Scott Z. Burns (born July 17, 1962) is an American filmmaker and playwright.

Career

After graduating from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

, Burns began his career in advertising and later became a television commercials director. He was part of the team at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners responsible for the original Got Milk? campaign. Burns has written screenplays for ''

The Bourne Ultimatum ''The Bourne Ultimatum'' is the third Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to ''The Bourne Supremacy'' (1986). First published in 1990, it was the last Bourne novel to be written by Ludlum himself. Eric Van Lustbader wrote ...

'' (2007), '' The Informant!'' (2009), and '' Contagion'' (2011), all of which feature

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Ameri ...

. His films ''The Informant!'', ''Contagion,'' and ''

Side Effects In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequenc ...

'' (2013) were directed by

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direct ...

. Burns also produced the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning '' An Inconvenient Truth''. Burns wrote and directed the 2019 film '' The Report'', a drama about the secret torture program inside the CIA. Public interest in Burns' 2011 film '' Contagion'' renewed during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, making it the seventh-most downloaded film on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

by March 6, 2020. Interviewed by ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' about the film's resurgence and similarities to the active pandemic in March 2020, Burns said:

Early life and education

Burns was born in Golden Valley,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

and graduated ''summa cum laude'' in 1985 with a degree in English from the

. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Films Television Play writer * '' The Library'' (2014)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Scott Z. 1962 births American male screenwriters University of Minnesota alumni Living people Film directors from Minnesota American documentary film producers People from Golden Valley, Minnesota American television directors Screenwriters from Minnesota Film producers from Minnesota American advertising people