Emmy Award-winning producer Mark Burnett to speak at Crossroads Church

Emmy Award-winning producer Mark Burnett, along with community business leaders, will speak at Crossroads Church’s Unpolished Entrepreneur Hour on Tuesday, January 28.  The event will highlight businesses that have developed and grown through Unpolished in 2013, followed by Burnett’s own entrepreneurial journey. 

Unpolished is a grassroots initiative of Cincinnati’s biggest church, Crossroads, to “encourage, educate and engage aspiring entrepreneurs” within the Crossroads community. The group's initial event was held in June 2013.

“It is called ‘unpolished’ because these events don't have a lot of bells and whistles,” says Brian Tome, head pastor of Crossroads Church.

“Burnett approached me through a phone call. He was looking to see if I was interested in knowing about his new feature movie called 'Son of God,'" Tome says. "In the course of the conversation, I realized that I wasn't just talking to arguably the most successful producer in the history of television, but something more. He came from England with only a few dollars and a dream.”

Mark Burnett is a British-American television producer based in Los Angeles. He is currently the executive producer of five network television series. Burnett’s lineup of hit television programs includes “The Apprentice," “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race," “The Voice," and "The Bible" miniseries, among many others. According to Unpolished, he created the show “Shark Tank” because of his heart for entrepreneurs. 

“When he said, ‘people who need to be certain in everything never accomplish anything,' I realized I needed to ask him to come and address the Cincinnati entrepreneurial community at Crossroads. Unexpectedly, he said yes,” Tome says.

Burnett was named one of the world’s most influential people by TIME magazine and Producer of the Year by TV Guide Magazine. He has won five Emmy Awards and five People’s Choice Awards. In addition to his work as a producer, he has published eight books. 

The event is being held at Crossroads Church located at 3500 Madison Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45209 and is free to the public. Presentations begin Tuesday at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

Matthew Woolley

Read more about Unpolished in Soapbox