Peter Burrell(I)
- Producer
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Burrell was born in Rochester, New York and both his father and grandfather spent their entire careers working for the Eastman Kodak Company. His mother was a teacher and interior decorator. Peter lived for over twenty years, two doors away from Sidney Mear, world renowned music teacher and principal trumpet player of The Eastman-Rochester Orchestra and The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Music was the centerpiece of his neighborhood were he took piano and trombone lessons for over six years. This led to an interest in all kinds of music, especially jazz, musicals, and the standards. This grew into staging, with a childhood friend, of numerous neighborhood musical shows and high school talent shows. When they were still underage, Peter and his friend would sneak into The Pythod Room, a nationally known jazz club in the inner city, to hear the jazz greats that also included Rochester's own Chuck Mangione. He and his friend eventually produced their first concert by bringing Chuck Mangione and his brother Gap to their high school. This was followed by also bringing Joey Dee and the Starliters, who had the hit song "The Peppermint Twist", to their high school. They both also created their own radio station which actually transmitted, quite illegally, throughout their neighborhood. As a result of that childhood play, years later, they were both able to land their first show business jobs as radio disc jockeys. His friend, Don Alhart, was just recently listed in the Guinness book of records as the longest running television news anchorman in history, over 50 years.
Peter was also encouraged by his father to participate in scouting where he eventually became an Eagle Scout and was also selected to attend the Schiff National Junior Leader Training Camp. Peter also became an American Red Cross certified swimming instructor. His father was one of the pioneers of American skiing and the whole family started skiing together. Peter eventually started ski racing in high school and was captain of his championship high school team. In anticipation of a dream to become a professional ski patrolman, he also got his American Red Cross Advanced First Aid certificate. This eventually led to becoming a US Army Reserve medic for six years.
After graduating from high school in Rochester, Peter attended the University of Vermont. One year later, he took a break from school after a job was offered to him as a top-40 disc jockey for WJOY in Burlington, Vermont doing two shows a day; an FM classical by day and an AM top 40 at night.
After a year on the air, he departed from WJOY to pursue his goal of becoming a professional ski patrolman when a job was offered to him on the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol in Stowe, Vermont.
After his stint working in the ski industry, Peter decided to continue his education at Ithaca College in New York State, eventually receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Radio and Television production. During that time, he was captain of the Ithaca College ski team, president of the student body, and an active producer of college concerts. To help put himself through school, Peter worked as a ski instructor where he was one of the first to teach the blind how to ski. All of his early skiing experience ultimately paid off, because it opened doors for him in the film industry as a specialist filming second unit snow and skiing sequences for movies and television.
While in school and after, he produced Sammy Davis Jr, Flip Wilson, Billy May's Orchestra with Buddy Greco, The Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin concerts. As a result of contacts made during this time, Peter was offered a job at Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) in New York, where he traveled with Rowan & Martin's Laugh In on a summer tour and also went to the Woodstock Music Festival with APA client the Jefferson Airplane.
After attending Woodstock, Peter left APA to pursue a career in film by enrolling in the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he eventually received his Master of Fine Arts degree in cinematography, with a minor in creative writing. During this period, Peter made an award winning educational film for the National Ski Patrol. While attending graduate school, he helped launch, as an announcer, the alternative radio station WCMF FM, an eclectic mix of jazz, folk, blues, 60s alternative rock, and even some classical. After getting his MFA, Peter began working professionally as a cameraman and film editor for clients that included Xerox and Aetna Life.
Peter's industrial film career was cut short with his acceptance into the Directors Guild of America Producers Training Program in New York. The program offered him an opportunity to pursue his interest in theatrical films, a goal that was further enhanced when he was hired with a college friend to write the screenplay, "Welcome to Springer" for Cannon Pictures, and a few screenplays later, he was able to join the Writers Guild of America and has been a member ever since.
In 1975, Peter joined the Directors Guild of America as an assistant director, and began working on over a dozen features such as "Slapshot", "King Kong", "The Front", "The Turning Point", "House Calls","Rollercoaster", "FM", "Better Off Dead ", and many more. His work as a production manager began with "Smokey and the Bandit II" and during that time he also joined the Producers Guild of America.
Peter also went on to direct second units for "One Crazy Summer", "MacGyver", "The Golden Child", and "The Return of Maxwell Smart". Maxwell Smart required shooting an out of bounds skiing sequence in May all above 10,000 feet in order to get dry snow that late in the season.
In 1981 Peter realized a life long dream to do a musical by producing the fascinating and very stylized film of the Tony Award winning Luis Valdez musical "Zoot Suit", starring Edward James Olmos. The film was widely acclaimed for very cleverly staying true to the theatrical elements of the play while also being a very effective film, and it eventually brought him, as producer, his first Golden Globe nomination in the Best Picture Musical/Comedy category for 1982.
