Mark Burnett: ‘I Have Never Been a Supporter of Donald Trump’s Candidacy’
October 12, 2016 (Variety.com)
“The Apprentice” creator Mark Burnett has issued an unequivocal statement disavowing the “hatred, division and misogyny” that has become associated with the presidential campaign of his former “Apprentice” star Donald Trump.
The declaration comes amid calls in media and political circles for Burnett to release any damaging video or audio recordings of Trump, the Republican nominee for president, during his 11 years as frontman for the NBC reality show. The clamor for “Apprentice” material was stirred up following Friday’s explosive revelation of a vulgar conversation between Trump and “Access Hollywood” anchor Billy Bush back in 2005 in which Trump bragged of forcing himself on women, among other remarks widely deemed offensive.
As the creator and exec producer of “Apprentice,” Burnett played a huge part in Trump’s rise to prominence on a national scale as a reality TV star, who fronted 14 cycles of “Apprentice” and “Celebrity Apprentice” from 2004-2015. But Burnett has stayed silent on Trump’s political career since he launched his bid for the White House in June 2015.
A native of Britain, Burnett has been a strong supporter of Democrats in recent years, particularly of President Obama’s White House campaigns. The reality TV mogul and his wife, actress-producer Roma Downey, have been rattled by the storm of media attention directed at Burnett as journalists hunt for more damning evidence of sexist and otherwise disturbing behavior demonstrated during Trump’s TV career.
A report during the weekend, amid the extraordinary political fallout from Trump’s 2005 conversation, that Burnett was a “Trump-backer” was the final straw for the producer, who is now president of MGM Television and Digital Group.
“Given all of the false media reports, I feel compelled to clarify a few points. I am not now and have never been a supporter of Donald Trump’s candidacy. I am NOT “Pro-Trump,” Burnett said in a statement emailed by his personal PR rep. “Further, my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign.”
MGM, which now owns the “Apprentice” archive after buying out Burnett’s company in 2015, maintains that it does not have the legal right to release footage from the show at will. MGM separately issued statement from its outside counsel, Marvin S. Putnam of Latham & Watkins.
“MGM, not Mark Burnett, owns ‘The Apprentice.’ MGM has agreements with artists across a wide spectrum of creative properties, including ‘The Apprentice.’ These agreements typically contain provisions related to confidentiality and artist’s rights,” Putnam said. “MGM has every intention of complying with its agreements with artists and honoring their rights, including with respect to ‘The Apprentice.’ “
The legal thicket around the use of “Apprentice” material is further complicated by the fact that Trump also has an ownership interest in the show. Moreover, the archive likely includes thousands of hours of footage from 14 seasons, making it prohibitive for MGM to divulge all of it in one fell swoop, even if the studio had the legal authority to do so.
MGM is constrained from releasing any “Apprentice” material beyond finished episodes because it does not have so-called name and likeness rights for the people featured in that footage, Trump included. That means that even if Trump himself wanted certain footage released, he’d have to engage in negotiations with others who were on camera, or blur out their likenesses.
In setting a deal for a TV show, the principle players grant the studio rights to use their name and likeness in material assembled for finished episodes and limited additional uses for marketing and publicity materials. The standard contracts do not cover unfettered rights to outtakes — which is why it can be challenging for producers to create a blooper or outtake reel for a TV special or DVD release. All of those rights have to be negotiated separately.
Sources close to the situation noted that the voluminous “Apprentice” archive would be hard to search because it is not cataloged to track incendiary or controversial statements from Trump. Because the show is more than a decade old, the archives are not digitally searchable. Contemporary shows often marry the footage library with digital transcripts of all dialogue captured by the cameras — but that was not standard operating procedure in 2004 when “Apprentice” began.
Burnett is the latest to be caught up in the maelstrom created by Friday’s release by the Washington Post of the recording of Trump and Bush bantering in crude terms about women. Trump has apologized but also has tried to downplay the severity of his remarks, calling them “locker-room talk.” During the weekend, Republican leaders in droves abandoned their support for Trump’s candidacy. Even Trump’s vice presidential pick, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has distanced himself from the candidate, leading to speculation Pence may bolt the ticket entirely.
