Burt Kearns is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, known for his work in reality television and his controversial 1999 tabloid television memoir, '' Tabloid Baby''. His latest book, a biography of actor

Lawrence Tierney Lawrence James Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and tough guys in a career that spanned over 50 years. His roles mirrored his ...

, was published in December, 2022 by the University Press of Kentucky. ''

The Show Won't Go On ''The Show Won't Go On: The Most Shocking, Bizarre, and Historic Deaths of Performers Onstage'' is a 2019 nonfiction book written by Jeff Abraham and Burt Kearns. It is the first comprehensive study of the phenomenon of performers who died onsta ...

: The Most Shocking, Bizarre, and Historic Deaths of Performers Onstage'' (), which he wrote with

Jeff Abraham Jeff Abraham is an American publicist, comedy historian and author. His book, '' The Show Won't Go On: The Most Shocking, Bizarre, and Historic Deaths of Performers Onstage'', was written with Burt Kearns, and published on September 3, 2019, by Chic ...

, was published in 2019 by

Chicago Review Press Chicago Review Press, or CRP, is a U.S. book publisher and an independent company founded in 1973. Chicago Review Press publishes approximately 60 new titles yearly under eight imprints: Chicago Review Press, Lawrence Hill Books, Academy Chicago, ...

. In 2018, he became a contributor to the literary pop culture website, PleaseKillMe.com. In December 2021, he began to contribute written and video pieces to

Legs McNeil Roderick Edward "Legs" McNeil (born January 27, 1956, in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States) is an American music journalist. He is one of the three original founders of the seminal ''Punk'' magazine that gave the movement its name; as well as b ...

’s literary pop culture website, Legsville.com.

Television and film production

Writer and producer

Kearns has been a nonfiction television producer, writer, showrunner and consultant on series and shows such as '' Who Do You Believe?''; ''

Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura ''Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura'' is an American television series hosted by Jesse Ventura and broadcast on truTV. It ran for three seasons from 2009 to 2012 and was canceled in 2013. Format Former Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) ...

''; '' Guinness World Records Unleashed''; ''

True Tori ''True Tori'' is an American docu-series starring Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott Dean McDermott (born November 16, 1966) is a Canadian actor best known as a reality television personality with his wife, actress Tori Spelling, and as the host ...

''; ''Way Out West''; ''True Tori: True Confessions''; ''

L.A. Hair ''L.A. Hair'' was an American reality television series on WE tv. The series debuted on May 31, 2012 and was originally titled ''Hair Divas: Hollywood''. The series follows celebrity stylist Kim Kimble and her staff at her salon, Kimble Hair Stu ...

Confidential''; ''Tori Spelling: Celebrity Lie Detector''; ''

Mystery Millionaire ''Mystery Millionaire'' is a 2014 American reality television series. Overview Wealthy singles who have been unlucky in their love lives keep their success secret on this reality television dating program. Produced by Eli Holzman Eli Holzman ...

''; '' Joe Rogan Questions Everything''; ''Dumbest Stuff on Wheels''; and '' Legend Quest''. He was executive producer of, and featured on-camera in, the

Reelz Reelz (formerly known as Reelz Channel) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. The network's programming was formerly devoted to entertainment-oriented programming focusing on the Hollywood ...

nonfiction special program, ''Kardashian: The Man Who Saved OJ Simpson'', He was executive producer of the Reelz nonfiction specials, ''Time Presents: Celebrities On Trial'' ''El Chapo & Sean Penn: Bungle In The Jungle''; ''Entertainment Weekly Presents: 80s TV Stars - Where Are They Now?''; and ''Time Presents: Milestones 2016 - A Tribute To The Stars We've Lost''. Kearns also 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 Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

and ''

Hollywood Animal Crusaders ''Hollywood Animal Crusaders'' is an American television documentary that captured live-action animal cruelty investigations by actor turned animal activist Chris DeRose and his organization, Last Chance for Animals. It premiered on the Animal Pla ...

'' (featuring

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

Don Johnson Donnie Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series ''Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Em ...

and

Esai Morales Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (born October 1, 1962) is an American actor. He has had notable roles in the films '' Bad Boys'' with Sean Penn and '' La Bamba'' with Lou Diamond Phillips (1987). His television roles include the PBS 2002 drama series '' ...

) for

Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily dev ...

. Co-producer of the HBO documentary ''Panic'', starring

Kim Basinger Kimila Ann Basinger ( ; born December 8, 1953) is an American actress and former fashion model. She has garnered acclaim for her work in film and television, for which she has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Glo ...

