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Kevin Burns (June 18, 1955September 27, 2020), was an American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter. His work can be seen on A&E,
National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney General ...
, E!,
Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...
, AMC, Bravo,
WE tv We TV (stylized as WE tv) is an American pay television channel. Owned by AMC Networks since its September 1997 launch, it is oriented mainly towards lifestyle and entertainment programming. As of February 2015, approximately 85.2 million Amer ...
,
Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...
, Lifetime, and
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 ...
. Burns created and executive-produced more than 800 hours of television programming.


Biography


Early life

Born on June 18, 1955, Burns grew up in
Niskayuna, New York Niskayuna is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 23,278 at the 2020 census. The town is located in the southeast part of the county, east of the city of Schenectady, and is the easternmost town in the county. ...
. Raised Roman Catholic, he graduated from St. Helen’s School before attending Niskayuna High School. In 1977, he graduated cum laude from
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
. In 1981, he received both a master's degree in film from
Boston University's College of Communication __NOTOC__ Boston University College of Communication (COM) is a communication school at Boston University. It was founded in 1947 as the School of Public Relations. The College of Communication is the oldest public relations school in the United ...
and a
Student Academy Award The Student Academy Awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an annual competition for college and university filmmakers. Description The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first ...
from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his first film, '' I Remember Barbra'', a humorous documentary short that profiled
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
's impact on her former
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York neighborhood. After graduation, Burns taught
film production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, cast ...
at the university, as well as heading the school's "Film Unit", a group that allowed students to gain real-world experience by producing commercials, public service announcements, documentaries, and other projects for clients. In 1988, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began working as an executive at
20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Co ...
.


Career

While at Fox, Burns co-founded Foxstar Productions, the production unit responsible for creating a series of ''
Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with th ...
'' movies for television. In 1994, while serving as senior vice-president of Foxstar, he founded Van Ness Films, a non-fiction and documentary production unit. That same year, he met
Jon Jashni Jon Jashni is an American media investor and advisor. Work In 1999, Jashni and Kevin Burns formed Synthesis Entertainment, which develops and produces content based on properties of the Irwin Allen estate such as ''Poseidon'', ''Voyage to the ...
, a Fox film executive who shared his interest in the works of legendary Hollywood producer
Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen, June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...
. In 1999, Burns officially made a transition from his role as a studio executive to that of a full-time producer. While still under a production deal at
Fox Television Studios The second incarnation of Touchstone Television (formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios) was an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Disney Media Networks' Walt Disney Television owned by The Walt Disney Company. I ...
, Burns and Jon Jashni formed Synthesis Entertainment and began developing and producing remakes and sequels of the Allen properties, most notably a Fox Television pilot for an updated version of ''
The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series an ...
'' (2002) and the feature film versions of ''
Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as ...
'' (2006) and ''
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, M ...
''. In 1999, Burns also created
Prometheus Entertainment Prometheus Entertainment is an American production company, specializing in documentary, reality, and non-fiction television programming and specials. History Prometheus Entertainment was formed in March 1999 by Kevin Burns. It was housed at F ...
, a company specializing in documentary, reality, and non-fiction programming and specials. Here, Burns continued to produce and direct a wide variety of programming, including the reality show ''
The Girls Next Door ''The Girls Next Door'' (also known as ''The Girls of the Playboy Mansion'') is a reality television series which focuses on the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends who live with him at the Playboy Mansion. The series was created by executive pr ...
'' on E! (about the adventures of ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...
'' founder
Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...
's three live-in girlfriends), ''
High Maintenance 90210 ''High Maintenance 90210'' is an American reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Re ...
'', ''Hollywood Science'' for the
National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney General ...
, ''
Food Paradise ''Food Paradise'' is a television series narrated by Jesse Blaze Snider (formerly by Mason Pettit) that features the best places to find various cuisines at food locations across America. Episodes were originally shown on the Travel Channel. Oth ...
'' and ''
Bridget's Sexiest Beaches Bridget Marquardt (born September 25, 1974) is an American television personality and model, known for her role in the reality TV series ''The Girls Next Door'', which depicted her life as one of ''Playboy'' founder Hugh Hefner's girlfriends. ...
'' (both for the
Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...
) along with''
Kendra Kendra is a female name of disputed origins. Kendra is a moderately popular female first name, ranking 403 out of 4275 for females of all ages in the 1990 U.S. Census. The name was at its most popular in the United States from the mid-1980s to mi ...
'' and '' Holly's World'', both spin-offs of ''
The Girls Next Door ''The Girls Next Door'' (also known as ''The Girls of the Playboy Mansion'') is a reality television series which focuses on the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends who live with him at the Playboy Mansion. The series was created by executive pr ...
''. In 2002, Burns received his first of two Emmy Awards as executive producer for A&E's ''
Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
'' series. That same year, he was selected by
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...
and
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the '' Star Wars'' and ...
to produce and direct the 150-minute documentary feature '' Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy''. Four years later, he was again selected by Lucas to produce and direct '' Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed'', a feature-length documentary that premiered on The History Channel and went on to earn three Emmy Award nominations. Other specials include '' Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman'', which Burns co-produced with ''
Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...
'' director
Bryan Singer Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Singer ...
; ''Spider-Man Tech''; ''Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest''; ''Batman Unmasked''; ''Batman Tech''; '' The Valkyrie Legacy'', his second co-production with Bryan Singer; and '' Angels & Demons: Decoded'' in 2009. Since 2010, Burns and his company
Prometheus Entertainment Prometheus Entertainment is an American production company, specializing in documentary, reality, and non-fiction television programming and specials. History Prometheus Entertainment was formed in March 1999 by Kevin Burns. It was housed at F ...
have produced The History Channel TV series ''
Ancient Aliens ''Ancient Aliens'' is an American television series that explores the pseudohistorical and pseudoarchaeological ancient astronauts hypothesis, past human- extraterrestrial contact, UFOs, government conspiracies and related pseudoscientific topi ...
'', ''America's Book of Secrets'', and ''
The Curse of Oak Island ''The Curse of Oak Island'' is a multi-season reality television series that chronicles an eclectic team of treasure hunters and their search for legendary treasure on Oak Island, off the shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is an American televisio ...
'', as well as the reality TV series ''
Kendra on Top ''Kendra on Top'' is an American reality television series on WE tv that debuted June 5, 2012. The series follows the day-to-day life of former ''Playboy'' model and ''The Girls Next Door'' reality television personality Kendra Baskett as she ba ...
'' for WEtv, and other non-fiction series and specials. Along with his business partner Jon Jashni, Burns played an integral part in the development and creation of the ''
Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...
'' reboot for
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
and was serving as executive producer on the show.


