Burns, baby, Burns
Breitling’s new ambassador is blurring the line between environmental hero and internet sex symbol.
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The splendour of northern Queensland, and earning a lucrative wage as a fly-in-fly-out coal miner, was not enough for Mitchell Burns. An amateur photographer, Burns would cry himself to sleep most nights and dreamed of a better future. Then, in 2022, after ten years on the job, he gave notice.
“The voice inside my head told me to take a leap,” Burns, now 31, recalls. “I decided to do something more in my life and pursue my passion of being a landscape photographer. I stuck to it and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Was it ever. Burns hit the road, travelling across the country and chronicling his adventures on social media. That he was criminally good-looking and possessed of thighs like tree trunks didn’t hurt; his willingness to share his feelings and cuddle the odd kangaroo endeared him further. The adulatory comments poured in, more about his physique than his photography, especially after a post in which—to put it politely—he milked a native plant of its healthful nectar. “I am highly confused about what I’m feeling about this video but I’m here for it,” said one woman. “His gay following,” wrote another, “just went up 800 percent.”
“That video took on a life of its own,” allows Burns, calling from his family home in Mareeba, where he still lives with his parents and girlfriend, “but, you know, the more eyes on me, the better.”
His stans (516k followers on Instagram and 460k on TikTok) view him as the tree-hugging trouser-arouser of the internet—a Steve Irwin in even tighter khaki shorts.
They aren’t the only ones paying attention. The Swiss watchmaker Breitling came calling and signed Burns as a brand ambassador for the Australian limited edition of the Chronomat Automatic GMT 40, whose dial is inspired by the aquamarine colour of Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. (Burns is a part of the brand’s Eco Squad of mediagenic representatives.)
“Having worked firsthand in mining,” explains Burns, “I have seen the devastation that industry has on the environment. Through my photos and this Breitling project, I want to show people what is at risk if we let big corporations get their way.”
Not surprisingly the industrial entertainment complex is also taking note. Burns recently signed with William Lance Reynolds, a talent agent who discovered Hugh Jackman and brought chef Jamie Oliver to prominence, and the offers have been lining up like so many fans at a meet-and-greet. He is in talks with the development company behind the Kardashians’ television show and has an autobiography coming out in September. “Mitch isn’t afraid to be vulnerable,” says Emma Nolan, his editor on the book. “A lot of people feel stuck in their life and they can relate. I really think that’s at the heart of his appeal. He is authentic and relatable.”
This pragmatic demeanour goes some way to explaining why, even beneath the haute glare of Breitling patronage, Burns is still resigned to being ogled and his comments section resembling an OnlyFans account. “If my story inspires others to follow their own hopes and dreams,” he offers, “or to be more environmentally conscious, I’ll take it. By sharing my journey, the ups and downs, I want to show that it’s possible to overcome obstacles and make a positive impact on the world.” Steve Irwin could never.
For more Mitchell Burns follow @robbreportau.
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