Following "Zoot Suit", he worked as a production manager on "The Natural", starring Robert Redford. This picture began an association with Redford's Sundance Institute, which resulted in his producing of the Sundance developed films "Death of an Angel", starring Bonnie Bedelia, and "Stacking", starring Christine Lahti. Following this period, Peter was invited to join the Producers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In the years to follow, he co-produced for television the westerns "El Diablo" for HBO, and "The Gambler III" for CBS.
He was the associate producer/production manager on the 20th Century Fox picture "Jack the Bear", starring Danny De Vito. He then went on to coordinate a second unit extreme skiing sequence for Disney's "Aspen Extreme" with extreme skiers Scot Schmidt and the late Doug Coombs. Following that, he served as the associate producer/production manager in Alaska on Steven Seagal's "On Deadly Ground" at Warner Bros. His next project was "Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story", set in the streets of New York City in the thirties, and made for under four million dollars. Burrell served as co-producer/production manager on the film starring Moira Kelly and Martin Sheen for Paulist Pictures.
Burrell then served as production manager on the 20th Century Fox Picture "Jingle All the Way", starring Arnold Schwarzenegger creating a midwinter Minneapolis Christmas float parade on the back lot of Universal in the middle of summer. Following that, he coordinated a glacier second unit on the Pemberton Ice Cap in Canada for the Fox film "The X Files Movie".
Peter also spent several months working all over Japan as production supervisor on Gai Gin, the follow-up to Shogun, for NBC. This huge production unfortunately never got made because of a devastating earthquake in Japan just prior to the start of shooting. He loved the experience though, because the project's historical significance gave him an inspiring insight into the people, business style, and culture, of Japan.
Eventually having three children, Peter wanted next to stay in town, so he began working in episodic television as the Coordinating Producer/Production Manger on the David E. Kelley television series "Ally McBeal". For his participation as a producer, Peter received the Golden Globe Award for Best TV Series Musical/Comedy in 1998 and the Emmy Award for the Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999. As a result of the Emmy Award, he was invited to join the Producers Branch of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. After "Ally McBeal", he worked as a Producer on Kelley's "Boston Public" series. For his participation as one of the producers on this series he received the Peabody award in 2002. He also worked on the series "LAX", produced the series "Privileged", and the Lifetime civil war MOW Deliverance Creek.
Several years ago, Peter was picked from a very select list of candidates, to be part of an "out of the box" team of non military and non government professionals, hired by the Secretary of the Air Force as advisers and consultants in the aerospace field. Peter worked on this six month classified project with a very unique group, selected from various professional disciplines, observing every aspect of aerospace to help the government gain insight into how to launch satellites more efficiently. This required him to interface delicately with everyone from generals, aerospace executives and engineers, down to the person who cleans the launch pad.
Throughout his career, Peter Burrell has worked all over America as well as Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Japan, on over 35 feature films and over 150 hours of episodic television.
Peter was also encouraged by his father to participate in scouting where he eventually became an Eagle Scout and was also selected to attend the Schiff National Junior Leader Training Camp. Peter also became an American Red Cross certified swimming instructor. His father was one of the pioneers of American skiing and the whole family started skiing together. Peter eventually started ski racing in high school and was captain of his championship high school team. In anticipation of a dream to become a professional ski patrolman, he also got his American Red Cross Advanced First Aid certificate. This eventually led to becoming a US Army Reserve medic for six years.
After graduating from high school in Rochester, Peter attended the University of Vermont. One year later, he took a break from school after a job was offered to him as a top-40 disc jockey for WJOY in Burlington, Vermont doing two shows a day; an FM classical by day and an AM top 40 at night.
After a year on the air, he departed from WJOY to pursue his goal of becoming a professional ski patrolman when a job was offered to him on the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol in Stowe, Vermont.
After his stint working in the ski industry, Peter decided to continue his education at Ithaca College in New York State, eventually receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Radio and Television production. During that time, he was captain of the Ithaca College ski team, president of the student body, and an active producer of college concerts. To help put himself through school, Peter worked as a ski instructor where he was one of the first to teach the blind how to ski. All of his early skiing experience ultimately paid off, because it opened doors for him in the film industry as a specialist filming second unit snow and skiing sequences for movies and television.
While in school and after, he produced Sammy Davis Jr, Flip Wilson, Billy May's Orchestra with Buddy Greco, The Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin concerts. As a result of contacts made during this time, Peter was offered a job at Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) in New York, where he traveled with Rowan & Martin's Laugh In on a summer tour and also went to the Woodstock Music Festival with APA client the Jefferson Airplane.
