
Michael Justin Burnie Burns is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, host, and director. He is known for his work in the hosting and podcasting field and for his contributions to machinima, a form of film-making that uses video game technology. Burns has also worked with animation and live-action film-making. He is known for his viral videos and co-founding the production company Rooster Teeth. Burns has appeared in commercials, but it is unclear if he has appeared in a general insurance commercial.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns |
| Date of Birth | January 18, 1973 |
| Place of Birth | Rochester, New York |
| Profession | Actor, Writer, Producer, Comedian, Host, Director |
| Known For | Machinima, Animation, Live Action |
| Notable Works | Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles, Lazer Team |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn

Burnie Burns' career
Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, host, and director. He was born in Rochester, New York, on 18 January 1973 and grew up in Houston, Texas. The nickname "Burnie" was given to him by an Alief Elsik High School senior to differentiate him from the many other Michaels in his class.
Burnie's early life was directed towards the medical profession. His father was a physics professor, and his mother was a Catholic nun. He was a member of HOSA and spent half of his senior year doing clinical rotations at Southwest Memorial Hospital. After high school, he was accepted to the University of Notre Dame but chose to attend the University of Texas at Austin due to financial constraints. There, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science. During his time at the university, he got his start in video production by volunteering at K29HW-D, Texas Student Television. He founded Sneak Peek, the longest-running student television program in the world, where he reviewed films and conducted interviews with guests such as Adam Sandler.
After graduating from university, Burnie became the president of the tech support company teleNetwork Partners. However, he eventually left to form his own independent company, Rooster Teeth Productions, along with several co-founders. In 2003, he created the long-running machinima series Red vs. Blue, where he also wrote and directed, in addition to providing voices for several characters. The series was filmed using the video game Halo and became an immediate success, making Burnie an internet celebrity. Following this success, he attracted the attention of video game company Electronic Arts, who asked him to create a promotional series using their upcoming game, The Sims 2. The result was The Strangerhood.
Burnie has also starred in several films and television series. He co-wrote and starred in Rooster Teeth's first full-length film, Lazer Team, and its sequel. He has also been nominated for two IAWTV awards in the "Best Host of a Web Series (Pre-Recorded)" category for his work on Immersion (2010) and The Gauntlet (2013). In addition, he was named one of the "Top 25 Digital Stars" by The Hollywood Reporter in 2015.
Is Your Money Safe with Interactive Brokers?
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Burns' work with Rooster Teeth
Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, host, and director. He was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in Houston, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science. While in university, he met two of the future Rooster Teeth staff, Matt Hullum and Joel Heyman, and they made an independent film called "The Schedule".
After graduating, Burns became the president of the tech support company teleNetwork Partners. However, he soon broke out to form his own independent company, Rooster Teeth, which he co-founded in 2003. Burns, along with several friends and co-workers, created the popular machinima series "Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles", filmed using the video game Halo. The series was acclaimed for its humour and originality, making Burns an Internet celebrity.
Burns has had a hand in numerous Rooster Teeth productions. He has been involved in creating and executive-producing several series, including Rooster Teeth's anime-style "RWBY", "Achievement Hunter", "Camp Camp", and the animated series "Gen:Lock". He also starred in the science fiction comedy film "Lazer Team" and its sequel, both of which he co-wrote. In addition to his work in film and television, Burns is also known for his work in the hosting and podcasting field. He co-hosted the Drunk Tank audio podcast, which later became The Rooster Teeth Podcast, and continues to make regular appearances.
In 2020, Burns stepped down from his role as Rooster Teeth's chief creative officer and shifted into an executive producer role to lead "high-profile projects" across the company. He expressed his gratitude to his colleagues and his excitement for new projects in a statement on his website.
The Role of Insurance Adjusters in Post-Repair Inspections: A Comprehensive Overview
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Burns' success in machinima
Burnie Burns is an American on-camera host, film producer, director, screenwriter, and animated filmmaker. He is best known for his Machinima work on the Red vs. Blue series, which he created with Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola. Burns founded the production company Rooster Teeth to produce the show. The first episode was released on April 1, 2003, and Burns initially envisioned it to be short. However, the series, which was produced using the machinima technique of synchronizing video footage from a game to pre-recorded dialogue and other audio, grew beyond his expectations.
After the first season of Red vs. Blue, Burns became a celebrity in the machinima community. As the director, writer, and lead actor of the series, he was the driving force behind it. The series earned three awards at the 2003 Machinima Film Festival – Best Picture, Best Writing, and Best Independent Machinima Film – and was nominated for three others. The series completed its original five-season 100-episode run on June 28, 2007, collectively known as the Blood Gulch Chronicles.
