Grail Hires Anthony Burns as Creative Producer
The U.S. production and rep company brings on the writer, director, and producer to develop original film and TV projects in-house.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Urban
Grail has hired filmmaker Anthony Burns as its in-house creative producer, tasked with developing and packaging original film and television projects. Burns, a writer, director, and producer, previously made his feature directorial debut with Skateland.
Why it matters
The hire adds a creative producer dedicated to building projects internally at a production and rep company. It brings a filmmaker with an independent feature background into a role focused on developing original material.
Burns's feature directorial debut, Skateland, premiered at Sundance in 2010 and later screened at SXSW, starring Shiloh Fernandez and Ashley Greene. His other credits include directing and producing Home Sweet Hell, which stars Patrick Wilson, Katherine Heigl, and Jordana Brewster. The extraction does not report box office, viewership, or budget figures for these titles.
The players
Anthony Burns
Anthony Burns is a writer, director, and producer known for his independent feature work, including Skateland and Home Sweet Hell.
Grail
Grail is a U.S. production and rep company with headquarters in Florida and Los Angeles that develops and represents film and television projects.
The details
Burns joins Grail to develop and package original film and TV projects. His credits also include producing Monica, starring Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson, and producing Jimi: All Is by My Side, starring André Benjamin.
Timeline
2010: Skateland premieres at Sundance.
November 2, 2026: Burns's hiring as creative producer is announced.
Industry Dynamics
Burns's path from a 2010 Sundance premiere with Skateland to an in-house producing role follows a route many independent filmmakers take as festival debuts lead to steady production work. Companies like Grail that build original projects internally reflect a broader push by production and rep firms to control development from the start.
Viewers may see Burns's development work surface as Grail packages original film and TV projects, though no release dates or platforms were announced. The hire itself does not change how or where current titles can be watched.
The takeaway
Hiring in-house creative producers signals that production and rep companies are investing in developing projects from the ground up. For filmmakers and audiences alike, it is a sign that original material is being built inside the company rather than only acquired.
Further reading
Explore more Urban film coverage to see how independent filmmakers are shaping the business.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Deadline.
