One of the most creative and influential documentary filmmakers working today, Ric Burns is a profoundly powerful storyteller, whose thought-provoking and deeply poetic films have generated a devoted following over the last two decades.

Burns is best-known for his Emmy award-winning, eight part PBS series, New York: a documentary film, which Variety called “nothing short of gripping” and “a monumental series that raises the bar for this kind of work.” His other award-winning films include Ansel Adams, Coney Island, and The Way West, which the Los Angeles Times called “a breathtaking masterpiece of history television.”

Known for their dreamlike intensity, narrative drive and uncompromising emotional and intellectual force, Burns’ films are exhilarating studies of the fabric of the American experience — illuminating both the bright promise and the dark possibilities of the American dream. “[He] is less interested in celebrating American history than in giving it to us honestly,” wrote The Boston Globe, which called Burns’ The Donner Party, “one of the most powerful documentaries you will ever see.”
 
Bringing the same passion, commitment and storytelling gifts to his public speaking as he does to his filmmaking, Burns, has explored such diverse discussion topics as the history of the American frontier, the nature of art and creativity, the craft of filmmaking, New York City’s history and culture of transformation, and the rise and fall of the World Trade Center.

His documentary, Eugene O’Neill, which aired on PBS in March of 2006, was called “a superbly told narrative of America’s greatest playwright” by The Wall Street Journal. Vogue called it “the kind of film you will want to keep and play again for anyone who has ever contemplated taking on the terrifying mandate of the artist.”

Burns began his career working alongside his brother Ken, as co-producer and co-writer of the landmark PBS series The Civil War. He formed his own company, Steeplechase Films, in 1989, and since then has produced some of the most highly regarded films on Public Television.
 

Ric Burns is among the most engaging speakers I have ever heard. He not only charms an audience with entertainment but enlightens. He can translate the most complex subjects and personalities into vivid narrative.

George Polk Awards for Journalism

Burns’s latest film is a profile of Andy Warhol. First broadcast in September of 2006 as part of PBS’ “American Masters” series, it is the first to explore the complete spectrum of Warhol’s astonishing artistic output, stretching across five decades. Entertainment Weekly called it “splendid, searching” and rated it an “A”.

He is also beginning work on a two-part, four-hour documentary about The New York Times for national broadcast on Public Television in 2008. The film will closely scrutinize the power and importance of the press in a democratic society, while exploring the history of one of the most influential news gathering organizations in the world.

In addition to his award-winning films, Burns is the co-author with James Sanders and Lisa Ades, of New York: an Illustrated History, and co-author, with Geoffrey C. Ward of the companion volume to PBS series The Civil War.