The revelation has caused an abrupt reversal of fortune for Bush at NBC, where is in the midst of being let go (albeit with a contract settlement) barely two months after he left “Access Hollywood” for the high-profile perch as a member of the 9 a.m. anchor team on “Today.”
Just five days ago, NBC was grooming Bush for bigger and better things down the road. But the tidal wave of outrage stirred by Bush’s jokey affirmation of Trump’s remarks made it impossible for him to return to work on “Today.” Of all the frat-boy comments made during the roughly two and a half minute “Access Hollywood” outtake, nothing has sparked more fury and disdain than Trump’s braggy assertion that women are so bowled over by his stardom that he’s able to “grab them by the pussy.”
Burnett had hoped to stay out of the political fray of Trump’s polarizing campaign, but the accusations that he was somehow protecting Trump by not disclosing “Apprentice” footage became too much for him to bear. The producer is known to have rejected a lucrative offer from the Republican National Committee to produce its nominating convention for Trump that was held in July in Cleveland.
Burnett and Downey are prominent in Hollywood philanthropy circles, and both are deeply committed to their Christian faith. The two have been among the industry’s most vocal champions of fundraising to aid Christians facing increasing threats of harm from ISIS and other terrorist orgs in the Middle East.
The furor around Trump appears to be only increasing as the New York Times on Wednesday evening spoke to two women who assert that they were touched inappropriately by the candidate, a challenge to his statement in Sunday’s presidential debate that he has never groped women despite his 2005 trash-talk session with Bush.
(Pictured: Donald Trump and Mark Burnett in the early years of “The Apprentice”)
Mark Burnett Stands Firmly Behind The Reality TV President He Helped Create
By Peter Bart
Peter Bart
Editor-At-Large
January 10, 2019 (deadline.com)
Many of the acolytes around Donald Trump these days seem to be running for cover, except for the man who essentially created him. Mark Burnett, the maven of reality TV, remains a Trump protector and is getting heat for it, but he himself dwells behind a veil of contradiction and mystery, as a lengthy piece in the New Yorker reminds us this week..
The man behind The Apprentice, Survivor, The Voice and Shark Tank, who now also serves as chairman of MGM Television, continues to churn out TV shows and movies, some of them embracing a clear ideological message. But who is he? I pondered this question given that that Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, smiling and genial as ever, were dinner guests at my home not long ago – and left me more clueless than ever about the answer.
This much is known: Burnett anointed a financially foundering, B-list self-promoter named Donald Trump to star in Apprentice, stuck with him through 14 seasons, defined his imperious style, edited away his disastrous miscues and tirelessly promoted his dubious brand. Tony Schwartz, who wrote The Art of the Deal, insists, “Mark Burnett’s show was the single biggest factor in putting Trump in the national spotlight.”
While Schwartz now condemns Trump (“a monster”), Burnett, though officially nonpartisan, diligently worked on Trump’s inauguration and described Trump as his “soul mate.” Jonathon Braun, supervising editor of Apprentice, told the New Yorker that “we knew Trump was a fake,” but under Burnett’s instructions, “we made him out to be the most important person in the world, making the court jester the king.”
If Trump’s background was re-invented, so, intriguingly was Burnett’s. Growing up in a working-class family in a grimy section of London, he served for five years in the British Army, assigned to the dubious invasion of the Falkland Islands. He departed finally for a career as a “weapons and tactics adviser” in Central America.
Moving to California, Burnett worked first as a nanny in Beverly Hills, met and married a wealthy woman named Kym Gold, dutifully studied Judaism, but then divorced her a year later. Having obtained his green card, Burnett became involved in marketing and was inspired by Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker. He next married an aspiring actress, Diane Minerva, who wrote in her memoir that she first learned of Burnett’s intention to divorce her by listening to Burnett being interviewed on Howard Stern’s show.
