Mark Burnett is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 television producer

Television producer

The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...

 and executive producer

Executive producer

An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...

, based in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition. Burnett himself has also won four Emmy Awards and four People's Choice Awards.

Current series for Burnett are Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice, The Voice, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? and the People's Choice Awards.

Early life

Mark Burnett was born on July 17, 1960 in the east end of London, England, the only child of two Ford Motors factory workers . He was raised in Dagenham

Dagenham

Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...

, Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

. At the age of seventeen, he enlisted in the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

, and became a Section Commander in the Parachute Regiment. From 1978 to 1982 he served with the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and saw action during the Falklands War

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

.

Early Career

In October 1982, Burnett decided to leave Britain for the United States where he met up with a friend, Nick Hill, who had also immigrated from Britain a few years earlier and was working as a nanny and chauffeur. Hill knew of an open position for a live-in nanny position with the Jaeger family in Beverly Hills, the interview for which was that night. Though he had no experience in that field, Burnett took the opportunity, and because of his military background, 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, taking care of two boys for $250 a week. He was eventually given a position in the insurance office owned by Burt, the father of the two boys.

Two years later, he decided to rent a portion of a fence at Venice Beach and sell T-shirts for $18 each during weekends. Realizing he made more money selling t-shirts, Burnett left his insurance job.

In 1991, Burnett, along with four others, joined a French adventure competition called the Raid Gauloises

Raid Gauloises

The Raid Gauloises or The Raid is considered by many to be the first modern adventure race and was first held in 1989. Its creator, Gerald Fusil, took the existing concept of long distance endurance races, and focused on the team aspects, requiring each competitor to be part of a five person co-ed...

. After competing, 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.

Productions

Mark Burnett is best known for producing the hit reality show, Survivor, which premiered in the summer of 2000 and was the most watched summer

Summer

Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...

 series since Sonny and Cher Survivor was also named the Number 1 reality series of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 2009. Burnett is also the creator of The Apprentice.

Burnett's other television franchises include; Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (U.S. game show)

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is an American quiz game show on Fox. It is produced by Mark Burnett and is hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. The show premiered as a three-day special which began on February 27, 2007 with the first two shows each a half-hour in length...

, Shark Tank

Shark Tank (TV series)

Shark Tank is a reality television series based on the Sony TV/BBC TV Dragons' Den. It premiered on ABC television in August 2009 and features a panel of five wealthy entrepreneurs who are called "sharks"...

, Oprah's All-Stars, Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...

, Sarah Palin's Alaska

Sarah Palin's Alaska

Sarah Palin's Alaska is an American television show hosted by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. According to Palin, the show's aim is to bring "the wonder and majesty of Alaska to all Americans"...

, The Contender, On the Lot

On the Lot

On the Lot is a short-lived reality show competition produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, with the ultimate prize of a million dollar development deal at DreamWorks...

(a collaboration with Stephen Spielberg), The Restaurant, Rock Star

Rock Star (TV series)

Rock Star is a television series produced by Mark Burnett in which aspiring singers from all around the world competed to become the lead singer of a featured group. It debuted on CBS on July 11, 2005, to mediocre ratings. The show was hosted by television personality and commercial spokeswoman...

, Combat Missions, My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad

My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad

My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad is a reality sports TV show on NBC that premiered on February 18, 2008. The show is produced by Mark Burnett, producer of other shows like Survivor, The Apprentice, and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and was hosted by actor Dan Cortese...

, Bully Beatdown

Bully Beatdown

Bully Beatdown is an American reality television series created by Mark Burnett which airs on MTV. In each episode, show host Jason "Mayhem" Miller challenges bullies to fight against a professional mixed martial artist for a chance to win $10,000. The money they get depends on their performance...

, Starmaker, Expedition Africa

Expedition Africa

Expedition Africa is an eight-part reality television miniseries that originally aired form to on History. Produced by Mark Burnett, the program follows four modern day explorers—a navigator, a wildlife expert, a survivalist, and a journalist—as they substantially retrace H.M. Stanley's famed...