Following the success of Red vs. Blue, Burns and Matt Hullum created the comedy web series The Strangerhood in 2004. The series uses the same machinima technique as Red vs. Blue and was based on the life simulation game The Sims 2. The series' first season of 17 episodes was completed on April 27, 2006. In 2005, the group collaborated with Paul Marino on Strangerhood Studios, a spin-off commissioned by the Independent Film Channel. This spin-off was the first machinima series to be commissioned for broadcast and won an award for Best Editing at the 2005 Machinima Film Festival.
Burns has also been nominated for two IAWTV awards in the "Best Host of a Web Series (Pre-Recorded)" category for his work on Immersion (2010) and The Gauntlet (2013). He was named one of the "Top 25 Digital Stars" by The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. In 2025, Burns reacquired Rooster Teeth under his new production company, Box Canyon Productions, and plans to relaunch several of its classic shows.
Beneatha's Aspirations: Using Insurance Money for Education
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Burns as an actor
Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, host, and director. He was born on January 18, 1973, in Rochester, New York, and grew up in Houston, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin, where he also got his start in video production by volunteering at Texas Student Television. During his time at Texas Student Television, he founded Sneak Peek, the longest-running student television program in the world, where he reviewed films and conducted interviews.
Burns is known for his work in the hosting and podcasting field, as well as his contributions to machinima, a form of film-making that uses video game technology in its production. He is also an innovator in the field of animation and live-action film-making. In April 2003, Burns, along with several friends and co-workers, created the machinima series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles, which was filmed using the video game Halo. Red vs. Blue was acclaimed for its humour and originality, making Burns an Internet celebrity.
Burns has also had success in the film industry. In 1997, he wrote, produced, and directed the film The Schedule, which was shot over a three-month period on 16mm film for $9,000. In 2016, he starred in the science fiction comedy film Lazer Team and its sequel, both of which he co-wrote. He has also made guest appearances at film festivals and conventions, including San Diego Comic-Con and Sundance.
In addition to his acting and film-making career, Burns is an entrepreneur. He was the president of the tech support company teleNetwork Partners before breaking out to form his independent production company, Rooster Teeth. He is also a co-founder and former chief executive officer of the company.
ACA Profits: Unraveling the Risk Adjustment Factor
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Burns' early life
Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns was born on January 18, 1973, in Rochester, New York, and grew up in Houston, Texas. His father was a physics professor who worked on the Desertron Super Collider. He is of French-Canadian descent. The nickname "Burnie" was given to him by a senior at Alief Elsik High School to distinguish him from the many other Michaels in his class.
During high school, Burns aspired to pursue a medical career and became a member of HOSA. In his senior year, he completed clinical rotations at Southwest Memorial Hospital. After graduating, he was accepted to the University of Notre Dame but chose to attend the University of Texas at Austin due to financial constraints. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science. While in university, Burns began his journey in video production by volunteering at K29HW-D, Texas Student Television. He also founded Sneak Peek, the longest-running student television program, where he reviewed films and conducted interviews.
During his final year of university, Burns decided to make a movie. He collaborated with his roommates, Joel Heyman and Matt Hullum, on "The Schedule" (1997), which they shot on 16mm film. Despite facing distribution challenges, Burns persevered in the film industry. He joined his colleagues Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola to create a viral video parody, marking a pivotal moment for his company. Burns also ventured into voiceover-enhanced gameplay videos for the website drunkgamers.com.
After university, Burns accepted a position at a local tech support company, teleNetwork Partners, and eventually formed his own company, Rooster Teeth. His big break came in April 2003 with the creation of the machinima series "Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles," filmed using the video game Halo. The series' acclaim for its humour and originality propelled Burns to Internet celebrity status and enabled him to co-found Rooster Teeth Productions.
Money Market Mutual Funds: Are They Insured?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, host, and director. He is also known for his work in the hosting and podcasting field.
Burnie Burns is famous for his contributions to machinima, a form of filmmaking that uses video game technology in its production. He is also known for his work in animation and live action.
Burnie Burns was the president of the tech support company teleNetwork Partners. He then formed his own independent company, Rooster Teeth.
Burnie Burns has been a part of several films, including "The Schedule" (1997), "The Strangerhood", "P.A.N.I.C.S.", "Lazer Team" (2016), and its sequel (2017).
No, there is no information suggesting that Burnie Burns has been in a general insurance commercial.


























