Paul W. Downs | |
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Born | [1] New Jersey, U.S. [2] | November 21, 1982
Alma mater | Duke University |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2007–present |
Spouse | Lucia Aniello |
Children | 1 [3] |
Paul W. Downs (born November 21, 1982) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is the co-creator, co-showrunner and star of the critically-acclaimed HBO Max series Hacks , for which he has received a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody Award, among others. Downs first gained attention for his role in the Comedy Central series Broad City , which ran for five seasons and for which he was also a writer, director and executive producer.
Downs has been creating digital shorts with Lucia Aniello under the moniker Paulilu since the pair met at the Upright Citizens Brigade. In 2012, they made a web series called Paulilu Mixtape for Above Average Productions, a division of Broadway Video.
From 2014–2019, Downs played Trey Pucker on the Comedy Central sitcom Broad City . Trey is a fitness instructor and the boss turned romantic interest of Abbi Abrams (played by Abbi Jacobson) at Soulstice.
On April 29, 2015, it was announced that Downs and Aniello would be writing a female spin-off of 21 Jump Street . [4] On June 22, 2015, it was announced that the duo sold their script for Move That Body, a feature film acquired by Sony. Retitled Rough Night and released in 2017, Aniello directed, while Downs co-starred opposite Scarlett Johansson in the film. [5]
In 2016 he wrote and starred in his own 30-minute episode of the sketch show Netflix Presents: The Characters . [6] On April 20, 2016 Downs starred in the Comedy Central miniseries Time Traveling Bong alongside Broad City co-star Ilana Glazer. [7]
In 2018, Downs co-starred in Netflix’s summer comedy Like Father opposite Kristen Bell, Kelsey Grammer, and Seth Rogen. [8]
Downs is showrunning and co-starring in the HBO Max show Hacks , starring Jean Smart. The first season of Hacks garnered 15 Emmy nominations and 3 wins, including “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series,” “Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series,” and Jean Smart won “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.” [9] The series won two Writers Guild of America Awards in the categories of “Comedy Series” and “New Series,” [10] and Aniello won a Directors Guild of America Award in the category of “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series.” [11] The series also took home two Golden Globe Awards for “Best Musical or Comedy TV Series” and “Best Television Actress in a Musical or Comedy”. [12] Hacks was honored as one of the “Outstanding Television Programs of the Year” at the American Film Institute Awards [13] and won a 2022 Peabody Award. [14] Season 1 of Hacks also received various award nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, [15] Critics Choice Awards, [16] Producers Guild of America Awards, [17] and the Gotham Awards. [18]
In its second season, Hacks received 17 Emmy nominations and 3 wins, including “Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series,” “Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Contemporary Costumes.” [9] The series won a Writers Guild of America Award in the "Episodic Comedy" category, [19] and was honored as one of the “Outstanding Television Programs of the Year” at the American Film Institute Awards for its second consecutive year. [20] Jean Smart also won a Critics Choice Award for “Best Actress in a Comedy Series” for her second consecutive year. [21] The series was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, [12] two Writers Guild of America Awards, [22] two Screen Actors Guild Awards, [23] and a Producers Guild of America Award. [24]
In 2021, he and Aniello struck a deal with Warner Bros. Television. [25]
Raised in Sussex, New Jersey, Downs attended the Pingry School. [26]
Downs studied theater at Duke University [26] where he did improv as a member of Duke University Improv (DUI). [27] He lives in Los Angeles with Aniello, his wife and comedy partner. [28] [29]
Jo-Issa Rae Diop, credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer. Founder of Hoorae Media, she achieved wider recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of the HBO television series Insecure (2016–2021), for which she was nominated for multiple Golden Globes Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards.
Broad City is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web series, is based on Glazer and Jacobson's real-life friendship, and their attempt to "make it" in New York. The sitcom premiered on Comedy Central on January 22, 2014, and aired for five seasons, ending on March 28, 2019. The show received critical acclaim throughout its run and has been ranked among the best television shows of the 2010s.
Jen Statsky is an American television writer and comedian known for her work on Hacks, The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Broad City. She is the co-creator and co-showrunner of the critically-acclaimed HBO Max series Hacks, for which she has received a Primetime Emmy, Peabody Award, and multiple WGA Awards, among others.
Lucia Aniello is an Italian-born American director, writer, and producer best known for her work on Hacks, for which she won multiple Emmy Awards, and Broad City. She has directed and written episodes of both shows, as well as the miniseries Time Traveling Bong and the 2017 film Rough Night.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is an American period comedy-drama television series that was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, and premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 17, 2017. It takes place mainly in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with flashforwards to later decades in the final season, and stars Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam "Midge" Maisel: a New York housewife who discovers she has a talent for stand-up comedy and pursues a career in this field. It also stars Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Marin Hinkle, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, Jane Lynch, and Luke Kirby. The pilot episode received critical acclaim and the series was picked up by Amazon Studios. The fifth and final season premiered on April 14, 2023, and concluded on May 26, 2023.
Quinta Brunson is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is best known for creating, executive producing, co-writing and starring as second-grade teacher Janine Teagues in the ABC comedy series Abbott Elementary (2021–present). Brunson gained prominence for her self-produced Instagram series Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date. She went on to produce and act in content for BuzzFeed Video, and developed two streaming series with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures.
Hacks is an American comedy-drama television series created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky that premiered on May 13, 2021, on HBO Max. Starring Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, and Carl Clemons-Hopkins, the series centers on the professional relationship between a young comedy writer and a legendary stand-up comedian. The series received critical acclaim and won accolades including Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing, and for Smart, Outstanding Lead Actress, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 12, 2022. In June 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on May 2, 2024.
"There Is No Line" is the pilot episode of the American comedy-drama television series Hacks. It was directed by Lucia Aniello and co-written with Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. The episode establishes the plot of the series, which centers comediennes from different generations who are thrust into a working relationship after separate circumstances threaten their careers. The episode premiered on streaming network HBO Max on May 13, 2021 with an approximate running time of 29 minutes.
The first season of American comedy-drama streaming series Hacks debuted on May 13, 2021, on HBO Max. The series was co-created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. Starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, the season follows two comedians from different generations who forge a working relationship. Season one received critical acclaim and earned accolades including Primetime Emmy Awards for directing, writing, and acting.
The second season of the HBO Max streaming comedy-drama television series Hacks debuted on May 12, 2022, and concluded on June 2, 2022. It consists of eight episodes, each with approximate runtime of 30–35 minutes. The season centers Deborah Vance perfecting material for her new stand-up show, in which she shares previously unrevealed information about her personal life. In an effort to become a better person, Ava gets a "dumb phone" and swears off alcohol. The season received critical acclaim. Jean Smart won her second successive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.