. Producer of Fox Television special, ''When Good Pets Go Bad 2'', and executive producer of the syndicated series, ''

Strange Universe ''Strange Universe'' was a United States syndicated daily half-hour program about paranormal phenomena that aired from 1996 to 1998. Developed by Rysher Entertainment and Chris Craft Television, it debuted in 1996, hosted by Emmitt Miller and ...

''.

Independent features and Good Story Productions

Kearns produced the nonfiction film comedy, '' High There'', which premiered August 25, 2014 as an official selection of the Action on Film International Film Festival in

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census. Monrovia has been used for filming TV shows, movies and co ...

and won the Viewers' Choice Award at first annual Cannabis Film Festival in

Humboldt County, California Humboldt County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka. Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California Micropolitan Statistica ...

on May 15, 2015. High There was released on VOD and limited edition DVD by BRINKvision on June 23, 2015. Kearns directed, wrote and produced the nonfiction film, ''El Viaje Musical de Ezekiel Montanez: The

Chris Montez Chris Montez (born Ezekiel Christopher Montañez on January 17, 1943) is an American guitarist and vocalist, whose stylistic approach has ranged from rock & roll to pop standards and Latin music. His rock sound is exemplified in songs such as hi ...

Story'', which was previewed as a work-in-progress on August 15, 2009 at the 35th annual The Fest For Beatles Fans in Chicago, November 21, 2009 at the Paso Robles Digital Film Festival and May 14, 2010 at the Pacific Palisades Film Festival. Both films were produced through his Good Story Productions production company.

Frozen Pictures

In 2000, Kearns formed the production company Frozen Television (later

Frozen Pictures Frozen Pictures was a motion picture, television and multimedia production company founded and operated by veteran producers and writers Brett Hudson and Burt Kearns, and is affiliated with Frozen Television. It closed in 2012. Kearns now runs hi ...

) with producer

Brett Hudson Brett Stuart Patrick Hudson (born January 18, 1953) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was the youngest member of the musical group the Hudson Brothers, which was formed by his older brothers, Mark and Bill, in 1965. He is now a ...

, formerly of the

Hudson Brothers The Hudson Brothers were an American musical group formed in Portland, Oregon, consisting of brothers Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson. They were discovered by a record producer while recording music at a local studio, and offered a rec ...

musical comedy team. Kearns directed, wrote and produced many television shows and series under the Frozen banner, including the

documentary series Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. *Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

''Adults Only: The Secret History of The Other Hollywood'' and ''The Secret History of Rock ‘n' Roll'' with

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...

for

Court TV Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former cable television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news cove ...

, ''All the Presidents' Movies'', narrated by

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

for

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

and the

late night series ''My First Time''. The Seventh Python movie poster

He directed and produced the 2008 Frozen Pictures documentary

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

, ''

The Seventh Python ''The Seventh Python'' is a 2008 musical documentary film about the career, music and philosophy of pop satirist and songwriter Neil Innes, who has been known as the "seventh" member of the six-man Monty Python comedy troupe. The film, however, ...

'', about the career and influence of

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

collaborator and

Bonzo Dog Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band or The Bonzos) was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde art, ...

member

Neil Innes Neil James Innes (; 9 December 1944 – 29 December 2019) was an English writer, comedian and musician. He first came to prominence in the pioneering comedy rock group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later became a frequent collaborator with the Mon ...

, and directed and produced ''Basketball Man'', the 2007 Frozen Pictures

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

that featured

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

stars and legends telling the story of the life and legacy of the game's inventor,

Dr. James Naismith James Naismith (; November 6, 1861November 28, 1939) was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball. After moving to the United States, he wrote ...

. The film was released on DVD on May 8, 2007. (During the production of ''Basketball Man'', Kearns conducted Boston Celtics legend

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...

's last interview.) Creator, producer and director of Frozen Pictures' ''The

Michael Lohan Michael John Lohan ( ; born April 25, 1960) is an American television personality, best known as the father of actress Lindsay Lohan. Early life Michael Lohan is the oldest of four children born to Marilyn (née Desiderio) and Richard Lohan. He ...

Reality Project'', and ''

American Dunkleman Brian Dunkleman (born September 25, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, and Celebrity, television personality. He is best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the American Idol (season 1), first season of ''American Idol'', in 2002. Car ...

'', both of which became popular when their pitch tapes were released on the Internet. Kearns received international attention, including front page stories in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', for his controversial Saintmychal.com website and documentary project that chronicled and inherently promoted the canonization of 9/11 hero Rev.

Mychal Judge Mychal Fallon Judge (born Robert Emmett Judge; May 11, 1933 – September 11, 2001), was an American Franciscan friar and Catholic priest who served as a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. While serving in that capacity he was ki ...

