Burns, ZDFE warm up new prodco

MIPDOC: National Geographic’s former executive VP of global content Steve Burns has resurfaced as CEO of a new US-German production company.

Burns, who left the US cablenet last July, will work with documentary prodco Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion, part of German pubcaster ZDF’s commercial arm ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE), on the as-yet unnamed venture.

Also onboard are Studio Hamburg DocLights, a subsidiary of ZDFE, and NDR Media’s Studio Hamburg Produktion Gruppe.

The new company will develop and produce non-fiction series and specials and fact-based dramas geared to the US and international markets. Its headquarters will be in Annapolis, Maryland.

All partners have previously worked with one another on Discovery, Science Channel and Nat Geo projects 2057, Armageddon, Wall of China and Jaguar.

Burns said: “After Geographic, the first calls I got were from Uwe Kersken [CEO and MD of Gruppe 5] and Joern Roever [CEO of Studio Hamburg DocLights]. With our combined knowledge of programming, the world markets, commissioners and distributors, it was a natural idea we form a company based in the US.”

At Nat Geo, Burns was responsible for the US cablenet’s first Oscar nomination. Prior to Nat Geo, Burns was exec VP and chief science editor at Discovery Networks, where he was responsible for the relaunch of the Science Channel as general manager.