Steve Burrows is a renowned comedic storyteller, having spent over two decades redefining stereotypes and challenging expectations in film, television, commercials, and theatre. His original voice, combined with his edgy, character-driven humor, has made his work a favorite globally, with a range of comedy styles that mirror the diverse locations of his shoots, including London, Rome, Tokyo, Glasgow, Bangkok, New Zealand, South Africa, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Following his graduation from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Burrows began his career in Chicago, joining Second City Director Del Close as a member of the groundbreaking improvisational comedy group, Baron's Barracudas. He then transitioned behind the camera, relocating to L.A. and creating his first film, "The Soldier of Fortune," a short about his actual appearance and subsequent humiliation on "The Wheel of Fortune" game show, which won a slew of festival awards.
Burrows went on to become a writer and performer for the legendary comedy troupe, The Groundlings, leading to stints on various TV shows, including "Seinfeld," "America's Funniest Home Videos," and over 200 TV commercials, including numerous appearances on the Super Bowl. He also wrote an original screenplay for 20th Century Fox and made his directorial feature film debut with "Chump Change," which premiered at the AFI Film Festival to rave reviews and won the Audience Award for Best Feature.
Burrows then won over 75 awards for writing and directing television commercials on five continents, including the Cannes Lion, Addy, and Telly awards, as well as the New York Festivals Grand Gold for the iconic Accuserv "Paper Tray" commercial, which is now part of the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
In a dramatic career shift, Burrows went viral with the award-winning "Glass Nickel Pizza Anthology" and later created "The King Kaiser Show," an award-winning television sitcom about a show within a show within a show. However, his life took a dramatic turn when his mother suffered a coma-inducing partial hip replacement surgery, leading Burrows to become a patient safety activist and partner with organizations such as the Leapfrog Group and the Patient Safety Movement Foundation.
Burrows' latest feature, the critically acclaimed HBO documentary film "Bleed Out," chronicles his mother's ordeal and his subsequent fight for medical and legal justice. Since its debut, Burrows has become an adjunct faculty member for MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety and the Academy for Emerging Leaders for Patient Safety, and co-founded Patients for Patient Safety US.
Currently, Burrows is working on several television and feature film projects, including a comedy and a drama, and is writing his first book.
