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Editor's Note: Bryan Burns is ESPN's Vice-President of Strategic Business Planning and Development. This is his profile as published by the ESPN Networks. (last updated 12/21/2007)

Bryan Burns was named vice president, strategic business planning and development in April 2000. With ESPN since 1996, he most recently served as vice president, distribution development.

Burns currently serves as the head of the company’s high-definition services, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD. Burns has been an integral part of creation of the two services from the business planning prior to the announcement of ESPN HD in 2002 to the flip of the switch of ESPN2 HD in January 2005. Burns is also charged with directing the growth of high definition telecasts within ABC Sports programming.

During his time with ESPN, Burns has been responsible for the conception of a wide variety of ESPN’s video products, including ESPN Game Plan, the company’s pay per view product for college football, ESPN FULL COURT for college basketball, and MLS/ESPN Shootout for Major League Soccer. He also designed ESPN Today, ESPN NOW and ESPN EXTRA, video and interactive channels that are designed for digital cable and the expanded capacity of Direct Broadcast Satellite carriers. Burns also was responsible for ESPN’s special markets efforts to non-residential distributors such as commercial establishments and hotels plus the company’s overall relationships with DIRECTV and Echostar.

Burns came to ESPN from The Paragon Alliance, a consulting firm he founded in 1992, after sixteen years in professional sports team management. His 16-year Major League Baseball career included seven years as Senior Vice President of MLB, where his responsibilities included handling worldwide television operations and overseeing special events such as the World Series, League Championship Series, and the All Star Game. Burns also served as Director of Marketing and Broadcasting for the Kansas City Royals from 1974-1983. At Comsat Video Enterprises from 1990-1992, Burns oversaw negotiations for the major sporting and special events included in the company’s Satellite Cinema and On Command Video pay-per-view services.

Burns has been recognized three times by CableFAX as one of the CableFAX 100, profiling “cable’s 100 heavy hitters.” In 2004, Burns was inducted into the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers (DTV Academy), a select group of individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development, success and promotion of digital television.

Burns is a graduate of Central Missouri State University, where he received a bachelor of science in Communications.

Photograph courtesy of the ESPN Networks.