Rhett Turner: Inside the Life of Ted Turner’s son

Rhett Turner is a filmmaker, photojournalist, and son of legendary Atlanta media mogul Ted Turner. Rhett Turner’s father currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors. Before that, he founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. He also went on to found WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television, which later became TBS. His penchant for controversial statements earned him the nicknames “The Mouth of the South” and “Captain Outrageous”.

Rhett Turner: Bio Summary

Is Ted Turner related to Rhett Turner?

Rhett Turner was born in 1965 in the United States of America. As of 2023, he is 58 years old. Rhett is the son of  Ted Turner and his second wife Jane Shirley Smith. He is not the only child of the couple, he has two siblings- Jennie Turner and  Beau Turner. He also has two half-siblings  Laura Turner Seydel and  Robert Edward Turner IV.

ALSO, READ; Jane Shirley Smith: Who is Ted Turner’s ex-wife

Rhett Turner is a filmmaker and a photojournalist

Rhett is a highly gifted filmmaker and photographer. He is president of Red Sky Productions, a state-of-the-art international film production company focusing on documentary films for global television audiences and private corporations. He has served as a camera operator, photographer, producer, and editor on several of his projects.

His company was founded in 1999 with the release of Pollinators in Peril, a well-received environmental documentary hosted by Peter Fonda. 

ALSO, READ; Beau Turner: Who is Ted Turner’s son?

The award-winning filmmaker recently produced and directed of photography of Chattahoochee: From Water War to Water Vision, a documentary focusing on the 20-year-old struggle between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia over this significant water source.  The film which premiered in October 2010 on Georgia Public Broadcasting went on to receive four regional Emmy Award nominations.

ALSO, READ; Laura Turner Seydel: Inside the Life of Ted Turner’s daughter

Rhett Turner graduated from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina with a degree in Business Administration. He has worked as an account executive for CNN in the Tokyo office. He revealed on his website that, his outlook on conservation was highly influenced by his father, media mogul, and philanthropist Ted Turner; he grew up with strict tenets of environmental stewardship and has pursued these themes throughout his career.

Rhett Turner’s father Ted Turner

Ted Turner’s media empire began with his father’s billboard business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, which he took over in 1963 after his father Robert Edward Turner II’s suicide. It was worth $1 million. His purchase of an Atlanta UHF station in 1970 began the Turner Broadcasting System.

ALSO, READ; Robert Edward Turner IV: What happened to Ted Turner’s son?

CNN revolutionized news media, covering the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 and the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Turner turned the Atlanta Braves baseball team into a nationally popular franchise and launched the charitable Goodwill Games. He helped revive interest in professional wrestling by buying World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Today, Robert Edward Turner IV’s father has a net worth of 2.5 billion USD as of 2023 according to Forbes.

Rhett Turner’s father has also devoted his assets to environmental causes. He was the largest private landowner in the United States until John C. Malone surpassed him in 2011. He uses much of his land for ranches to re-popularize bison meat (for his Ted’s Montana Grill chain), amassing the largest herd in the world. He also created the environmental-themed animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.