While it's not clear what qualifies Burnett to be a special envoy, it is clear that his relationship with Trump goes back decades.

Trump named Mark Burnett as his pick for special envoy to the U.K., noting Burnett’s career as a producer for shows like “Survivor,” “Shark Tank,” “The Voice” and Trump’s “The Apprentice” in announcing the choice. Burnett is the former chairman of MGM and a 13-time Emmy Award winner.

The scope of Burnett’s diplomatic role was not immediately clear. Such posts are usually set up for countries where there are conflicts or the U.S. has no diplomatic presence.