How The Apprentice creator Mark Burnett went from east London to Donald Trump’s inner circle (via the Falklands) – as British TV producer who kickstarted the incoming president’s reality career is chosen as his special envoy to the UK

Donald Trump’s new choice as special envoy to Britain is in a sense returning to his roots: he grew up in East London before fighting for Britain in the Falklands.

TV producer Mark Burnett is the son of parents who both worked at car manufacturer Ford’s Dagenham factory before enlisting as a paratrooper and serving not only in the 1982 conflict against Argentina, but also in Northern Ireland.

Yet it was after a move to California that Mr. Burnett really made his name and fortune as the pioneer behind hit shows like Survivor and The Apprentice.

And his appointment of Donald Trump as the power-wielding frontman of the latter series is said to have helped propel the tycoon towards the US presidency.

Burnett, 64, has described himself as ‘Robin’ to the US president’s ‘Batman’ – and also called Trump his ‘soulmate’ after fourteen seasons of The Apprentice together, in what he calls ‘one of the best relationships of all time’ my life’. to live’.

And Mr. Trump, who defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the November election and is preparing for his second term in the White House after a four-year absence, returned the praise for Mr. Burnett in his new announcement this weekend.

Speaking on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump said: “It is my great honor to appoint Mark Burnett as Special Envoy to the United Kingdom.

‘With an impressive career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role.

‘Mark is known for creating and producing some of the biggest shows in television history, including Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice and, most notably, The Apprentice.

“He is the former chairman of MGM and has won thirteen Emmy Awards.

“Mark will work to strengthen diplomatic ties, focusing on areas of mutual interest including trade, investment opportunities and cultural exchanges.”

However, it was Mr. Burnett who made the hiring when he chose Mr. Trump to star in The Apprentice when the show first launched on NBC in 2004.

Media analysts have suggested that the New York-based tycoon benefited from an increased profile and reputation from the series, in which he judged wannabe entrepreneurs, despite recent business troubles of his own.

Mr. Burnett’s own rise had long since demonstrated a strong-willed mentality, including working as a nanny and T-shirt salesman when he first arrived in the U.S. from Britain.

His parents Archie and Jean Burnett both worked at Ford’s Dagenham factory, which employed as many as 40,000 people at its peak in the 1950s.

He enlisted in the army at the age of 17, served as a corporal in C Company of the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment and took part in the advance of British troops to Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, in 1982.

He has said of his military service that it taught him to “do whatever it takes with a lot less” and that it gave him a “sense of adventure.” He told an interviewer, “My military experience shaped me as a person.”

After the end of the 1982 Falklands conflict, he emigrated to the US. He settled in California, where he worked as a nanny for families and then traded T-shirts that he would buy for $2 and sell for $18 each next to a fence in Venice Beach. .

His TV production career began after he was inspired by participating in a France-based expedition adventure race called Paid Gauloises in 1993, then acquiring a license two years later to launch an American version called Eco-Challenge.

This was televised and led to him developing the reality TV show Survivor, inspired by one of his favorite books: Lord Of The Flies by William Golding.

Survivor was a huge hit in the US, with the contestants having to fend for themselves and each other in an isolated location.

The thrice-married Mr. Burnett, a father of two, launched The Apprentice in 2004, promising the winning candidate a one-year contract for Trump and a starting salary of $250,000.

He reportedly had to persuade Mr Trump to take part – with the businessman initially declaring that reality TV was for ‘the bottom of society’. It is said that Burnett himself prefers the term ‘dramaality’ to ‘reality TV’.

But the show’s success has been credited with raising Trump’s public profile as he has celebrated making a whopping $214 million from it.

Katherine Walker, producer of the first five series, told the New Yorker magazine in 2019: “I don’t think any of us could have known what this would become. But without that show, Donald wouldn’t be president.”

And TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel pointed to Mr. Burnett in the audience during the 2016 Emmy Awards presentation when he said, “Television brings people together, but television can also tear us apart.

“I mean, would Donald Trump be running for president if there were no television? Many have asked, “Who is Donald Trump to blame?” I’ll tell you who, because he’s sitting there, that guy.’

Mr. Trump hosted the program for 14 seasons until he was fired by NBC in 2015, and his children Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric were seen on screen as advisors.

Meanwhile, Burnett’s son Cameron was the ring bearer at Trump and future First Lady Melania’s wedding in 2005.

Malibu-based Mr. Burnett, who previously ran his own marketing company, joined entertainment giant MGM in 2013 and served as chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group from 2018 to 2022.

His other hit shows include The Voice, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader and Shark Tank, as well as religious productions such as the drama series The Bible and the film Son Of God.

He has embraced Christianity and philanthropic causes along with his third wife, Irish actress Roma Downey, who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in August 2016 – Mr Burnett’s similar tribute was unveiled there in July 2009.

Mr. Burnett appeared to distance himself from Mr. Trump during the 2016 presidential election, criticizing what he called the “hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign.”

But he then introduced Trump at his first National Prayer Breakfast in 2017.

The then-president said at the event, “But I also want to thank my wonderful friends. Roma – where is Roma? Beautiful Roma Downey. The voice of an angel.

‘Everything is so beautiful about Roma, including her husband, because he is a special, special friend, Mark Burnett – for the wonderful introduction.’

Mr. Burnett’s selection continues Trump’s trend of filling his new administration with people with high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, former co- host of Fox & Friends Weekend, and ex-television doctor and failed Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz.

In response to Mr Trump’s revelation about his new British role, a spokesman for Mr Burnett said this weekend that he was ‘I am truly honored to serve the United States of America and President Trump as his Special Envoy to the United Kingdom.”

His duties will differ from those of ambassador to Britain, a position given to billionaire investment banker and Trump donor Warren Stephens.

Mr. Burnett’s own wealth is estimated at $450 million — enough to buy $25 million of those $18 T-shirts he touted before transforming the fortunes of both himself and the president-elect who is now sending the message: ‘You’re accepted. .’