Burt Kearns

Burt Kearns is an American television and film producer, writer, director, journalist and author, known for his influential work in reality television and his controversial 1999 tabloid television memoir, Tabloid Baby.

Early career

Burt Kearns with Joey Ramone, circa 1978

Graduated from Fairfield University; became a reporter and editor for newspapers in in southern Connecticut and Westchester, New York. After John Lennon's assassination on December 8, 1980, he moved to Manhattan, where he worked for neighborhood newspapers including the East Side Express and the Chelsea-Clinton News, and later at the assignment desk and as newswriter and show producer at WNEW-TV's Ten O'Clock News. Kearns became a producer and writer for such New York City news operations as WNBC-TV's News 4 New York and CBS News Nightwatch.

Kearns moonlighted as a writer for Spin magazine, writing articles about Elvis Presley, k.d. lang, Steve Miller and John Hiatt, among others (hired by editor Legs McNeil). Joined Rupert Murdoch's 20th Century Fox as managing editor of the nightly tabloid television series, A Current Affair, where he helped develop and expand the tabloid television genre. In 1990, Kearns accompanied executive producer and genre inventor Peter Brennan to Hollywood, where, as managing editor and producer of Hard Copy (1990–1993) and Premier Story (1994), he was an influential figure in the heyday of tabloid television.

Tabloid Baby

Left tabloid television and began writing Tabloid Baby in 1996.

A combination memoir, mea culpa and exposé, the book was published in November 1999 by Hambleton-Hill's Celebrity Books imprint, and became an immediate sensation.

The book was praised by Mike Wallace of CBS News' 60 Minutes as "sad, funny, undeniably authentic" and by tabloid television host Maury Povich as "the Bible."

Kearns embarked on a cross-country signing tour after network news bosses reacted to his revelations about the television industry by canceling many of his scheduled television appearances.

Television and film production

Frozen Pictures

In 2000, Kearns formed the production company Frozen Television (later Frozen Pictures) with veteran producer Brett Hudson, formerly of the Hudson Brothers. Kearns has written and produced many television shows and series under the Frozen banner, including the documentary series Adults Only: The Secret History of The Other Hollywood and The Secret History of Rock ‘n’ Roll with Gene Simmons for Court TV, All the Presidents' Movies with Martin Sheen for Bravo, the Showtime late night series My First Time, and episodes of the Court TV series, Mugshots.

He directed and produced the 2008 Frozen Pictures documentary musical film, The Seventh Python, about the career and influence of Monty Python collaborator and Bonzo Dog Band member Neil Innes, and directed and produced Basketball Man, the 2007 Frozen Pictures documentary film that featured basketball stars and legends telling the story of the life and legacy of the game's inventor, Dr. James Naismith. He was also executive producer and producer of Frozen Pictures' The Michael Lohan Reality Project and creator, writer and producer (with Hudson) of American Dunkleman. As of early 2011, he was producing and directing the Frozen Pictures nonfiction feature film, El Viaje Musical de Ezekiel Montanez: The Chris Montez Story, which was previewed as a work-in-progress August 15, 2009 at the 35th annual Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago and May 14, 2010 at the Pacific Palisades Film Festival.

Cloud 9

Kearns wrote and produced the 20th Century Fox movie, Cloud 9 (starring Burt Reynolds), along with Hudson and Academy Award winner Albert S. Ruddy. The film was released on DVD by 20th Century Home Emtertainment on January 3, 2006.

Independent work

Kearns produced the documentary films Death of a Beatle (2000) and Bin Laden’s Escape (2005) (with Parco Productions). Directed and produced the documentary, Boxing: A Different Look for Showtime and Hollywood Animal Crusaders (featuring John Travolta, Cher, Don Johnson & Esai Morales) for Animal Planet. Co-producer of the HBO documentary Panic, starring Kim Basinger. Producer of Fox Television special, When Good Pets Go Bad 2 and executive producer of the syndicated series, Strange Universe.

He made international headlines, including front page stories in The New York Times and USA Today, when he created and edited the website, saintmychal.com, chronicling, and inherently promoting, the canonization of New York City Fire Department Chaplain and September 11th victim Mychal Judge.

Kearns was credited as co-executive producer of the 2009-2010 truTV reality documentary series, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura and was executive producer and showrunner of the series' second season, which debuted in October 2010, and third season, set to launch in 2012.

He is also an executive producer of Speed (TV channel) hit series, Dumbest Stuff on Wheels, which launched its second season on Jaunary 25, 2012.

Awards

Winner of 2009 Las Vegas Film Festival Golden Ace Award for The Seventh Python.

Personal life

Kearns returned to tabloid journalism in 2005, working once again with mentor Peter Brennan, as consulting producer to short-lived revival of A Current Affair. Kearns is married to television producer and journalist Alison Holloway.

Sources

• New York Times
• New York Times article
• "Bad Boy TV," Salon.com
• Tabloid Baby review, L.A. Weekly
• USA Today
• Kearns as guest on Coast-to-Coast AM with Art Bell
• Kearns profile in Fairfield University magazine
• Interview from On The Edge with Paula Zahn
• Elvis After Elvis: The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend (p. 39)
• Production Culture: Industrial Reflexivity and Critical Practice in Film and Television by John Thornton Caldwell

External links

• Burt Kearns at the Internet Movie Database