Mark Burnett Quotations

Every show on television has a downward trend because there are so many more things to watch. You can only deal with what is the benchmark of a hit series and 'Survivor' clearly remains a hit series.

When I see someone in a military uniform I make it a point to approach them, shake their hand and say five words... 'thank you for your service.' 'Stars Earn Stripes' is a high energy, fun, action show, but at its heart it is all about those five words.

The best person to get something done is a busy person.

In Botswana in the Kalahari Desert there's a tented camp called Jack's Camp, which is like old Africa meets Ralph Lauren. The Oriental rugs, the old leather chairs - you feel like you've just jumped out of a Ralph Lauren ad.

If you want to be certain, you should never get married. You should never change jobs. In fact, you might as well just stay home. Because I don't know anybody who is certain. That need to be certain is just procrastination.

How many times have you been out for a beer or dinner and people are coming up with business ideas? Everybody wants to think they've got that great business idea.

'Survivor' wouldn't have happened had I not gone out there and helped CBS to sell sponsors to finance the first one. Part of my thinking on 'Survivor' was that it should have rewards that are corporate brands. A Big Mac, one thimble-full of Coca-Cola.

The world is changing, and the Internet is about to become the next broadcast network.

You've heard the saying, 'Analysis creates paralysis.' You can't be 100 percent sure of anything.

In Europe and Australia, there is something called the Tall Poppy Syndrome: People like to cut the tall poppies. They don't want you to succeed, and they cut you down - especially people from your own social class.

My kids - even though it's a family business - they don't even know what day or time 'Survivor' is even on. They just know it's on TiVo.

I heard my name associated with the Peter Pan syndrome more than once. But really, what's so wrong with Peter Pan? Peter Pan flies. He is a metaphor for dreams and faith.

I've always liked adventure television. Pre-'Survivor,' I did a series on cable called 'Eco-Challenge,' an adventure race with experts mainly, and here we have 'Expedition Impossible.' I like the outdoors and I like doing something fresh for television you haven't seen before.

Whether it is the cavemen in the caves thousands of years ago, Shakespeare plays, television, movies and books, stories and characters take us on a journey. All I do is tell those stories without scripts and without actors.

There are screens at the gas station, there are screens at the shopping mall. And they all need content.

I look at decisions like - it's like an Indiana Jones movie. The guy comes to a rope ladder, and he's being chased. There's uncertainty on the other side, but he knows when he gets to the other side, he's going to take his machete and cut the rope ladder behind him. He has no retreat.

So many people wanted an adventure. It was really more about finding the cast that I wanted for 'Expedition Impossible,' so it had good diversity, and people could really say, 'Oh, there's the firefighters, there's the team of cops, there's the grandpa' - so that you can really relate with them.

I needed to be in the bush. There I find solitude and beauty and purity and focus. That's where my heart lies.

I very much like Kenya. It's hard to beat the Masai Mara and the idea of ballooning across it. I have a great time at Lewa. There's more rhinos than you'll find anywhere. A great part for the children is you can ride horses with the giraffes and the zebra.

In my teens, I joined the Parachute Regiment. I jumped out of lots of airplanes, as much as the Government budget would allow us to. I did two active tours of duty: Northern Ireland, and then the Falklands war.

I learned firsthand that there would simply be no wars if people engaged in real conversation.

Content is King,' and with more screens needing entertaining content now than at any time in history, that statement is truer than ever.

My mantra is: Realize you're going to fail all the time, and accept it. That doesn't mean I'm not frightened of it.

We celebrate the Bill Gateses of the world. We're not mad at Bill Gates.

I learned in America that Americans are into results. Americans don't care where you came from, what your family did, what school you graduated from. They care about if you can deliver the results. That's what makes America the country it is.

My job is to analyze the subject matter ... and create a look and a feel that reflects the business,

Now we'll have E-Ring leading into Martha, which isn't a good lead-in, ... I've never understood the connection between the two, but I'm not a scheduler.... Clearly the move is designed to save E-Ring.

Now we'll have 'E-Ring' leading into 'Martha,' which isn't a good lead-in, ... I've never understood the connection between the two, but I'm not a scheduler.... Clearly the move is designed to save 'E-Ring.'

NBC allows me the freedom to be creative and to think differently and I hope we can bring a fresh look to the current crop of television dramas. This series will be shot in an exotic, remote island location, similar to a feature film, which will make it a powerful television event.

I feel like I invented these catchphrases: 'The tribe has spoken.'