, Toughest Cowboy

Toughest cowboy

Toughest Cowboy is an American rodeo competition-based reality television program that follows twelve professional cowboys as they compete in three roughstock rodeo events — bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding in effort to win the Toughest Cowboy championship and the grand...

, Wedding Day and How'd You Get So Rich?

How'd You Get So Rich?

How'd You Get So Rich? is an American reality television series hosted by comedian Joan Rivers. The series premiered on TV Land on August 5, 2009, and consisted of six weekly half-hour episodes...

Burnett’s new adventure series, Expedition Impossible

Expedition Impossible (TV series)

Expedition Impossible is a 2011 American reality television series. The series follows thirteen teams of three competitors as they "solve problems while racing across deserts, over mountains and through rivers" across the nation of Morocco. The first team to cross the finish line after completing...

currently airs on ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

. He has also completed the milestone of having a renewed series on each of the four major broadcast networks.

Since 2007, Burnett has served as the executive producer for the MTV Movie Awards

MTV Movie Awards

The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...

and has also executive produced the 2010 and 2011 People's Choice Awards

People's Choice Awards

The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett...

. In September of 2011, Burnett produced the Emmy Awards for Fox

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

.

Burnett is also producing The Voice

The Voice (U.S. TV series)

The Voice is an American reality talent show that premiered on April 26, 2011 on the NBC television network. Based on the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland, the series was created by Dutch television producer John de Mol. It is part of an international series...

, a new reality singing competition series for NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

. Carson Daly

Carson Daly

Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...

 hosts the show, while Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera

Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

, Adam Levine

Adam Levine

Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...

, Cee-Lo Green and Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton

Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...

 serve as coaches.

In addition to his ongoing productions, Mark Burnett is also the producer for The Bible

The Bible (TV series)

The Bible is an upcoming television series created by Mark Burnett and based on the Bible. It is planned to air on History in spring 2013. Burnett considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the "most important" project he has undertaken. The project was conceived by Burnett and his wife Roma...

, a 10 hour History Channel

The History Channel

History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...

 drama based upon stories of the Bible 

Personal life

Mark's first marriage was to Dianne Burnett (née Valentine) and produced two sons, James and Cameron. During their marriage the two formed DJB as a company to produce film and television projects. Shows produced through this company during their marriage include Eco-Challenge

Eco-Challenge

Eco-Challenge: The Expedition Race is a multi-day expedition length adventure race in which teams of four compete. It aired from April 1995 to April 2002....

and Survivor

Survivor (TV series)

Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...

. The couple filed for legal separation in September 2002 and a judgment for legal separation was granted in December 2003.

In January 2004, Mark began dating actress Roma Downey

Roma Downey

Roma Downey is an actress, singer, and producer, from Derry, Northern Ireland. She is best known as Tess's angel/employee, Monica, the main character of the TV series Touched by an Angel. She is also the wife of television producer, Mark Burnett.-Early life:Downey was born and raised in Derry...

, and in November 2006, while the two were vacationing with their children in Zihuatanejo

Zihuatanejo

Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, is the fourth-largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Politically the city belongs to the municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta in the western part of Guerrero, but both are commonly referred to as Zihuatanejo...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, he proposed to her. They wed on 28 April 2007 in their Malibu home.

Personal recognition

Time

Time (magazine)

Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

called Burnett one of the Most Influential People in the World Today. Burnett was also named “Philanthropist of the Year” by the Reality Cares Foundation. Furthermore, Burnett has won both Brandweeks’s

Brandweek

Brandweek was a weekly American marketing trade publication.First published in 1986 as Adweeks Marketing Week, the publication changed its name in 1992 after facing a legal threat from the UK's Marketing Week magazine. Brandweek coverd the world of marketing from big-budget ad campaigns to...

 Marketer of the Year Award, the prestigious Rose d’Or Frapa Format Award

Rose d'Or

The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...

, the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award and the Norman Lear Award from the Producers Guild of America.

In November 2007, Burnett was elected into the Broadcast and Cable Hall of Fame and in 2008, it was announced that he would be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...

. On July 8, 2009 Burnett received a star at 6664 Hollywood Blvd.

In June of 2011, Burnett was elected into the Producer's Guild of America Council Board of Delegates and currently serves on the Producers Council. He is also ambassador for Operation Smile.

