Burnie Burns is an American film producer, animated filmmaker known for his Machinima work on the Red vs. Blue series. Also an actor, he appeared in the 2015 movie The Outfield. He joined the cast of The Amazing Race in season 28. He is also one of the co-founders of Rooster Teeth Productions. He also is a comedian, host, and director living in Austin, Texas. He is a co-founder, former chief executive officer, and current chief creative officer of Rooster Teeth. He was a voice actor for The Strangerhood, Halo 3, and P.A.N.I.C.S. His work on 2010's Immersion earned him an IAWTV award for Best Hosted Taped Web Series.
In April 2003, Burns, along with several friends and co-workers, created the Internet Machinima series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles. Filmed using the video game Halo, Red vs. Blue was acclaimed for its humor and originality, making Burns an Internet celebrity. His success allowed him to co-found the production company Rooster Teeth. After the immediate popularity of Red vs. Blue, Burns attracted the attention of video game company Electronic Arts, who asked him to create a promotional series using their upcoming game, The Sims 2. The result was The Strangerhood. Burns also premiered P.A.N.I.C.S., a mini-series that utilizes the F.E.A.R. game engine. In 2016, Burns starred in the science fiction comedy film Lazer Team, which he co-wrote.
As one of the innovators in the field of machinima, he has made guest appearances at the Penny Arcade Expo, San Diego Comic-Con International, Sundance and The Sydney Film Festival. For his work on Immersion (2010), a live action series that tests video game tropes in the real world, and The Gauntlet (2013), Rooster Teeth's reality game show, he has been nominated for two IAWTV awards in the "Best Host of a Web Series (Pre-Recorded)" category. He was named one of the "Top 25 Digital Stars" by The Hollywood Reporter in 2015.
Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns was born in Rochester, New York on January 18, 1973 and grew up in Houston, Texas. The son of a Catholic priest and a Catholic nun, Burnie's early life was directed toward the medical profession. His father was a Physics professor who worked on the Desertron Super Collider. He is one quarter French-Canadian.[10] The nickname "Burnie" was given to him by an Alief Elsik High School senior to separate him from the many Michaels in his class. Burns' determination to pursue a medical career led him to become a member of HOSA. Half of his senior year consisted of clinical rotations at Southwest Memorial Hospital . As a state champion in medical terminology, he focused his academic career in high school on attending the University of Notre Dame. After high school, he attended The University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science. While there, Burns got his start in video production by volunteering at K29HW-D, Texas Student Television. During his time with TSTV, he founded Sneak Peek, the longest-running student television program in the world, in which he reviewed films and conducted interviews with guests such as Adam Sandler.
Burns went on to become the president of the tech support company teleNetwork Partners, and eventually broke out to form his independent company Rooster Teeth.
When his family couldn't afford to send him after his acceptance, Burnie chose instead to attend the University of Texas. While there, his studies led him to switch his focus from pre-med to computer science. In his free time, he dabbled in film. At Texas Student Television, a student-produced television station out of the university, he founded the longest-running student program in the world, Sneak Peek, where he reviewed movies, discussed entertainment news and even interviewed a young Adam Sandler. In his final year of university, Burns was intent on making a movie. Joel Heyman and Matt Hullum, who were roommates at the time, agreed to help, with the former agreeing to star and the latter helping write, produce and direct. They shot The Schedule (1997) over a three-month period on 16mm film for $9,000.
urns became frustrated with the difficult distribution process and the film only screened in a few festivals. Soon after, the trio parted ways. Heyman and Hullum went to Los Angeles, while Burns accepted a position at a local tech support company.
There, he met his co-workers and future Red vs. Blue collaborators Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola. In June 2002, Burns teamed up with his colleagues to create their first viral video, a Mac Gamer Switch parody.
Burnie wrote and directed his first feature film, The Schedule (1997), in his final year of university with his friends and future Red Vs. Blue partners Joel Heyman and Matt Hullum. After graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science he accepted the position of President of teleNetwork. There, his co-workers included future RvB collaborators Dan Godwin, Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola. In 2003 he started the hit web series Red Vs. Blue and founded Rooster Teeth Productions. Burnie lives in Austin, TX and is a member of the International Academy of Web Television.