I found a nanny/child care position in Beverly Hills taking care of a 3-year-old and a 17-year-old. They had a large, wealthy house. I learned that I liked the way rich people lived. I learned that they were not smarter than me.

I don't think people wanted to see potty-mouthed competitors.

Having book smarts versus street smarts seemed like a great idea but it changed the tenor of the show, ... It affected the reaction among the show's usually wealthy and well-educated audience. I don't think people wanted to see potty-mouthed competitors.

There is no bigger promotional platform than the Olympics. I'm honored that NBC is utilizing one of its most cherished and powerful assets to help drive buzz for The Apprentice brand. This promotion marks the first time I've ever invited the public to select a cast member for one of my shows.

It is an honor that our show's continued ratings success has become part of television history, ... 'Survivor' has been, and continues to be, a wonderful experience for me and for my production crew, and that has remained unchanged since our beginnings. I look forward to continuing as part of the CBS family, and in keeping our loyal Thursday night audience entertained and enthralled for many more years to come.

Over the past four seasons of The Apprentice , Donald Trump has used the final episode to hire candidates with advice only from George and Carolyn. This year we thought it would be interesting to discover what America has to say about the candidates, incorporating our fans and viewers as virtual judges. While Trump will still be the final arbiter of who he hires, America's feedback is certain to have an impact on his decision.

On the third day of each three-day cycle, there (will be) a vote. So week by week, one by one, this tribe is shrinking. And the remaining person man or woman, young or old, gets $1 million and is the best survivor.

Rock stars are colorful personalities and charismatic performers who make great reality TV characters,

Rock 'n' roll is a business, ... Rock 'n' roll is a way of life. It's nice to think of it as a guitar-smashing party all the time, but the truth of the matter is, it's a serious family and business for INXS, in that order.

Look at the top films of the past 20 years, and a number of them are not from America. It's an incredible second chance.

Martha's always so sunny, warm, engaging, and very, very witty, and I wanted to show this on this show,

It depends on the situation. Some people, Martha felt very sad to let go. Others very much deserved it, and her demeanor reflected that. But there's a wonderful commonality at the end of every show - which Martha came up with, not me. It's a totally fresh look, and something you will definitely remember.

We're also tying in a television network. We're having meetings, and a network will be chosen to hide clues in other programming.

When I first said 'The tribe has spoken,' ( Survivor host) Jeff Probst looked at me like I had three heads. The truth is it became silly to me, trying to think what I would say.

We're not that far from people watching TV on the same screen as the computer, with interactivity back and forth. It's the interactivity that TV lacks right now and that is a major advantage for the Internet.

This year we thought it would be interesting to discover what America has to say about the candidates, incorporating our fans and viewers as virtual judges.

Finally after three years, Donald Trump has a real, true apprentice.

Branded entertainment has become such a growth industry, it makes sense for us to be in business with Madison Road,

As soon as I spent time with Martha I knew that her witty and engaging humor would surprise and entertain viewers.

There's such a great series arc with her.

The winner of CBS' Rock Star will not only play in huge stadiums before sold-out crowds, they will do it alongside legendary musicians from three of America's biggest, all-time rock bands.

The situation is dealt with in the first few minutes of Episode 1. Viewers will have to tune in to see what happens.

Storytelling will always be the most important aspect of a show. It doesn't matter if it's online, if viewers are offering input or if it's bringing together different online properties. It will be the same online as it is around the campfire: if you can't tell a good story, nobody will listen.

That person did have previous psychological problems. He had broken up with his wife, was a Bosnian refugee and, unfortunately, took his life well before the show ever aired.

You may see people on the show who are maybe a little older, maybe had a bit of a career before, and this is their second chance. Some people will be enrolled in film schools. Some people will have no experience at all.

This is the biggest volume of eyeballs ever available in history. More people are on computers every day than sit down and watch TV at night. The Internet is about to become the next broadcast network.

This is a forgiving country. People love redemption stories.

They are brilliant -- including our first-ever MENSA member -- hungry and more international than ever.

There's a wonderful commonality to the end of every show that Martha came up with.

It's a really, really good move for us, ... We were asking too much of the audience with three times a week. It was adversely affecting our partner CBS, which saw a dip in the night.

It's not only the talented editors and producers but also the machines,

For me, like any person who wants to be a filmmaker, the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with Steven Spielberg is a dream come true. With the help of our partners at Fox...we're going to make an incredible show about looking for the next great filmmaker by mining the growing segment of the public making their own content and giving them the chance.