''Cloud 9''

Kearns wrote and produced the

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

movie, '' Cloud 9'' (starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

), along with Hudson and

Albert S. Ruddy Albert Stotland Ruddy (born March 28, 1930) is a Canadian-American film and television producer. He is known for producing ''The Godfather'' (1972) and '' Million Dollar Baby'' (2004), both of which won him the Academy Award for Best Picture, as ...

. The film, a joint production of Frozen Pictures, Ruddy Morgan Productions and Graymark Productions, was released on DVD by 20th Century Home Entertainment on January 3, 2006.

''Tabloid Baby''

Kearns left tabloid television and began writing '' Tabloid Baby'' in 1996. A combination memoir and exposé, the book was published in November 1999 by Hambleton-Hill's Celebrity Books imprint. The book was praised by

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

as "sad, funny, undeniably authentic" and by tabloid television host

Maury Povich Maurice Richard Povich (born January 17, 1939) is an American retired television personality, best known for hosting the tabloid talk show '' Maury'' which aired from 1991 to 2022. Povich began his career as a radio reporter, initially at WWDC ...

as "The Bible". Kearns embarked on a cross-country book signing, reading, radio and television tour after network news bosses reacted to his revelations about the television industry by canceling many of his scheduled television appearances.

Early career

Kearns graduated from

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2017, the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students, including full-time ...

; and became a reporter and editor for newspapers in southern

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and

Westchester, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

. After

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's assassination on December 8, 1980, he moved to

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, where he worked for neighborhood newspapers including The Westsider, East Side Express and Chelsea-Clinton News, and later at the assignment desk and as newswriter and show producer at

WNEW-TV WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship ...

's ''10 O'Clock News''. Kearns became a producer and writer for such

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

news operations as

WNBC WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...

-TV's ''

News 4 New York WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station ...

'' and

' '' Nightwatch'' and ''

CBS Morning News The ''CBS Morning News'' is an American early-morning news broadcast presented weekdays on the CBS television network. The program features late-breaking news stories, national weather forecasts and sports highlights. Since 2013, it has been an ...

''. With a background as a music writer and early chronicler of the

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

music scene early in his newspaper career (he performed with Joey Ramone on the 45 rpm recording of Shrapnel's single, "Hey", produced by Jonathan Paley), he also moonlighted as a writer for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine. Hired by

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

as managing editor of the nightly tabloid television series, ''A Current Affair'', in the late 1980s, 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 ''Hard Copy'' is an American tabloid television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. ''Hard Copy'' was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence. The original hosts of ''Hard Copy'' ...

'' (1990–1993) and '' Premier Story'' (1994), he continued to be an influential figure in the heyday of tabloid television. The range of his influence on the genre and its participants was laid out clearly in the 2012 biography, ''Mike Wallace: A Life'' by Peter Rader and Australian television executive

Gerald Stone Gerald Louis Stone (18 August 1933 – 6 November 2020) was an American-born Australian television and radio journalist, television executive and author. Early years and career Born in 1933 and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Stone graduated in poli ...

's 2011 memoir, ''Say It with Feeling''. Kearns (and his exploits covering the fall of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

) was featured in

's 1991 memoir, ''Current Affairs: A Life on the Edge''. He was the model for the character Al Bunker, the tabloid television producer covering the fall of the

Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his non-fiction novel ''Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, wh ...

's 1993 novel, ''Jacko: The Great Intruder''.

Awards

Winner of 2015 Cannabis Film Festival Viewers' Choice Award as producer of '' High There''. Winner of 2009

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Film Festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

Golden Ace Award for directing and producing ''

''.

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning newswriter, honored by

chapter of the

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, edu ...

for contributing to the winning of Outstanding News Broadcast

WNBC-TV WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...

's ''

'' at 6PM.

''True Tabloid Star''

In addition to numerous television, radio and podcast appearances promoting his books and other projects, Kearns has appeared as an expert or "talking head" on many television specials and documentaries, including ''Dark Side of The 90s: Tabloid TV'', ''Kardashian: The Man Who Saved OJ Simpson'', ''Fame for 15'', ''Victim 0001'', ''Rock Stars Do The Dumbest Things'', ''Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer'' and ''When Cameras Cross The Line''. He was also featured in the documentary ''15 Minutes of True Tabloid Stars''.

Personal life

Kearns is married to television producer Alison Holloway. The couple have two children.

References

External links

*
Burt Kearns' Emmy award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearns, Burt Living people American male journalists American film producers Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) American television producers American male screenwriters Fairfield University alumni