Mark Burnett

Biography: This British-born entrepreneur is a pioneer of American reality television, producing the unscripted mega-hits Survivor and The Apprentice, among many others. Before getting into entertainment, Burnett saw combat as a member of the British Army Parachute Regiment and was a self-declared thrill seeker. While participating in an extreme race called Raid Gauloises in the early 1990s, he decided to film the event, then presented the footage to ESPN, who aired it; thus began Burnett's showbiz career. Within a few years, he had rocketed to fame and fortune as the producer of Survivor, which was based on a Swedish reality show. Despite some subsequent high-profile disappointments (The Contender, Pirate Master), Burnett continues to dominate the genre and was elected into the Broadcast and Cable Hall of Fame in 2008.