Focusing now on television with great success, Burnett met another actress, Downey, star of Touched by an Angel. They married in 2007 and together launched a faith-based production company that fostered a series of Christian-themed shows. Their biggest feature, a remake of Ben-Hur, flopped. Still Burnett and Downey, according to the New Yorker, now describe themselves as “the noisiest Christians in Hollywood.” Gold, Burnett’s first wife, nonetheless declares that she’s convinced Burnett is not religious. “He follows the wind,” she asserts.
Politically, the wind has now blown Burnett into problematic waters. On the one hand he does not want to become enmeshed in anything that could cost him a sector of his audience. Yet introducing Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast, Burnett described their 14-year friendship as
“one of the greatest relationships of my life.” Tom Barrack, a Hollywood investor and occasional producer who became chairman of the inauguration committee, insists “Mark is a genius and the President loves him.”
If Burnett likes Trump, is he also protecting him? Specifically, is he concealing long-rumored outtakes of Apprentice that might reveal racist remarks or other sexist slurs. Officially, Trump’s attorneys at MGM take him off the hook, arguing that standard industry contracts forbid release of the tapes. Still, associates insist that, over the course of 14 seasons and 300 hours of footage per episode, a treasure trove of Trumpian mistakes must exist. Editors of shows usually compile “gag reels” containing off-color or embarrassing moments, so why hasn’t one shown up? One obvious explanation: Trump has protectors. And Trump’s producer is one of them.
Will he pay a price? As anti-Trump sentiment grows ever more strident, those who champion the President could struggle to line up major talent and may also face issues with buyers. Mark Burnett is a very wealthy man, and doesn’t have to fret about financial setbacks. But his ambitions for success are limitless. And as the maven of reality TV, having succeeded in creating his own reality, he has no intention of surrendering that role.
Trump taps outspoken Christian, ‘Apprentice’ producer as special envoy to UK
By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter
Friday, December 27, 2024 (ChristianPost.com)
President-elect Donald Trump recently tapped an outspoken Christian and the former producer of his hit show “The Apprentice” to be special envoy to the United Kingdom.
Mark Burnett, who was born in London but emigrated to the United States in 1982, was chairman of MGM from 2018 to 2002, and has won 13 Emmy Awards. In addition to the 10 seasons of “The Apprentice,” Burnett also produced the hit shows “Survivor,” “Shark Tank,” “The Voice,” and others.
“It is my great honor to appoint Mark Burnett as the Special Envoy to the United Kingdom,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post last Saturday.
“With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role,” Trump continued.
“Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges. Congratulations Mark!” Trump added.
Burnett welcomed the appointment, saying in a statement: “I am truly honored to serve The United States of America and President Trump as his Special Envoy to the United Kingdom.”
Burnett and his wife Roma Downey — famous for her work as an actress in “Touched by an Angel” — have been open about their Christian faith. Burnett and Downey have produced multiple Christian productions, including the 10-hour miniseries “The Bible” on the History Channel, which premiered in 2013 and drew 100 million viewers.
They also produced the follow-up 2015 miniseries “A.D.,” which was based on the book of Acts, and the 2014 film “Son of God,” which beat box office expectations by earning $67 million worldwide.
The two are also active in philanthropic work, including the Cradle Fund, which they launched in 2015 to assist people in the Middle East displaced by IS to find a safe place to practice their faith.
Downey and his wife delivered the keynote address at former President Barack Obama’s final National Prayer Breakfast in 2016, and Burnett introduced Trump the next year at his first National Prayer Breakfast.
Burnett once distanced himself from Trump in the wake of the “Access Hollywood” tape release in 2016, during which Trump joked about grabbing women by their genitalia.
“Further, my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign,” he said at the time, though he later played a role in planning Trump’s 2017 inauguration, as noted by the BBC.
In 2018, the couple asked for prayer for their son, Cameron, who was 20 years old at the time when he was hospitalized for an illness from which he recovered. Cameron is Burnett’s son from a previous marriage.
Trump has nominated billionaire Warren Stephens as his ambassador to the U.K.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
