Paul Wolff (screenwriter)

Paul Wolff is a screenwriter, actor, producer and popular screenwriting instructor at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He has taught at the university for over eighteen years. Before he made the move to teaching and acting, Wolff had a prolific career in television which spanned nearly three decades.

Career

Television

Paul Wolff first entered the television scene as a writer in the late 1970s on the TV series, Family. He later went on to write for such TV shows as Little House on the Prairie, Family Ties, Fame, "Remington Steele" starring Pierce Brosnan and the number one hit Home Improvement.

In addition to being a successful television writer, Wolff also achieved success through his career as a television producer and showrunner. He created, produced, and acted as show runner on the short-lived yet critically acclaimed series, Annie McGuire, starring Mary Tyler Moore. In addition, he served as a producer and director on the early 1990s series Life Goes On

In 2013, Wolff received an award from the Writer's Guild of America for his contribution to the TV show Family Ties which was named as one of the Guild's "Best 101 Written Television Shows."

Teaching

Wolff currently teaches a variety of screenwriting courses at the University of Southern California, including CTWR 206 and CTWR 499, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, a class Wolff conceived himself in 2007, which focuses on the role and importance of the storyteller in society.

Other Endeavors

Paul Wolff was one of the founders of the Unica Film Collaborative, an experimental film group that focuses on the “process” of filmmaking, rather than the product. Unica’s first feature film, Blue in Green, was chosen by Los Angeles Times film critic Kevin Thomas to screen at the LA Cinematheque’s Alternative Film Festival. In 2007, as an actor Wolff played the role of Prospero from Shakespeare's The Tempest at the Egyptian Arena Theatre's Shakespeare Festival.

Wolff also co-wrote and stars in the feature comedy Father vs. Son which co-stars Emmy winner Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family). The film won the Critics Choice Award for Best Premiere Film at the Houston International Film Festival and was acquired by Osiris Releasing.