Duncan Penn

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Duncan Penn

Duncan M W Penn is an entrepreneur, executive producer,[1][2] angel investor, and #1 NYT bestselling author,[3][4] Duncan is an early investor in SpaceX, Tesla, Lyft, Neuralink, and The Boring Company. His brother Jonathan Penn is an A.I. professor and researcher at the University of Cambridge.

In 2024 Duncan was voted a Top 100 Influential People.[5]

Executive producer[change | change source]

Duncan is the creator and executive producer of 5 television shows, including Letterkenny on Hulu and CraveTV, Movie Night With Karlie Kloss on Freeform, Dare to Live on MTV, and Greatest Party Story Ever on MTV. He is also the creator, executive producer, and star of the MTV documentary series The Buried Life,[6][7][8] named after the poem by Mathew Arnold, written in 1852. The Buried Life follows four friends as they go after a bucket list of dreams and ask the world the question, "What do you want to do before you die?" For everything they accomplished on their list, they helped a stranger do something on theirs. He is also the co-author of the No. 1 New York Times Best Selling book "What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?".[3][9][10][11][12]

In 2024, The Buried Life announced the production of a new documentary series sharing the story of The Buried Life. The series will be executive produced by singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes and YouTube creators The Yes Theory. The documentary will star David Dobrik, Taylor Swift, Barak Obama, Jake Paul, Logan Paul, Shawn Mendes, The Yes Theory, as well as The Buried Life cast, Duncan, Dave, Ben, and Jonnie.

Investor[change | change source]

Duncan does primary private capital placements into pre-ipo tech companies. Duncan is an early investor in SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and The Boring Company.

Duncan is the co-creator of the gag gift Burnt Hair Perfume with Elon Musk, and was released as a joke by The Boring Company in 2023.

Philanthropy[change | change source]

Duncan is a Major Gift Officer for The Givepower Foundation, a charity that deploys Tesla, solar, and desalination technology to help solve electricity and freshwater problems around the world. Givepower currently operates in Kenya, Haiti, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Columbia. Duncan has helped provide fresh water and electricity to over 2 million people worldwide.

In 2011, Duncan, with the Buried Life cast, made a $300,000 donation to The Keep America Beautiful foundation.[13]

The Buried Life on MTV[change | change source]

After high school, Duncan founded The Buried Life[14][15] with his brother Jonnie Penn and two childhood friends,[16] Ben Nemtin and Dave Lingwood.[17][18][19] The Buried Life asks the world the question, "What do you want to do before you die?"[20][21][22]

Together, The Buried Life cast accomplished 86 items on the list out of 100, including Play Ball Against Obama,[23] Deliver a Baby, Crash the Playboy Mansion, Reunite a Family, Tell a Joke on Late Night Television, Survive on Deserted Island, Streak a Professional Sports Game, Make a Million Dollars, Ride a Bull, Get Married in Vegas, Ask out Megan Fox.

In 2011, Duncan and The Buried Life cast appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to announce a new season of The Buried Life and to discuss crossing off #95: Play Ball with President Barack Obama.[24][25][26].

The Buried Life was recorded by the Guinness World Records for the largest roulette spin in Las Vegas history. The spin was made at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, with all benefits going to the World Food Programme. The Buried Life still holds this record.

In 2012, Duncan swam from Alcatraz in SF to the mainland in the winter wearing only a speedo.

In 2011, The Buried Life successfully organized the biggest speed dating event in history with the University of South Florida.

In July 2011, Duncan asked out Taylor Swift at the Country Music Awards and went on a date later that year after the VMAs in Los Angeles.

Awards[change | change source]

  • In 2011 and 2013, The Buried Life series was nominated for a Prism Award
  • In 2011, Obama called The Buried Life series “Television for a new generation.”
  • Oprah called The Buried Life series “inspirational.” Duncan appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011.[27]
  • Duncan has appeared as himself on The Ryan Seacrest Show, Rachel Ray Show, The Oprah Winfrey, MTV Awards, VMA Awards, Howard Stern Show, and Maxim Radio.
  • In 2024, Duncan was nominated for The Order of the British Empire.
  • In 2024, Duncan was voted a Top 100 Influential People.[28]

Atticus[change | change source]

It has been rumored Duncan is the NYT's best selling anonymous poet, Atticus.

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Kimball, Trevor (2011-11-01). "The Buried Life: The Guys Sign a New Deal with MTV". canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  2. ↑ "Living as if they had only one day left - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Best Sellers - Books - April 15, 2012 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  4. ↑ "Duncan Penn | HuffPost". www.huffpost.com. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  5. ↑ "The Winners 3 2024". Top 100 Influential People. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  6. ↑ "MTV Gets Real: Cabler Sees Future in 'The Buried Life'". International Documentary Association. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  7. ↑ "'The Buried Life' axed by MTV". Digital Spy. 2011-10-29. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  8. ↑ "Adventurer's Bucket List: Swim to Alcatraz". Red Bull. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  9. ↑ "Girl Hugs Dad With Two Arms For First Time After Friends Surprise Her With Bionic Limb". web.archive.org. 2014-07-23. Archived from the original on 2014-07-23. Retrieved 2023-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ↑ "The Buried Life Guys Stop By Seventeen!". Seventeen. 2010-01-21. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  11. ↑ Rothstein, Betsy (2010-01-20). "Four MTV 20-Somethings Say Schieffer is". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  12. ↑ Caramanica, Jon; Times, Special to the Los Angeles (2010-10-17). "The Monitor: 'The Buried Life' and 'World of Jenks'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  13. ↑ Staff, Us Weekly (2011-07-29). "Cast of MTV's The Buried Life Helps Raise $300,000 for Keep America Beautiful". Us Weekly. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  14. ↑ "Hank Stuever on MTV's 'Buried Life' & CW's 'Life Unexpected'". www.washingtonpost.com.
  15. ↑ "Friends pursue 'Buried Life'". Chicago Tribune. 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  16. ↑ Gross, Matt (2010-01-27). "Q&A With Ben Nemtin From 'The Buried Life': Four Guys and a Bucket List". Frugal Traveler Blog. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  17. ↑ "Make Room, Cynics; MTV Wants to Do Some Good". www.nytimes.com.
  18. ↑ Dave, Edward (2015-05-26). "An evening with The Buried Life". Highlander. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  19. ↑ "The Conversation: Young Men's Bucket List - ABC News". web.archive.org. 2021-06-16. Archived from the original on 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2023-11-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ↑ "Unearthing the buried life". McGill Reporter. 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  21. ↑ "Whitney Port Dating Star of The Buried Life". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  22. ↑ "Cooking with The Buried Life Guys | Rachael Ray Show". www.rachaelrayshow.com. 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  23. ↑ "Playing B-Ball with Obama: 6 Steps to Crossing Anything Off Your Bucket List". tim.blog.
  24. ↑ "MTV's 'Buried Life' stars play basketball with President Obama as one of their bucket list dreams". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  25. ↑ "What's on Oprah's Bucket List? Video". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  26. ↑ "'Buried Life' Stars Tell Oprah About Shooting Hoops With Barack Obama - MTV". web.archive.org. 2017-10-11. Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2023-04-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ↑ "Oprah Winfrey gets visit from four Canadians on reality show 'Buried Life'". Guelph Mercury. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  28. ↑ "The Winners 3 2024". Top 100 Influential People. Retrieved 2024-01-15.

Other websites[change | change source]

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