Cinco Paul | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1964-05-05)May 5, 1964 (age 60)[1][2] Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.[3] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Yale University,USC School of Cinematic Arts[1] |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Children | 3[1] |
Ken Daurio | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 or 1972 (age 52–53)[2] United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Children | 3[1] |
Cinco Paul andKen Daurio are American screenwriters, collaborating on thescreenplays for animated films including theDespicable Me franchise,Horton Hears a Who,The Lorax andThe Secret Life of Pets. The duo also served as the co-creators of the 2021Apple TV+ musical comedy seriesSchmigadoon!, with Paul also serving as the series songwriter and executive producer.
Paul was named afterCinco de Mayo, a celebration held on his birthday.[1] After graduating from Yale University, Paul served a mission forthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tokyo.[4] Shortly after returning from his mission he married his girlfriend whom he had met at Yale and to whom he was engaged just before leaving on his mission.[4] He then won a short film competition and received a fellowship at theUSC School of Cinematic Arts,[1] where he graduated in 1993 from the Graduate Screenwriting Program.[5] The following year, he sold his first screenplay toColumbia Pictures.[4]
Daurio started making films with aSuper 8 camera at age 9. After high school, he began directing music videos and directed more than 100 videos.[6]
Paul and Daurio began collaborating in 1999.[5] They met when Paul wrote a musical forthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' 150-year celebration of the pioneers' arrival in Utah, in which Daurio had one of the leads.[1]
Hitting it off, having similar senses of humor, they formed a band called the Otter Pops, playing at local outdoor malls.[5] Within a year they sold their first script, and a year later their second script,Bubble Boy, was made into a film,[6] which was a critical and commercial failure.[4] To get noticed, they used to sing story pitches to film producers. Although not always successful, this strategy resulted in several produced films, includingBubble Boy andCollege Road Trip (2008).[6]
They were personally chosen byAudrey Geisel, the widow ofDr. Seuss, to write the screenplay for the filmHorton Hears a Who!, an animated adaptation of the children's bookHorton Hears a Who!, forBlue Sky Studios via20th Century Fox Animation, led byChris Meledandri.[6] In 2007, when Meledandri founded a film production company namedIllumination Entertainment, Paul and Daurio followed him.[1]
At Illumination, they wrote screenplays for the highly-successful animated filmDespicable Me[1] and its sequels,Despicable Me 2 andDespicable Me 3. They also wrote for Illumination's other films, the live action/animated Easter-themedHop andadapted another Dr. Seuss book turned into an animated film,The Lorax.[7]
When Paul and Daurio were screenwriting partners, they preferred to work independently. They divided up scenes and read pages to each other, trying to make each other laugh.[6] Paul, having an education in screenwriting, generally worked on scenes that contain emotion and require thethree-act structure, while Daurio, being a more visually oriented person, usually did scenes with action, sight gags and physical comedy.[5] Both being members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[1] their beliefs have had significant impact on their careers. They prefer "to write movies that are uplifting, optimistic and for everybody," while avoiding being "preachy."[1]
The pair adaptedBubble Boy into astage musical featuring original songs, for which an original cast recording was released onSh-K-Boom Records in 2017 produced by Paul,Justin Goldner &Kurt Deutsch.[8]
On January 29, 2018, Paul and Daurio were hired to write a film adaptation ofBirthright forUniversal Pictures andSkybound Entertainment.[9]
In 2019, Paul and Daurio sold their TV pitch forSchmigadoon! toApple TV+, but before the writers room started, Daurio decided he didn't want to continue with the show, uncomfortable with the more adult PG-rated content of the series and the responsibilities of showrunning. Paul continued as showrunner on his own as he finished writing and producing season one of the series, then was also the sole composer and showrunner for season two. The two haven't worked together since, although the split was amicable, and they remain good friends.[10] They host a podcast together called "Make Him Watch It," in which they make each other watch films they haven't seen.[11]
After leavingSchmigadoon!, Daurio went back to working for Illumination, providing additional writing forMigration and co-writingDespicable Me 4.
Paul continued as showrunner and composer for both seasons ofSchmigadoon!, winning thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics in 2022 for his song "Corn Puddin'."[12]
In 2021, he published the rhyming children's bookClayton Parker Really Really Really Has to Pee, illustrated by Gladys Jose.[13]
Paul has also written the original musicalA.D. 16 with playwrightBekah Brunstetter; it revolves around a teenageMary Magdalene developing a crush on teenageJesus Christ.[14] The musical was produced in early 2022 by theOlney Theatre Center in Olney, Maryland, receiving a rave review from theWashington Post.[15] It won the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award[16] and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography in a Musical.[17]
In early 2022, it was announced that Paul was attached as a writer and director to the hybrid live-action and stop-motion animation filmWinter Wonderland, also writing original songs for the project.[18]
We just started writing Despicable Me 3,...