Biographie
Paul Kurta launched his film and television career in New York City, working as a freelance Production Manager and Producer on commercials and documentaries until 1980-81. During this period, he produced two seasons of the syndicated mystery/comedy series Tales Of The Unexpected for Academy Award-winning director and writer Bert Salzman. His first feature film project was "Q" The Winged Serpent, one of six collaborations with renowned writer-director Larry Cohen, including Blind Alley, Special Effects, Island of The Alive, The Stuff, and Original Gangsters.
Kurta co-wrote (with Kevin Scott) and produced (with Mitchell Maxwell) the feature adaptation of Kevin Wade's successful play Key Exchange, directed by Barnet Kellman. While filming in Iowa, he also produced (with Fredrick Zollo) Miles From Home, starring Richard Gere, Kevin Anderson, and John Malkovich. Written by Chris Gerolmo and directed by Gary Sinise, the film was an Official U.S. Selection at Cannes in 1988. That same year, Kurta line-produced the Ace Award-winning HBO film Long Gone, initiating five collaborations with writer-director Martin Davidson on projects including Heart Of Dixie, Hard Promises, Lovers Of Deceit, and Looking For An Echo.
Following this, Kurta co-produced the television movies She Said No and Joshua's Heart alongside producers Steve White and Barry Bernardi. For producer Steve Tisch, he produced the award-winning HBO film Afterburn, starring Laura Dern.
At Warner Brothers, working with producers Arnon Milchan, Alan Riche, and Tony Ludwig, Kurta co-produced and served as second unit director on Empire Records. Directed by Allan Moyle, the film became a cult classic featuring then-unknown actors Renee Zellwegger, Liv Tyler, and Anthony LaPaglia. Later, reuniting with producers Riche and Ludwig on the Sony comedy Tomcats by Greg Poirier, Kurta was also invited by producers Mark Burg and Jeremy Tannenbaum to line-produce John Grisham's The Gingerbread Man for legendary director Robert Altman. Featuring Kenneth Branagh, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Daryl Hannah, Tom Berenger, and Embeth Davidtz, the effects-heavy film was shot entirely on location in Savannah, Georgia.
For executive producer, writer, and director Kenneth Johnson and Fox Television, Kurta produced two popular Alien Nation movies of the week: Body And Soul and Millennium. He also produced Rise And Walk: The Dennis Byrd Story for Fox, starring Peter Berg and directed by Michael Dinner.
Showtime's Going To California stands out as one of Kurta’s most demanding and rewarding projects, producing 20 consecutive episodes on location across five states. The series was created and written by Scott Rosenberg, with executive producer Jeff Melvoin and writers Andre Nemic and Josh Applebaum.
In 2004, executive producers Rob Thomas and Joel Silver brought Kurta on to produce the pilot and critically acclaimed first season of Veronica Mars, starring Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni.
Kurta then traveled to New Orleans to produce the pilot for the FX hit series The Riches. Created by Dmitri Lipkin (Hung) and directed by Carl Franklin, the show starred Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.
Filming in Albuquerque as a stand-in for Pittsburgh, Kurta produced the critically praised Syfy mini-series The Lost Room, starring Peter Krause and Julianna Margulies.
Reuniting with executive producer Joel Silver and creators Ron Koslow and Trevor Munson, Kurta produced the pilot and sole season of Moonlight for CBS and Warner Bros.
In 2009, Kurta produced the mental health advocacy documentary Speaking For Ourselves. He also served as executive producer on Cherry, an independent feature filmed in Michigan, written and directed by Jeffrey Fine, starring Laura Allen, Kyle Gallner, and Britt Robertson.
In 2010, Kurta produced the CBS pilot The Odds for executive producer Joel Silver. He also produced the AMC pilot Hell On Wheels and went on to produce all 57 episodes. Additionally, he produced the pilot Pan Am for ABC and the second season of Kingdom for DirecTV's Audience Network. His work includes producing the feature film An Interview With God, starring David Strathairn and Brenton Thwaites, as well as the ABC network pilot Grand Hotel.
Paul Kurta is married to Jacqueline Burnham Kurta and they have two daughters, Michelle and Roxanne.
