Scott Z. Burns (born July 17, 1962) is an American filmmaker and playwright. Career After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Burns began his career in advertising and later became a television commercials director. He was part of the team at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners responsible for the original Got Milk? campaign. Burns has written screenplays for The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Informant! (2009), and Contagion (2011), all of which feature Matt Damon. His films The Informant!, Contagion, and Side Effects (2013) were directed by Steven Soderbergh. Burns also produced the Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth. Burns wrote and directed the 2019 film The Report, a drama about the secret torture program inside the CIA. Public interest in Burns' 2011 film Contagion renewed during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the seventh-most downloaded film on iTunes by March 6, 2020. Interviewed by Variety about the film's resurgence and similarities to the active pandemic in March 2020, Burns said: Early life and education Burns was born in Golden Valley, Minnesota and graduated summa cum laude in 1985 with a degree in English from the University of Minnesota. He currently lives in Los Angeles. Filmography Films Television Play writer The Library (2014) References External links 1962 births American male screenwriters University of Minnesota alumni Living people Film directors from Minnesota American documentary film producers People from Golden Valley, Minnesota American television directors Screenwriters from Minnesota Film producers from Minnesota American advertising people 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers