This is an accepted version of this page Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns (born January 18, 1973) is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, host, and director previously based in Austin, Texas.

He is noted for his contributions in machinima, a form of film-making that uses video game technology in its production,[1] and also works with animation and live action.

In April 2003, Burns, along with several friends and co-workers, created the machinima series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles.

Filmed using the video game Halo, Red vs. Blue was acclaimed for its humor and originality, making Burns an Internet celebrity.

As one of the innovators in the field of machinima, he has made guest appearances at the Penny Arcade Expo, San Diego Comic-Con, Sundance and The Sydney Film Festival.

[8] Alongside longtime-business partner Matt Hullum, he was named one of Variety's top Digital Entertainment Execs to Watch in 2018.

During his time with TSTV, he founded Sneak Peek, the longest-running student television program in the world,[14] in which he reviewed films and conducted interviews with guests such as Adam Sandler.

[21] Burns joined Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola in one of their many Internet ventures, drunkgamers.com creating voiceover-enhanced gameplay videos for the website.

Four months later, Computer Gaming World contacted Ramsey for permission to include a different drunkgamers video in a CD to be distributed with the magazine.

Ramsey granted permission, but he and Burns felt that they needed a website to take advantage of the exposure from Computer Gaming World.

Burns founded the production company Rooster Teeth to produce the show with Sorola, Ramsey, Matt Hullum and Joel Heyman.

[24] At the same time, the show received the attention of major websites such as Slashdot, Penny Arcade, and Fark, leading to thousand of views.

Burns and the whole production team eventually quit their jobs and began to work full-time on the series; to generate revenue they created an online store to sell T-shirts.

Since season eleven, which premiered on June 14, 2013, Burns handed directorial and head writing duties to Miles Luna to shift his focus onto other projects.

[28] In 2004, 13 months after the first season of Red vs. Blue had finished airing, Burns and Matt Hullum created the comedy web series The Strangerhood.

[36] It was based around a team of writers hired to use the new in-game content creation tools to promote the title character, Captain Dynamic, the 'worst superhero in the world'.

Directed by Matt Hullum and written by Burns, the series starred Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies, who is a long time friend.

On December 29, 2008 Burns co-hosted the inaugural episode of the Drunk Tank audio podcast, alongside his Rooster Teeth co-workers Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola.

Burns joked in The Rooster Teeth Podcast that the series started as an "elaborate way for [them] to do fun stuff and get paid for it".

On Halloween 2012, a partnership between Rooster Teeth and Blip was announced, with the premiere of their new 10-episode, reality game competition series sponsored by GEICO.

[39] The Gauntlet follows gamers from around the United States competing in contests of skills, concentration, agility and stamina, inspired by reality competitions Wipeout and The Voice.

In 2013, he began executive producing the anime-influenced[40] web series RWBY, created by Rooster Teeth employee Monty Oum.

[42] In 2014, Burns served as executive producer on the show X-Ray and Vav, a cartoon web series starring two Achievement Hunter employees (a video gaming division of Rooster Teeth) Gavin Free and Ray Narvaez, Jr.

[46] As of 2015[update], Lazer Team held the record for the highest funded film campaign on Indiegogo with over $2.4 million collected.

It was released in January 2016, making it among the first titles that Rooster Teeth's parent company, Fullscreen, will be distributing in its newly launched feature film division.

[52] In September 2019, Burns' involvement within Rooster Teeth became one of executive producer, withdrawing from on camera appearances focusing on larger projects behind the scenes.

[citation needed] In June 2020, Burns officially left Rooster Teeth, announcing on his blog a focus on his family alongside a move abroad.

On February 5, 2025, Burns announced he had acquired the Rooster Teeth brand and its remaining intellectual properties through his company Box Canyon Productions.

[55] In 2015, Burns took part in twenty-eighth season of The Amazing Race with his then-fiancée, Ashley Jenkins, coming in fourth place.