Donald Trump is a guy who can commit to things and wants to do a great job -- I mean, that's what makes Trump, Trump, ... People like that don't do things half-heartedly.

Donald has so many recent West Coast projects that it made perfect sense to change locations and along with it change the flavor of the weekly tasks. Seeing Donald operate in Southern California will provide yet more insight into his remarkable world.

Donald has so many recent West Coast projects, that it made perfect sense to change locations and along with it change the flavor of the weekly tasks, ... Seeing Donald operate in Southern California will provide yet more insight into his remarkable world.

Everybody's looking for something ... Some of them want to use you.

I wanted the palette to mirror who they are.

They are unscripted dramas, ... ... Whether it is the cavemen in the caves thousands of years ago, Shakespeare plays, television, movies and books, stories and characters take us on a journey. All I do is tell those stories without scripts and without actors.

They won't be making films that look like home movies. They'll have access to very accomplished, gifted writers and actors. If they're resourceful, they may get known actors to appear in them.

The island was a midway staging post for piracy,

I hope we get a cop from New York, and maybe a small petty criminal from some other city ... they won't get along.

I'm not at all overextended... I'm very, very hands-on.

If you look at that situation, it certainly bodes well for the future of getting a Canadian on Survivor. Tell Canadians to submit more tapes.

If you think about the amount of people that are online all day, it's staggering. It's an audience that's already hooked in.

Clearly, with the fact that we've been so successful in foreign distribution, it makes perfect sense when appropriate to hold on to those rights, ... We've done very well. We've sold international on 'Casino'-that was very successful. We've sold international on 'Rock Star,' 'Contender' and 'Apprentice.' So we have quite a big international distribution operation.

I couldn't bring 100 finalists to Bedford for three days,

I am proud that we have been able to continue to help raise awareness of the foundation's critical efforts and provide vital funding,

I believe Martha's ratings will grow significantly. Our series is high-quality and gets better each week.

I do believe there's a big opportunity there. As Jon Stewart proved, if presented in the right way ... young people are interested in news. All it takes is a unique idea.

I believe in my gut that he will move on.

I came here with nothing, with maybe a hundred bucks in my pocket and had to get a job. And these wealthy people who had made their money themselves, I worked for. It did show me what could be achieved in America, what's possible if you have some vision to take big risks.

I honestly think that in five years time, television will be watched on computer screens anyway and you'll be doing multiple things. You'll be 'IMing' while you're watching a show and checking the news.

I found a nanny/child care position in Beverly Hills taking care of a 3-year-old and a 17-year-old. They had a large, wealthy house. I learned that I liked the way rich people lived. I learned that they were not smarter than me.

I'm the kind of person who if I was playing the role of someone who got shot, I'd probably want to get shot so I knew what it felt like.

One of the greatest freedoms of living in America is being able to ask the question: "If I could do anything I wanted with my life - money being no object - what would I do?" In many parts of the world, people don't have the luxury of asking that question.

The way I see it, more people are wired with broadband from 9 to 5 during the day than watch TV at night. So therefore isn't the real prime time 9 to 5? Playing games at your desk - that's the new prime time, isn't it?

He [Peter Pan] is a metaphor for dreams and faith.

Singing shows are fun. Every viewer has their own opinion. We all know whether we think a voice sounds good or not. There's a play-along element. All these shows can be supported.

Bug eating and backstabbing are the stuff of great entertainment.

You don't need to make shows about sex and drugs and violence to get ratings.

There's nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway.

You have to treat every hour of television you're given like a $100 million movie, and with 'A.D.,' we stepped it up even a stage further.

You can't just decide to take the subject matter of The Bible and figure out you can just change what you want. I mean, the audience knows, and if you give them a Biblical story, you better get it right.

As the show's executive producer, I envisioned something akin to "Gilligan's Island" meets Lord of the Flies meets Ten Little Indians mets "The Real World." "Survivor" marks a return to a core element of adventure: staying alive.

America is the most giving nation on Earth. One of the best ways to feel better is by doing something for somebody else.

No one's going to watch The Bible on primetime TV.

Attitude produces character, and character produces hope.

I will guarantee you that the day you step outside your comfort zone by making success your goal is the day you discover that adversity, risk, and daring will make life sweeter than you ever imagined.

There's no reason the story of Christianity wouldn't be more prevalent in film and television considering the audience size who love and believe the stories. This is a broad audience and deserves to be on broadcast TV.

An instant family classic that is utterly unique but reminiscent of films like 'E.T.,' 'Sound of Music' and 'Life Is Beautiful.'