Death

Burns died on September 27, 2020, of cardiac arrest at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over ...
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 ...
, California.


Awards and nominations

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
*Nominated: Outstanding Cultural Music-Dance Program, ''Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of Movies'' (1996) *Won: Outstanding Non-Fiction Series (Informational), ''
Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
'' (2002) *Nominated: Outstanding Nonfiction Series, ''
Biography (TV Series) ''Biography'' is an American documentary television series and media franchise created in the 1960s by David L. Wolper and owned by A&E Networks since 1987. Each episode depicts the life of a notable person with narration, on-camera interviews ...
'' (2006) *Nominated: Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming, '' Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed'' (2007) *Nominated: Outstanding Nonfiction Special, '' Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed'' (2007) *Nominated: Outstanding Nonfiction Series, ''
Biography (TV Series) ''Biography'' is an American documentary television series and media franchise created in the 1960s by David L. Wolper and owned by A&E Networks since 1987. Each episode depicts the life of a notable person with narration, on-camera interviews ...
'' (2007) *Nominated: Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, '' Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed'' (2007)
Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...
*Won: Outstanding Special Class Special, ''Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s'' (2003)
DVD Exclusive Awards The DVD Exclusive Awards was an awards program that honored direct to video productions released on DVD. From 2001 to 2006, honorees were selected and the awards were presented by periodical ''DVD Exclusive'', a sister publication of ''Variety Var ...
*Nominated: Best New, Enhanced or Reconstructed Movie Scenes, ''Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days'' (2001) *Won: Best Original Retrospective Documentary, *''Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood'' (2001) *Won: Best Behind the Scenes Program (New for DVD), '' Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy'' (2005) International Monitor Awards *Won: Documentaries – Director, ''Hollywood Aliens & Monsters'' (1998) Student Academy Awards, US *Won: Documentary, ''I Remember Barbra'' (1981)


Filmography


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Kevin 1955 births 2020 deaths Writers from Schenectady, New York Hamilton College (New York) alumni Boston University College of Communication alumni American entertainment industry businesspeople Film producers from New York (state) American male screenwriters Television producers from New York (state) Businesspeople from Schenectady, New York Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Niskayuna, New York