About
Andrew Burton (b. 1987 / USA / He, Him) is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, documentary filmmaker, photographer and journalist focused on the intersection of environmentalism and exploration. He is a former fellow at the University of California, Berkeley's Investigative Reporting Program (2016-2017).
Burton's first feature film, Newtok, was acquired by Patagonia Films and released in 2022. Co-directed by Michael Kirby Smith, the film follows the village of Newtok, Alaska in their efforts to relocate their entire community due to climate change over a five year period. The film premiered at DocNYC and on Big Sky Film Festival’s “Big Sky Award.” Burton is a founding partner of ROAN Films.
Burton's photographic work has been honored by: Pulitzer Prize (Finalist, 2016); Photographer of the Year International; Sundance Institute (Grantee, 2019); American Photography (32 & 34); PDN Photo Annual (2016 & 2018); Sony World Photo Awards; Jonathan Logan Family Foundation (Grantee, 2017 & 2018); Museum of New York (permanent collection, 2012); Fund for Investigative Journalism (Grantee, 2016); The Hearst Foundation; Society of Professional Journalists; Lumix Photo Festival; China International Press Photo Contest; New York Press Photographer's Association; College Photographer of the Year and Oregon Newspaper Publisher’s Association.
Beginning in 2018 Burton has been a director and producer for Duct Tape Then Beer and their podcasts The Dirtbag Diaries and Climbing Gold (hosted by Alex Honnold). Burton has directed, produced, shot and edited films ranging from 15 seconds to 30 minutes for DTTB; additionally, he regularly produces, interviews, writes, narrates, edits, scores and sound designs podcast episodes. Both the film work and podcasts explore personal transformation, exploration and environmental issues through the lens of outdoor recreation.
His work has been published in The New York Times; The Wall Street Journal; National Geographic; The New Yorker; TIME and The Guardian, amongst others. Burton has worked both as a staff photojournalist for Getty Images as well as a freelance photographer covering breaking news and long-term stories locally, nationally and internationally. He has been a Carnegie-Knight News21 fellow (2009) and was a student at Eddie Adams XXII. Burton has received first aid training for combat and wilderness wounds through Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues (RISC), Global Journalist Security and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. He has a degree in journalism with a focus in photography from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
