Steve Burns, Executive Vice President, Content, National Geographic (USA)
Steve Burns is the Executive Vice President of Content for the National Geographic Channel (NGC). Burns oversees all aspects of the network's programming strategy and content, including development, production, acquisitions and scheduling. His career spans more than 30 years in media, including senior executive positions at Discovery Communications and a decade with National Geographic Television, including three years as supervising producer for the highly rated, Emmy award-winning series Explorer.
Prior to joining NGC, Burns served as executive vice president and chief science editor at Discovery Networks, responsible for Discovery Channel Quest, a series of expedition specials. Immediately beforehand, as executive vice president, production, he was responsible for nearly 2,000 hours of programming per year across the 10 U.S. Discovery Networks, and had creative and editorial responsibility for long-running entertainment specials and series, animal programming and science productions.
Burns joined the Discovery Channel in 1992 and served a variety of roles, including vice president, production (1997-99), then senior vice president, production (1999-2003), responsible for 800 hours of original primetime programming per year. From 2003 to 2005, Burns was senior vice president and general manager of The Science Channel, with managerial oversight of all personnel, production, development and finance of the network. He was also the key liaison and forged major partnerships with prestigious scientific organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
From 1983 to 1992, Burns was first a producer/cinematographer, then a supervising producer with National Geographic Television, producing segments of the Emmy award-winning series Explorer.
Burns' career began in advertising in Tucson, Ariz., followed by work as a producer with ABC television affiliates in Tucson and Phoenix.
