Bill Burke

Bill Burke founded The Optimism Institute after a long career as an executive, writer, and producer in media and sports. A former Harvard Advanced Leadership Fellow, Bill now speaks on leadership and the power of optimism to transform individuals, teams, and organizations.

Bill’s career highlights include serving as CEO of The Weather Channel Companies and working at Time Warner, where he was the founding general manager of Turner Classic Movies.

At just 29, Bill became president of TBS Superstation. He learned valuable lessons from CNN founder Ted Turner, with whom Bill co-authored the top-10 New York Times best-selling autobiography, Call Me Ted. Bill also co-owned and chaired the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for fifteen years. As a
writer, Bill has co-written, produced, and directed Live Another Day, an award-winning documentary on the U.S. auto industry bailout.

A lifelong optimist, Bill launched The Optimism Institute and the Blue Sky podcast to combat the negative effects of news and social media on mental health. Through the podcast, Bill has interviewed inspiring leaders, authors, researchers, and big thinkers, including Amy Edmondson on the benefits of psychological safety, and Daniel Pink on the surprising positive power of regret. Bill has also appeared on TODAY with Hoda and Jenna and Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People Podcast to share his optimistic vision of the world and its future.

Book Bill to speak with your team about a more optimistic, transformational view of teamwork and leadership.