[citation needed] From 1982 to 1987, Burr worked at Home Box Office, where he helped program the Cinemax pay cable service as a film evaluator.
An early interest in the Internet led to his hand-coding the first EW web page and introducing and editing the magazine's New Media section.
In 2007, Burr wrote The Best Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together, an essay-based reference book for parents and grandparents seeking to introduce young children to classic films.
In 2012, Burr wrote Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame, a critical study of celebrity over a hundred years of film and cultural history.
It was widely and positively reviewed, with The New York Times saying, "not many film historians can see the whole equation as Ty Burr does in Gods Like Us,"[3] and the Buffalo News calling it "A brilliant and even profound history of stardom.