Paul Taublieb

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Paul Taublieb is an American director, writer, and producer best known for films such as The Vow and the Emmy Award-winning documentaries "Unchained: The Untold Story of Freestyle MotoCross" and "Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau" (part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series).

Contents

Career

Film

Taublieb found early success producing television movies, including the award-winning anti-slavery film "Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble" (2000), winner of the Literacy in Media Award (2001) for Showtime. Starring Jane Seymour, "Enslavement" tells the real-life story of a British actress who speaks out against slavery after marrying an American plantation owner. [1] In 2012, Taublieb broke away from television to produce a feature film, "The Vow," starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. It grossed almost $200M at the box office and is the eighth highest-grossing romantic drama since the 1980s. [2]

Documentary

After getting his start in narrative film, Taublieb established himself in the production of documentaries focusing primarily on action sports projects, including the specials "Pipeline Sessions" (2002), about the lives of the world's top surfers, and "The Making of Motowars" (2005), a behind-the-scenes look at a live motorcycle stunt show. He then traveled to the remote island of São Tomé to direct "The Lost Wave: An African Surf Story," an exploration of the distinct surfing subculture that has developed in the isolated nation.

In 2011, Taublieb served as producer and creative director for the documentary film "Fastest," a documentary following the 2010 season of the MotoGP, known as the Grand Prix of motorcycle racing. The film features Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi, Ben Spies, and narration by Ewan McGregor. Taublieb also produced an installment of the ESPN documentary series 30 for 30, entitled “Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau” (2013). The film chronicles the life and disappearance of the famed big wave surfer Eddie Aikau, who died while attempting to find help after his sailing canoe capsized. [3] In 2014, the film won an Emmy Award for Best Sports Documentary. [4]

As a producer and director, Taublieb has created several motocross-focused documentary films. "Unchained: The Untold Story of Freestyle Motocross" (2016) tells the story of the birth of freestyle motocross, featuring Carey Hart, Tony Hawk, Travis Pastrana, and narration by Josh Brolin. [5] It was released on Netflix and won the 2017 Emmy Award for Outstanding Long Sports Documentary. [6]

Most recently, Taublieb completed "Blood Line: The Life and Times of Brian Deegan" (2018) about the most decorated Freestyle Motocross rider in history.

Sports

Taublieb is one of the creators of the ESPN X Games and has produced many of the moto-x competitions. [7] He also produces live content and athlete features for the event. Alongside partners Rob Dyrdek and David Paull, Taublieb created ISX Scoring, the premier real-time scoring system for action sports events. [8]

Short Form

Taublieb Films is the creative agency of record for Monster Energy and produces viral videos and other content for clients including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Fox Studios, Disney, and ESPN. He also creates short-form viral videos with talent including Rob Drydek and Wee Man. In 2014, he produced and directed the soccer video "Abuelo Memo" for the Mexican company Coppel. It quickly went viral and currently has over 100 million views worldwide.

Personal life

Education

Taublieb attended Great Neck North High School before studying English at the University at Buffalo and philosophy at SUNY Plattsburgh.

Family

He and his wife Susan Cooper have three sons, Zev, Ari, and Noah Taublieb. He currently lives in Malibu.

Related Research Articles

BMX Cycle sport

BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general on- or off-road recreation. BMX began when young cyclists appropriated motocross tracks for recreational purposes and stunting, eventually evolving into specialized BMX bikes and competitions.

Big wave surfing Surfing waves at least 20 ft high

Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into, or are towed into, waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as the technique the surfer uses to reach the wave. A larger, longer board allows a rider to paddle fast enough to catch the wave and has the advantage of being more stable, but it also limits maneuverability and surfing speed.

Eddie Aikau Hawaiian surfer and lifeguard

Edward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau was a Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer. As the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, he saved over 500 people and became famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf, winning several awards including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.

Carey Hart American freestyle motocross, motorcycle and off-road truck racer

Carey Jason Phillip Hart is an American former professional freestyle motocross competitor, motorcycle racer and current off-road truck racer. He is known for being the first motorcyclist to perform a back flip on a 250cc motorcycle during a competition, and for his company Hart & Huntington Tattoo & Clothing Company.

Patrick Shane Dorian, or "Shane", is an American surfer from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He spent 11 years touring on the World Championship Tour as a professional surfer. Dorian quit competition surfing in 2003 to focus on big waves. He is currently a big wave surfer and one of the best in the world at big wave riding.

Jeff Ward (motorsports) American motorcycle racer

Jeffrey "Jeff" Ward is a British-American former professional motocross racer, auto racing driver and off-road racer. He won the AMA Motocross Championship five times and the AMA Supercross Championship twice and the Motocross des Nations seven times. After retiring from motorcycle competition, Ward turned to auto racing, finishing in second place at the Indianapolis 500 and winning a race at the Texas Motor Speedway. He then competed in off-road truck racing and is currently competing in rallycross racing. Ward was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and, was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on 12 August 2006.

