Category:
Richest Business › Producers
Net Worth:
$500 Million
Birthdate:
Jul 17, 1960 (64 years old)
Birthplace:
London
Gender:
Male
Profession:
Television producer, Screenwriter, Film Producer, Television Director
Nationality:
United Kingdom
Mark Burnett is a British television producer who has a net worth of $500 million. Mark Burnett’s career took off with the launch of “Survivor” in 2000, which became a massive hit and helped establish the reality TV genre. He followed this success with “The Apprentice,” featuring Donald Trump, which also gained immense popularity. Burnett went on to develop other successful reality series like “The Voice,” “Shark Tank,” and “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”
Burnett’s television shows have been incredibly successful, and they have been nominated for over 140 Emmys. As a producer, Mark has won twelve Emmys and a number of other awards. He has also ventured into producing miniseries and films, including “The Bible” and “Son of God.” Burnett’s journey in the entertainment industry is remarkable, starting from selling T-shirts on Venice Beach to founding his own production company, which was later acquired by MGM. From 2015 to 2022, he served as Chairman of MGM Television and Digital Group.
James Mark Burnett was born on July 17, 1960, in London, England. Raised in Essex by parents who were both factory workers, Burnett quickly enlisted in the British Army at the age of 17. Eventually, he became a section commander in the Parachute Regiment before serving with the 3rd Battalion during the Falkland War and the conflicts in Northern Ireland.
He would leave the army in 1982 as a decorated soldier. His experiences in the service left a taste of adventure in his mouth. Burnett left the army unsure of what his next move should be. He finally accepted a dangerous job as a military adviser in Central America. He did not tell his mother the full details of the job, only that it had to do with security. His mother urged him not to go, but Burnett pressed on anyway. That is until he found himself at the Los Angeles airport awaiting his next plan, and his mother’s voice popped into his head. Mark listened to his urges and, with only $600 in his pocket, decided to stay in Los Angeles.
After leaving the army, Burnett eventually immigrated to the United States in 1982. He connected with a friend who had immigrated to the States a year prior and managed to gain work as a nanny with the Jaeger family, who lived in the affluent neighborhood of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Despite having no experience with childcare, Mark got the job because of his military background, as the affluent Jaegers wanted someone who could care for their children and protect them at the same time. This eventually became a stable source of income for Mark, and he started caring for other children in Malibu for a salary of $250 per week.
Burnett worked as a Nanny for two different homes in a seven year span. He became lifelong friends with one of his employers, a man named Burt, who would often host powerful producers and businessmen at his house. Mark would often ask the producers as many questions as possible. Burt eventually saw the potential that Burnett held and hired him to sell insurance. The skills that Mark learned with insurance led him to open up his own marketing and advertising firm. By the early ’90s, he had made his first million. Still, after all of his hard work, he wanted more he wanted adventure.
Burnett found his adventure when he read about Raid Gauloises in the Los Angeles time. Raid Gauloises is a French adventure competition held once a year. The competition consisted of a group of five people from various countries racing in an exotic location for two weeks. The grueling ordeals they went through consisted of horseback riding, marathon kayaking, and even parachuting, to name a few. A competition the likes of these had not been seen in America. He rounded up a team of five and became the first American team to ever compete. Coming off that thrill, Burnett began to shop his idea around. He called it “Eco-Challenge” and held it in Utah. It was first shown on MTV and later appeared on The Discovery Channel and USA network. The show was a success. This marked the beginning of Burnett’s career as a TV producer in the ’90s.
One of the things that intrigued Burnett most during “Eco-Challenge” was not the competition but the way the teams communicated with each other. This planted the seed for “Survivor” in his head. The idea, though, originated in the mind of British producer Charlie Parsons. Burnett decided to buy the rights from Parson in 1998. It took two years for the show to make it onto television sets. During this time, it was rejected by network after network. Finally, CBS put it on during their summer season when most networks would play re-runs. “Survivor” became a monster hit and is still airing today. But there was nothing like the first season that kept all of America glued to their television sets. The show’s finale was watched by over 50 million people.
In 2004, Mark Burnett came out with another smash hit reality TV series – “The Apprentice.” This reality show featured a very different format compared to “Survivor,” but it was still incredibly popular. The premise revolved around contestants who competed for a job working for Donald Trump. These contestants had to participate in a number of challenges. For many people, “The Apprentice” served as their first proper introduction to Donald Trump. The show eventually became so successful that it spawned many licensed spin-off versions around the globe. Burnett also produced the spin-off series “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Aside from these two popular reality TV series, Burnett has produced a range of other projects. These include shows like “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,” “Shark Tank,” “The Voice,” “Beat Shazam,” and “TKO: Total Knock Out.” Mark is also known for producing a wide range of award shows, including the MTV Movie Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the Spike Video Game Awards, and the Primetime Emmy Awards.
The list goes on. Burnett has also produced shows like “Bully Beatdown,” “The Contender,” “Expedition Africa,” “How’d You Get So Rich?,” “Martha Stewart,” “My Dad is Better Than Your Dad,” “On the Lot,” “The Restaurant,” “Rock Star,” “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” “Stars Earn Stripes,” “Starmaker,” and “Toughest Cowboy.” He currently produces shows like “The World’s Best,” “Lucha Underground,” and “The Contender.”
In 2014, MGM purchased a 55% stake in One Three Media and United Artists Media Group, earning both Burnett and his wife a significant amount of cash. In 2014, Burnett became the president of MGM and signed a five-year deal. After gaining a leadership role in the company, Burnett oversaw the production of a number of both scripted and reality shows, such as “Condor,” “Fargo,” “Get Shorty,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and “Vikings.” MGM also continues to produce shows like “Survivor,” “Shark Tank,” “Celebrity Apprentice,” and many others. In 2018, Mark Burnett became the Chairman of MGM Worldwide.
Burnett’s first wife was Dianne J. Burnett, and they were wed in 1992. After having two children together, they separated in 2002. In 2004, Mark began dating Roma Downey, a producer and actress from Northern Ireland. They married in 2007.
In 2004, Mark paid $4.5 million for an oceanfront home in Malibu. In 2005, he paid $25 million for a 5-bedroom oceanfront home in Malibu. In 2007, Burnett’s new wife, Roma Downey, moved into his house and put her equally impressive Malibu home up for rent. Because her home is located within the exclusive Colony gated community and is one of the few oceanside homes with a pool, she is able to rent it for $100,000 per month during the summer and $60,000 per month off-season. Mark still owns his original Malibu home, which the couple rents for an additional $60,000 per month during the summer.
Mark and Roma’s main Malibu mansion, the one he purchased in 2005 for $25 million, is 7,300 square feet with seven bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms. The bluff-top property is a little over three acres. In July 2024, Mark and Roma offered this home as a rental for $350,000 PER MONTH.
