance office owned by the boys' father. Two years later, Burnett rented a portion of a fence at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, and sold T-shirts for $18 each during weekends. Realizing he made more money selling T-shirts, he left his insurance job.[10]
In 1991, Burnett and four others joined a French adventure competition, the Raid Gauloises. Afterward, Burnett saw a business opportunity in holding similar competitions. He purchased the format rights and brought a similar competition, Eco-Challenge, to America. Eco-Challenge launched Burnett's career as a television producer.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Burnett's first wife was Kym Gold, but that marriage only lasted about a year.[21] Before that marriage ended he met Dianne J. Burnett (née Valentine) and they married in 1992; they have two sons together, James and Cameron.[22] In 2014, Cameron survived a neuroendocrine tumor at the age of 17, had brain surgery and had to learn to walk again.[23][24] Cameron was awarded the 2015 Courage Award at the Visionary Ball which raises money each year for UCLA's Department of Neurosurgery.[25]
The couple filed for legal separation in September 2002, and a judgment for legal separation was granted in December 2003;[22][26] they divorced in 2006. In January 2004, Burnett began dating Roma Downey. In November 2006, while the two were vacationing with their children in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, he proposed to her.[27] They wed on 28 April 2007 in their Malibu home. The ceremony was officiated by Downey's former co-star, Della Reese.[28]