Ebs Burnough

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Ebs Burnough is a producer, public policy specialist, communications strategist, and filmmaker. Alongside serving as the board chair of the Sundance Institute, Burnough is the current managing director of Hatch House Media, a film, theatre and TV production company, whose most recent work includes the documentary, The Capote Tapes. He is also the founder of Ebs Burnough Solutions International (EBSI), which specialises in marketing, communications, and event production.

Career

The Obama years

Burnough began his public career in Washington D.C, serving as Michelle Obama's political director in the 2008 campaign. In 2009, he was made Deputy White House Social Secretary, working under Desiree Rogers.  During his tenure, he was involved in the conception, organisation and execution of a number of events, including the G-20 Global Summit, White House State Dinners, and 'Broadway at the White House' – an event intended to encourage young people seeking a career in theatre.

Other political roles

Burnough also served as the Director of Politics and Legislation managing Maryland and the District of Columbia for Service Employees International Union, Local 1199.

Previous to this role, Burnough served as the Political Director for Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York, in addition to having worked on numerous federal, state and municipal campaigns throughout the United States.

AERIN

In 2011, Burnough moved into the public sector, taking on the role of founding director of Communications for AERIN, a global lifestyle brand founded by cosmetics entrepreneur, Aerin Lauder.

Board roles

Burnough currently serves on the board of Hudson Pacific Properties, Mrs. Wordsmith, and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

The Capote Tapes

The Capote Tapes, directed by Burnough, is a biopic of Truman Capote’s life, interweaving archive footage with retrospective interviews from Capote’s friends and family, observers and acquaintances. The documentary focuses particularly on the fall-out precipitated by the release of chapters from his final, never-fully published work, Answered Prayers, which lifted episodes (often scandalous and secretive) from the lives of his close friends; a group of society women known as his ‘Swans.

In an interview with The Irish Times, Burnough highlights his childhood fascination with Capote’s work, saying ‘The southern gothic voice was immediately recognisable .. because I grew up in northern Florida, near south Georgia, all oak trees and plantations and Spanish moss'.

The author's allure to Burnough was rekindled years later, after reading a biography of William S. Paley, whose affair had been outed in La Côte Basque 1956, to the heartbreak of his wife, Babe Paley – once Capote’s closest friend. It was this betrayal, amongst others, which Burnough cites as the catalyst for the documentary.

Yet, as Burnough points out during an interview with The Guardian, Capote's life should not be characterised solely by vitriol; as he points out, 'He’s someone who has been given short shrift historically, in part because he is characterised as merely bitchy. And yes, there was that component. But he was also a pioneer – an out gay man, famous, on TV, being honest about who he was. He deserves more than just the image of a vicious little queen.'

The Capote Tapes was nominated for Best Documentary at the Cleveland International Film Festival.

Personal life

Burnough is an alumna of Northwestern University, where he majored in theatre.

He splits his time between New York City and Europe with his husband and children.

References

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