New York, NY – February 27, 2013
Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor and named by Time Magazine in 2004 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World," and his wife, Roma Downey, best known for her starring role in "Touched by an Angel", will be joint recipients of this year’s WEA-ELO Entrepreneurial Leader Award at the Entrepreneurial Leaders Conference in Vancouver, Canada on November 14, 2013.
Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, described Mark Burnett and Roma Downey as very worthy joint recipients of the award. He cited their work with charities and their initiation of the production of The Bible documentary for The History Channel. As recipients of the Entrepreneurial Leader Award, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey will provide the keynote address at the Entrepreneurial Leaders Conference.
Mark Burnett is best known for producing the hit reality show, Survivor, which premiered in the summer of 2000 and was the most watched summer series since Sonny and Cher. Survivor was named the Number 1 reality series of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 2009. Burnett has produced several other television franchises in addition to Survivor, including The Apprentice. He serves as the executive producer of The Voice. Other series produced by Burnett include Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and Shark Tank.
Mark Burnett has a one-of-a-kind entrepreneurial journey. He grew up east of London near the Ford Motor factory where his parents worked. Coming from a working-class background in England, he felt discriminated against. Having the wrong kind of accent and lacking proper schooling and family background meant many doors were closed to him. He joined the army. He is a Falklands War veteran.
He married Roma Downey in 2007, the Emmy-winning star of the former Touched by an Angel series. They are both deeply committed to their Christian faith. They have recently produced The Bible, an upcoming television series, based on the key biblical stories. It will air on The History Channel beginning March 3, 2013. Burnett considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the "most important" project he has undertaken.
The WEA and ELO collaborate on a joint initiative to connect Christian entrepreneurial leaders around the globe for greater impact in the marketplace and beyond.
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MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected]
The Entrepreneurial Leaders Organization (ELO) is a network that aims to equip & inspire Christian entrepreneurial leaders through publications, conferences, and seminars & courses. The vision of ELO is to become the world’s leading organization in this realm. For more info e-mail us at [email protected] or go to Eleaders.org.
Over two billion Christians in the world today are represented by three world church bodies. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is one of those, serving and representing more than 600 million evangelicals. Launched in 1846 to unite evangelicals worldwide, the WEA continues to be a dynamic movement with 7 regional and 129 national Evangelical Alliances, and over 150 member organizations. WEA's mission is to speak as a trusted voice, to equip members and leaders for global impact and to connect its members and others for common action in the furtherance of God’s reign. For more info e-mail at [email protected] or go to Worldea.org.
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