• 2004: Reality Cares Foundation 'Philanthropist of the Year'
• 2004: Time Magazine: 'Time 100: 100 Most Influential People in the World Today'
• 2009: Producers Guild of America
  Producers Guild of America
  Producers Guild of America is a trade organization representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 4,700 members of the producing establishment worldwide...
  
   'Norman Lear Award'
• 2009: Hollywood Walk of Fame
  Hollywood Walk of Fame
  The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
  
   Star: 'Excellence in Television'
• 2010: Producers Guild of America 'Lifetime Achievement Award in Television'

Project recognition

Since 2001, projects with which Burnett is associated have been nominated for 69 shared Emmy Awards and have won 4. They have also won 4 shared People's Choice Awards

People's Choice Awards

The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett...

, a Banff Rocky, and the prestigious Rose D'Or Frapa Format Award

Rose d'Or

The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...

.

Primetime Emmy Awards :

• 2001, won 'Outstanding Non-Fiction Programming', Special Class, for Survivor: The Australian Outback;
• 2001, won 'Outstanding Sound Mixing for Non-Fiction Programming, for Survivor: The Australian Outback
• 2002, 4 nominations, Survivor: Africa and Survivor: Marquesas (judged as one show)
• 2003, 4 nominations, Survivor: Thailand and Survivor: Amazon (judged as one show)
• 2004, 4 nominations, The Apprentice
• 2005, nomination for 'Outstanding Reality Competition Show' for Survivor
• 2005, 5 nominations, The Apprentice
• 2006, nomination for 'Outstanding Reality Competition Show' for Survivor

Young Artist Award

Young Artist Award

The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

 :

• 2008, won 'Best Family Television Reality Show, Game Show or Documentary for Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Teen Choice Awards

Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...

 :

• 2004, nomination 'Breakout TV Show' for The Apprentice
• 2008, nominated 'Choice TV Game Show' for Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Peoples Choice Awards :

• 2001, won 'Favorite Reality Based Television Program' for Survivor
• 2002, won 'Favorite Realty Based Television Program' for Survivor: The Australian Outback
• 2003, won 'Favorite Reality Based Television Program' for Survivor: Thailand
• 2004, won 'Favorite Reality Based Television Program' for Survivor
• 2008, nomination 'Favorite Game Show' for Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Kids Choice Awards :

• 2008, nomination 'Favorite Reality Show' for Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Daytime Emmy Awards :

• 2006, nomination 'Outstanding Service Show' for Martha
• 2007, nomination 'Outstanding Lifestyle Program' for Martha
• 2011, won 'Outstanding Lifestyle Program' for Martha

Family Television Awards :

(given by the Family Friendly Programming Forum):

• 2001, won 'Reality/Alternative Programming' for Survivor: The Australian Outback

Producer's Guild of America:

• 2004, won 'Television Producer of the Year in Reality/Game/Informational Series' for Survivor

TV Critic's Association Awards:

• 2004, won 'Program of the Year' for The Apprentice

TV Week

TV Week

TV Week is a weekly television magazine in Australia, first published as a Melbourne-only publication in December 1957 , and bearing a strong affiliation to television station GTV.The publication is still publishing weekly...

's Annual Critics Poll:

• 2003, won 'Number 1 Reality Show' for Survivor
• 2003, won 'Number 7 Favorite Show' for Survivor

Diversity Awards:

• 2001, won 'Most Diverse Television Ensemble Cast' for Survivor: The Australian Outback

GLAAD Award:

• 2001, won 'Recognition Award' for Survivor

Reggie Awards:

• 2001, won 'Super Reggie' for 'Multi-Channel Integrated Promotion Involving Consumer and Trade Special' for Survivor

Publicists Guild of America:

• 2001, won 'Maxwell Weinberg Publicists Showmanship Award for Television' for Survivor

Sports Emmy Awards

Sports Emmy Awards

The Sports Emmy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in recognition of excellence in American sports television programming, including sports-related series, live coverage of sporting events, and best sports announcers...

:

• 2000, won 'Best Program Achievement' for Eco-Challenge: Morocco

External links

• SWINDLE Magazine Interview with Mark Burnett