Biografia
Writer, director, and producer Paul Germain creates character-driven family comedies that resonate globally and across generations.
A native of Los Angeles, Paul began his career at Gracie Films with James L. Brooks, working as a production assistant on "Terms of Endearment" and as associate producer on the film "Say Anything" and the variety series "The Tracey Ullman Show."
In collaboration with producer Jeffrey Townsend, Paul developed and cast the one-minute cartoons that evolved into "The Simpsons." He co-wrote the shorts with Matt Groening, directed the voice actors, hired Klasky-Csupo Studios for animation, and produced all the original shorts, overseeing every production detail. When "The Simpsons" transitioned to a series, Paul co-produced the initial episodes before joining Klasky-Csupo.
During his time on "The Simpsons," Paul introduced a radio-play style to TV animation. Unlike typical productions that record actors separately, he gathered the cast to perform together in the studio, capturing interactive recordings. These voice tracks were then edited into a "radio show" format before animation, focusing on performance rather than visual gags and adding energy and immediacy. This method requires animators to adapt their visuals to the pre-recorded voices. All of Paul's projects utilize this story-centric animation technique.
At Klasky-Csupo, Paul co-created "Rugrats" with Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo while his son Tommy was one year old. Beyond character creation, writing, producing the pilot, and directing actors, Paul managed scripts, storyboards, soundtracks, and served as creative producer and showrunner for the original 65 episodes. "Rugrats" earned him three Emmys, continues to air on Nickelodeon, and remains one of the most beloved shows ever.
Following "Rugrats," Paul and partner Joe Ansolabehere joined Disney to create "Recess" for ABC. Debuting in 1997, "Recess" quickly became ABC's top Saturday-morning show. Paul and Joe wrote, directed, and executive-produced 65 episodes, with the series remaining a staple on The Disney Channel and Disney outlets worldwide. Disney also released the feature film "RECESS: SCHOOL'S OUT" in 2001.
Other projects include "Lloyd in Space" (ABC and The Disney Channel) and "Beethoven" (CBS). Paul and Joe wrote the 2010 Disney film "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue" and a "Shrek" Halloween special for DreamWorks. They later executive-produced the "Pound Puppies" series for Hasbro Studios and The HUB, creating original characters. The show ran successfully until 2014 and was praised by The New Yorker as "a kids show worth streaming" for its appeal to both children and adults.
As of Spring 2018, Paul serves as executive producer on a major animated series yet to be announced, and he and Joe are signed on to executive-produce a live-action multi-season adaptation of a subversive coming-of-age novel.
