James Burstall

Burstall studied modern languages at the University of Bristol,[3] studied leadership at the Said Business School, University of Oxford (2011) and Leading Changing at the Graduate School of Business, University of Stanford, California (2013).

Burstall was CEO at Leopard Films which he founded in 2002. He then created Leopard USA, a New-York based production company in 2003,[4] then Leopard Drama and Leopard International, a distribution and rights business, in 2004.[5]

Burstall was a finalist in the 2009 IoD London and the South East Director of the Year Awards for 'Institute of Directors of the Year over 5m.[6]

Burstall created Argonon in 2011, bringing together Leopard Films, Leopard Drama and Leopard USA; re-naming Leopard International as Argonon International and acquiring Remedy Productions, specialists in entertainment, music and live events.[7]

In 2012, Burstall confirmed the launch of Remedy Canada, with significant investment from Argonon, followed by the acquisition of Transparent TV,[8] producers of lifestyle and documentary programming in the UK, in 2013. He next launched Argonon’s first joint venture BriteSpark Films in 2013 bringing documentarian Nick Godwin into the group and he made further acquisitions including the multi-award winning Windfall Films.[9] He took his original production Cash in the Attic into the digital world in 2013 with the launch of CashInTheAttic.com, a joint venture providing an online portal for fans of antiques, collectibles and vintage.[10][11]

In 2014, Burstall launched further joint ventures, Blacklisted Films, a new drama startup and The Bridge, a conduit bridging English speaking TV producers with their counterparts in Asia. The Bridge is co-producing projects in Korea.[12]

Burstall's Argonon group, which includes 7 companies, saw a turnover of more than £50m in 2014[2] (£30m UK[1]) and was named as the fastest growing UK indie group with a year on year growth in revenue of 150% from 2013 to 2014. Argonon are listed in the London Stock Exchange "1000 Companies To Inspire Britain 2016" report as well as the 2017 report.[13] Argonon is listed in the 2016 Sunday Times HSBC Track 200 as one of the UK's fastest growing private companies.[14]

In 2017, Argonon acquired non-scripted producer Like A Shot Entertainment.[15] Burstall's group has recently invested in two new joint ventures - Barefaced TV bringing together Rosie Bray and Lucy Golding and Bandicoot which sees a new partnership of Derek McLean and Dan Nettleton.

In 2019, Argonon won the National Winner Award (UK) at the European Awards.[16]

Among the notable productions that Burstall is associated with is ITV1's The Masked Singer, a reality singing competition featuring Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Ken Jeong and Rita Ora as panelists.[17]

Before Leopard Films, Burstall worked as an executive producer and producer-director for broadcasters all over the world. Notable projects include Secret History of Hacking (Channel 4/TLC); Cutting Edge (Channel 4); and ITV’s weekly investigative series The Big Story. He also was a founding producer for London’s Planet 24 (The Big Breakfast for Channel 4), and was an on-screen reporter and producer for the BBC.

Prior to his television career, Burstall was a journalist, working as a writer and editor in Paris, London and New York for Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveler, and The Evening Standard.

• The Secret History of Hacking (Executive Producer)
• French Express[18] (Producer Director - Diverse Productions)
• The Big Story with Dermot Murnaghan (Producer Director - Twenty Twenty)
• The Big Breakfast (Producer - Planet 24)
• Reportage and Rough Guides (On-screen Reporter and Producer - BBC)

Executive Producer[19] - Leopard Films

• Monstrous Bosses and How To Be One - BBC One
• Cash in the Attic - BBC One. Ran for ten years on the BBC and transmitted in a further 167 countries after launching in 2002. Nominated for Best Daytime Programme at the Royal Television Society Awards 2003.
• The Day the Immigrants Left - BBC One. Nominated for Rose D'or.
• Missing Live & Missing - BBC One. Nominated for a Royal Television Society Award for Best Daytime programme in 2008 and commended in the House of Commons as a programme that changes people's lives.

Executive Producer[19] - Leopard USA

• Mormon Love - Facebook Watch
• Cash in the Attic - HGTV
• House Hunters International - HGTV
• Man Caves - DIY
• Dear Genevieve - HGTV
• Hidden Potential - HGTV
• Missing Las Vegas - A&E
• Disaster Guy - A&E
• São Paulo: Hostage Capital of the World - A&E

Executive Producer[19] - Leopard Drama

• Mysterious Creatures - ITV1. Winner of the Best Single & Serial Drama at the Mental Health Awards/BAFTA 2007.
• The Grey Man - BBC One
• Missing - BBC One
• Eve - CBBC. Winner RTS Scotland Best Children's Programme 2016 and RTS Best Sound 2016.
• An Englishman in New York - ITV1. Winner Berlin International Films Festival/Teddy Award 2009. Nominated for 3 BAFTAs.
• The Holding - Feature Film. Winner FANTASPORTO International Fantasty Film Awards 2012

Executive Producer[19] - Bandicoot TV

• The Masked Singer - ITV1

• James Burstall at IMDb