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Jump In!: Even If You Don't Know How to Swim
 
 
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Jump In!: Even If You Don't Know How to Swim [Hardcover]

Mark Burnett (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)


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Book Description

January 18, 2005
Executive producer Mark Burnett has revolutionized television. Phrases from his smash-hit reality shows–“The tribe has spoken” and “You’re fired”–have become part of our cultural lexicon. So how did a British immigrant with very little cash and absolutely no connections become his own entertainment empire? The answers can be found in Jump In!, Burnett’s astounding personal saga. Burnett knows better than anyone that jumping into life with both feet first isn’t always easy–in his pursuit of success, he has taken countless chances and flirted with outrageous failure dozens of times. But in the long run, he notes, the rewards are so much greater for the risk.

In his time as a British Army paratrooper, and then behind the scenes of his blockbuster shows, Burnett has learned that delay and fear are the biggest enemies of achievement. In this fascinating book, he uses his television adventures as a springboard to impart invaluable lessons that apply to the business world as well as to everyday life. What qualities do the winners of Survivor and The Apprentice have in common? Where did the losers go wrong? Burnett tells all.

Here, too, are incredible stories about the shows and their contestants that have never before been revealed to the public. From the Malaysian pirates who almost invaded the island of Pulau Tiga during the filming of the first Survivor to the gun battle with Somali partisans during the filming of Survivor: Africa, Burnett’s larger-than-life experiences will amaze and enthrall.

After years of facing remarkable challenges–both professional and personal–Mark Burnett knows it’s best to trust your gut instincts, recognize what you want, and go for it full-throttle. Jump In! is a must read for those who want to seize the moment, take risks, think big, and achieve their goals.


Editorial Reviews

Review

Advance praise for Jump In!

“Mark Burnett’s willingness to embrace the unknown, partnered with his intuition, has changed television. In an industry built on ideas, Burnett delivers results.”
–Jeffrey Katzenberg

“Mark is a great leader as well as a visionary–an unbeatable combination for out-of-the-box success. . . . Readers of this rousing book would be wise to follow this gifted man’s example and jump in!”
–Donald J. Trump, from the Introduction

“Mark forged his way into untried waters, literally and figuratively, and invented programming that captures the hearts and minds and consciousness of millions of viewers. He did this by experimenting, surrounding himself with excellent colleagues, thinking hard, working hard, and playing hard.”
–Martha Stewart

About the Author

Television producer MARK BURNETT was recently named by Time magazine as one of the world’s most influential people. His latest reality show is The Contender.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 18, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0345480988
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345480989
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Burnett, who he is and how he came to be!, February 27, 2005
This review is from: Jump In!: Even If You Don't Know How to Swim (Hardcover)
Let's get one thing straight: this book is not about Survivor, The Apprentice, The Contender, or any of the other shows that Burnett has produced. Sure, he does mention them - as they helped to build his career - but not from the same point of view as some other reviewers perhaps expected. Thus, don't expect to learn about the inter-cast relationships on such shows. You will be disappointed if you buy this book with that intention.

This is a book about taking chances and attaining greatness. Period. Burnett came to the U.S. in the early 80s with NOTHING. However, over the following twenty years, he would become a dominant force in television and alter its landscape dramatically - perhaps more so than anyone else has done in the past 100 or so years.

That is the point of this book: how he went from a virtual NOBODY to a SOMEBODY. It's not very heavy on the business side, though chances are that you will learn something new if you read it with that intent. What it IS full of is how he took chance after chance after chance. The title alone should tell you this.

I will say that he does praise his business partners, such as Martha Stewart, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Donald Trump, etc. But what did you expect? However, you shouldn't let that aspect of the book to keep you from getting his message: Jump In! : Even if you don't know how to swim!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars He can write too???, January 25, 2005
By 
B.Saints (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jump In!: Even If You Don't Know How to Swim (Hardcover)
Even the most skeptical critics can have a field day with a title like JUMP IN!, but Burnett surprisingly stands his ground with his storytelling translating naturally to print. After reading JUMP, Mark Burnett deserves to live this charmed life and has raised the bar of genuine merit for who in Hollywood is the most worthy of success. The man's got it all, done it all and if adventures define a man, then Burnett is a dictionary of character.
Throw in Trump, Stallone and Martha Stewart, well yeah, I'd write a book too.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Contains some good biz nuggets, but also a lot of smoke-blowing, July 13, 2008
By 
This review is from: Jump In!: Even If You Don't Know How to Swim (Hardcover)
I picked this up as a discount-price eBook, and thought it would be worth the risk, seeing as I'm an ardent fan of SURVIVOR and THE APPRENTICE.

Upfront, I have to say that I expected more from Mark Burnett.

There ARE things to be learned from his approach to doing business. He makes reference quite a lot to 'jumping in', which is a bit of a pun on his paratrooper background.

Problem is that many of his insights and thoughts about business are really just rehashed old bromides. I don't think there are any 'original' insights in this book.

His anecdotes are fascinating. When he drops the business posturing, he's great. Very entertaining, gripping, and educational. But ONLY in the stories he tells.

The biggest disappointment for me is that this book appears to be two things...

1. It's an advert for his dud show, THE CONTENDER, which he praises lavishly.

2. It's a way of blowing smoke up the bums of people he's in business with. He uses phrases like, 'the best [fill-in-the-blank] I've ever experienced'. And he uses them often. Specifically when it's to do with people he wants to make money from. Like Donald Trump and Martha Stuart.

It's a good, riveting read, if only for some of the behind-the-scenes stuff. But it's not uncensored. It's not hard-hitting. It's not the bare truth. It's glossy PR-speak.

Worth it if you can find a discount version somewhere.

Blue skies
love
Roy
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
I pulled up to the guard gate at Universal Studios in my triple black 1969 Firebird convertible, living the Hollywood dream. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Contender, Tribal Council, New York, Los Angeles, Donald Trump, Pearl Islands, New Zealand, Jeff Probst, Martha Stewart, Pulau Tiga, Commando Nanny, Leslie Moonves, French Polynesia, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Sugar Ray Leonard, Discovery Channel, Mark Burnett, Raid Gauloises, Team Operation Smile, Las Vegas, Scott Flavelle, Venice Beach, Central America, Herbert River, Lynne Spillman
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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This book cites 9 books:
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