After attending Woodstock, Peter left APA to pursue a career in film by enrolling in the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he eventually received his Master of Fine Arts degree in cinematography, with a minor in creative writing. During this period, Peter made an award winning educational film for the National Ski Patrol. While attending graduate school, he helped launch, as an announcer, the alternative radio station WCMF FM, an eclectic mix of jazz, folk, blues, 60s alternative rock, and even some classical. After getting his MFA, Peter began working professionally as a cameraman and film editor for clients that included Xerox and Aetna Life.
Peter's industrial film career was cut short with his acceptance into the Directors Guild of America Producers Training Program in New York. The program offered him an opportunity to pursue his interest in theatrical films, a goal that was further enhanced when he was hired with a college friend to write the screenplay, "Welcome to Springer" for Cannon Pictures, and a few screenplays later, he was able to join the Writers Guild of America and has been a member ever since.
In 1975, Peter joined the Directors Guild of America as an assistant director, and began working on over a dozen features such as "Slapshot", "King Kong", "The Front", "The Turning Point", "House Calls","Rollercoaster", "FM", "Better Off Dead ", and many more. His work as a production manager began with "Smokey and the Bandit II" and during that time he also joined the Producers Guild of America.
Peter also went on to direct second units for "One Crazy Summer", "MacGyver", "The Golden Child", and "The Return of Maxwell Smart". Maxwell Smart required shooting an out of bounds skiing sequence in May all above 10,000 feet in order to get dry snow that late in the season.
In 1981 Peter realized a life long dream to do a musical by producing the fascinating and very stylized film of the Tony Award winning Luis Valdez musical "Zoot Suit", starring Edward James Olmos. The film was widely acclaimed for very cleverly staying true to the theatrical elements of the play while also being a very effective film, and it eventually brought him, as producer, his first Golden Globe nomination in the Best Picture Musical/Comedy category for 1982.
Following "Zoot Suit", he worked as a production manager on "The Natural", starring Robert Redford. This picture began an association with Redford's Sundance Institute, which resulted in his producing of the Sundance developed films "Death of an Angel", starring Bonnie Bedelia, and "Stacking", starring Christine Lahti. Following this period, Peter was invited to join the Producers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In the years to follow, he co-produced for television the westerns "El Diablo" for HBO, and "The Gambler III" for CBS.
He was the associate producer/production manager on the 20th Century Fox picture "Jack the Bear", starring Danny De Vito. He then went on to coordinate a second unit extreme skiing sequence for Disney's "Aspen Extreme" with extreme skiers Scot Schmidt and the late Doug Coombs. Following that, he served as the associate producer/production manager in Alaska on Steven Seagal's "On Deadly Ground" at Warner Bros. His next project was "Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story", set in the streets of New York City in the thirties, and made for under four million dollars. Burrell served as co-producer/production manager on the film starring Moira Kelly and Martin Sheen for Paulist Pictures.
Burrell then served as production manager on the 20th Century Fox Picture "Jingle All the Way", starring Arnold Schwarzenegger creating a midwinter Minneapolis Christmas float parade on the back lot of Universal in the middle of summer. Following that, he coordinated a glacier second unit on the Pemberton Ice Cap in Canada for the Fox film "The X Files Movie".
Peter also spent several months working all over Japan as production supervisor on Gai Gin, the follow-up to Shogun, for NBC. This huge production unfortunately never got made because of a devastating earthquake in Japan just prior to the start of shooting. He loved the experience though, because the project's historical significance gave him an inspiring insight into the people, business style, and culture, of Japan.
Eventually having three children, Peter wanted next to stay in town, so he began working in episodic television as the Coordinating Producer/Production Manger on the David E. Kelley television series "Ally McBeal". For his participation as a producer, Peter received the Golden Globe Award for Best TV Series Musical/Comedy in 1998 and the Emmy Award for the Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999. As a result of the Emmy Award, he was invited to join the Producers Branch of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. After "Ally McBeal", he worked as a Producer on Kelley's "Boston Public" series. For his participation as one of the producers on this series he received the Peabody award in 2002. He also worked on the series "LAX", produced the series "Privileged", and the Lifetime civil war MOW Deliverance Creek.
Several years ago, Peter was picked from a very select list of candidates, to be part of an "out of the box" team of non military and non government professionals, hired by the Secretary of the Air Force as advisers and consultants in the aerospace field. Peter worked on this six month classified project with a very unique group, selected from various professional disciplines, observing every aspect of aerospace to help the government gain insight into how to launch satellites more efficiently. This required him to interface delicately with everyone from generals, aerospace executives and engineers, down to the person who cleans the launch pad.
Throughout his career, Peter Burrell has worked all over America as well as Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Japan, on over 35 feature films and over 150 hours of episodic television.