# Mark Burg

Mark Burg is an American film producer, manager and actor. He is the co-founder of Evolution Entertainment and produced the Saw film series as well as the CBS television series Two and a Half Men.

## Biography

Burg graduated from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in 1981.
In the 1990s, Burg worked for Island Pictures and Palm Pictures, producing such films as Basketball Diaries (1995), The Sandlot, The Cure, and Strictly Business (1991). In 1998, Burg founded Evolution Entertainment along with his producing partner Oren Koules.
In 2003, Burg and Oren Koules saw a seven-minute teaser of a film written by Australian screenwriters, Leigh Whannell and James Wan, and agreed to produce the film. The film would later become the original Saw film that was released in 2004. The budget for the film was $1.2 million with $1 million of the funding coming direct from Burg and Koules. Production was done under a newly formed subsidiary of Evolution Entertainment called Twisted Pictures. The film turned in the Saw franchise with the sequel released in 2005 and the franchise making $420 million at the box office by 2007. Evolution Entertainment was also responsible for the production of Two and a Half Men starting in 2003.
Burg became the sole-owner of Evolution Entertainment in 2011, buying out co-founder Oren Koules. He also became an advisor for Forest Road, a special-purpose acquisition company, in 2020. Burg also co-produced Spiral, the ninth installment from the Saw Franchise. The franchise has grossed more than $1 billion from box office and retail sales as of 2021.

## Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

### Film

| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
| 1987 | Can't Buy Me Love | Co-producer | |
| 1988 | Bull Durham | | |
| 1991 | Toy Soldiers | Executive producer | |
| 1991 | Strictly Business | Executive producer | |
| 1993 | The Sandlot | Executive producer | |
| 1994 | Airheads | | |
| 1995 | The Cure | | |
| 1996 | Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood | Executive producer | |
| 1996 | The Little Death | Executive producer | |
| 1996 | Eddie | | |
| 1997 | B.A.P.S. | | |
| 1997 | How to Be a Player | | |
| 1998 | The Gingerbread Man | Executive producer | |
| 1998 | Body Count | | |
| 1999 | Black and White | Executive producer | |
| 2000 | Lockdown | | |
| 2001 | Good Advice | | |
| 2001 | Diary of a Sex Addict | | Direct-to-video |
| 2002 | Run Ronnie Run! | | |
| 2002 | John Q. | | |
| 2002 | Malevolent | Executive producer | |
| 2003 | Love Don't Cost a Thing | | |
| 2003 | Dude... We're Going to Rio | Executive producer | Direct-to-video |
| 2004 | Saw | | |
| 2005 | Saw II | | |
| 2006 | Saw III | | |
| 2007 | Dead Silence | | |
| 2007 | Catacombs | | |
| 2007 | Saw IV | | |
| 2008 | Repo! The Genetic Opera | | |
| 2008 | Saw V | | |
| 2008 | Vlog | Executive producer | |
| 2009 | Saw VI | | |
| 2010 | Lottery Ticket | | |
| 2010 | The Tortured | | |
| 2010 | Saw 3D | | |
| 2013 | Texas Chainsaw 3D | Executive producer | |
| 2013 | Ain't Them Bodies Saints | Executive producer | |
| 2013 | Grace Unplugged | Executive producer | |
| 2014 | Catch Hell | Executive producer | |
| 2016 | Havenhurst | Executive producer | |
| 2017 | 9/11 | Executive producer | |
| 2017 | Jigsaw | | |
| 2018 | Traffik | Executive producer | |
| 2019 | The Intruder | | |
| 2019 | American Skin | | |
| 2021 | Spiral: From the Book of Saw | | |
| 2023 | Saw X | | |
| TBA | The Monster | | |

#### As an actor

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Toy Soldiers | Himself'Mouthwash' Buyer | Uncredited |

#### Miscellaneous crew

| Year | Film | Role |
| 1988 | Waxwork | Production consultant |

#### Thanks

| Year | Film | Role |
| 1993 | Boxing Helena | The producer wishes to thank |
| 1995 | The Basketball Diaries | Special thanks |
| 1998 | Let's Talk About Sex | Very special thanks |
| 2017 | Atomic Blonde | The producers wish to thank |
| TBA | He Helped Me: A Fan Film from the Book of Saw | Special thanks |

### Television

| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
| 2003 | The Three Amigos | | Documentary |
| 2004 | The Casino | | |
| 2005−06 | Love, Inc. | Executive producer | |
| 2008 | Vlog | Executive producer | |
| 2011 | Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen | Co-executive producer | Television special |
| 2003−12 | Two and a Half Men | Executive producer | |
| 2012−14 | Anger Management | Executive producer | |
| 2017 | Hit the Road | Executive producer | |
| 2017−20 | Loudermilk | Executive producer | |

## Awards and recognition

Burg has been nominated and won numerous awards. He received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work on Two and a Half Men and won both a TV Land Award for his work on the same and a ShoWest Award for his work on the Saw film series.

### Primetime Emmy Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2006 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Two and a Half Men | Nominated |
| 2007 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Two and a Half Men | Nominated |
| 2008 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Two and a Half Men | Nominated |

### TV Land Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2009 | TV Land Future Classic Award | Two and a Half Men | Won | |

### ShowWest Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2007 | ShoWest Award of Excellence in Producing | Saw film series | Won | |