Ross Clarke-Jones is an Australian big wave surfer. He originally came from Terrigal in the Central Coast, of New South Wales, Australia where he enjoyed surfing Terrigal Haven, a point break that produces rare waves lasting for up to 300 metres on a big swell.

Travis Pastrana American race car driver (born 1983)

Travis Alan Pastrana is an American professional motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several disciplines, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus, and has competed in the Global RallyCross Championship and the Monster Jam circuit.

Jeff Zimbalist

Jeffrey Leib Nettler Zimbalist is an American filmmaker. He has been Academy Award shortlisted, has won a Peabody and 3 Emmy Awards, with 11 Emmy nominations. He runs a production company called All Rise Films.

Freestyle motocross

Freestyle motocross is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts.

Keala Kennelly is a professional surfer, DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. After spending a decade ranked in the top 10 on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), Kennelly took a break from the tour in 2007 to explore her passions for acting and music, including a recurring role as a surfer in the 2007 series John from Cincinnati. She continues to DJ and compete as a big wave surfer.

Brian Deegan (motorcyclist) American motorcycle racer

Brian Deegan is an American professional freestyle motocross rider and racing driver who is a founding member of Metal Mulisha.

ESPN Films

ESPN Films is a production company which produces and distributes sports films and documentaries. It is owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications.

Michael Jones, is an American freestyle motocross competitor, with over 35 years of professional rider experience. He started his motorcycle racing career in 1972 aged 6.. Continuing to race up until his last Fastcross in Italy 2000, he became increasingly involved in the emerging sport of Freestyle Motocross, performing half-time jump shows at football games as early as 1987. He is attributed as being "one of the founding fathers of the sport of freestyle motocross", and became known as "Mad" Mike Jones after an Italian promoter described his stunts as "Mad" and "the name stuck". He has appeared in numerous movies including Crusty Demons and Eight Legged Freaks, and also goes around North American schools to share about his experience.

Jeff Bowler is an American film and television producer best known for producing films such as The Grand and award-nominated programs such as Inked and Driven.

Clay Marzo is an American professional surfer known for his unique "double-jointed" style of turns and spins. He was raised in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii where he currently resides. Marzo has been acclaimed for his creativity and innovation as a young surfer, and featured in several films.

Greg Long (surfer)

Greg Long is an American surfer from San Clemente, California. He has won the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational, in memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay, the Red Bull Titans of Mavericks event held at Mavericks in Northern CA, and the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event held at Dungeons in Hout Bay, South Africa. Additionally, he is the most decorated surfer in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards. He is widely regarded as one of the best big wave surfers in the world.

A Day in the Dirt Motocross Grand Prix

A Day in the Dirt Motocross Grand Prix is an annual motocross event held on Thanksgiving weekend, in California, United States. The races are notable for their participants, ranging from Hollywood film and stunt industry professionals like Mike "Mouse" McCoy and Alisa Hensley-Lane, to racing legends such as Ricky Johnson, Jeff Ward, Ron Lechein, Jeremy McGrath, J.N. Roberts, Eric Kehoe, Eddie Mulder, Mike Kiedrrowski, Ryan Hughes, Jeff Emig, Broc Glover, Mike Bell, Micky Dymond, and John DeSoto. The races also attract extreme sports celebrities such as Ronnie Renner, Henry Wiles, Robie and Bret Peterson, Shaun Palmer, Dave Mirra, Mike Metzler, and Alexander Smith.

Larry Linkogle

Larry "Link" Linkogle is a professional freestyle motocross rider and the co-founder and owner of Metal Mulisha, LLC. Linkogle holds the world record for long-distance motorcycle jumps and has appeared in feature films as a stuntman. He is regarded as a founder of freestyle motocross.

Vicki Golden American motorcycle racer

Vicki Golden is an American professional Freestyle Motocross rider and the first female team member of Metal mulisha, Since beginning her career in 2000 Golden has won three consecutive gold medals in Women's Moto X Racing at the X Games. She is also the first woman to compete in a freestyle Moto X competition, earning the bronze medal in the best whip category. She currently rides a Suzuki 450/250 motocross bike.

References

  1. Fries, Laura (2000-04-19). "Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble". Variety. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  2. "Romantic Drama Movies at the Box Office - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  3. "Eddie Would Go documentary set to open Maui's film festival | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News" . Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  4. "ESPN Films: "30 for 30" "Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau" Wins Emmy Award". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  5. McNary, Dave (2015-10-15). "AFM: Josh Brolin Boards Motocross Documentary 'Unchained'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  6. "38th Annual Sports Emmy Award Winners Announced". Programming Insider. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  7. "Acclaimed MotoGP Film FASTEST Set for U.S." Motorcycle USA. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  8. "isxscoring". isxscoring. Retrieved 2019-01-24.

Paul Taublieb on IMDb