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Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio

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Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio are American screenwriters, collaborating on the screenplays for animated films including the Despicable Me franchise, Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax and The Secret Life of Pets. The duo also served as the co-creators of the 2021 Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon!, with Paul also serving as the series songwriter and executive producer.

Cinco Paul
Born (1964-05-05) May 5, 1964 (age 60)[1][2]
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.[3]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materYale University, USC School of Cinematic Arts[1]
OccupationScreenwriter
Children3[1]
Ken Daurio
Born1971 or 1972 (age 52–53)[2]
United States
NationalityAmerican
OccupationScreenwriter
Children3[1]

Life and career

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Paul

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Paul was named after Cinco de Mayo, a celebration held on his birthday.[1] After graduating from Yale University, Paul served a mission for the 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 the USC School of Cinematic Arts,[1] where he graduated in 1993 from the Graduate Screenwriting Program.[5] The following year, he sold his first screenplay to Columbia Pictures.[4]

Daurio

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Daurio started making films with a Super 8 camera at age 9. After high school, he began directing music videos and directed more than 100 videos.[6]

Collaboration

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Paul and Daurio began collaborating in 1999.[5] They met when Paul wrote a musical for the 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, including Bubble Boy and College Road Trip (2008).[6]

They were personally chosen by Audrey Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss, to write the screenplay for the film Horton Hears a Who!, an animated adaptation of the children's book Horton Hears a Who!, for Blue Sky Studios via 20th Century Fox Animation, led by Chris Meledandri.[6] In 2007, when Meledandri founded a film production company named Illumination Entertainment, Paul and Daurio followed him.[1]

At Illumination, they wrote screenplays for the highly-successful animated film Despicable Me[1] and its sequels, Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 3. They also wrote for Illumination's other films, the live action/animated Easter-themed Hop and adapted 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 the three-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 adapted Bubble Boy into a stage musical featuring original songs, for which an original cast recording was released on Sh-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 of Birthright for Universal Pictures and Skybound Entertainment.[9]

Split

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In 2019, Paul and Daurio sold their TV pitch for Schmigadoon! to Apple 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]

Daurio post-split

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After leaving Schmigadoon!, Daurio went back to working for Illumination, providing additional writing for Migration and co-writing Despicable Me 4.

Paul post-split

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Paul continued as showrunner and composer for both seasons of Schmigadoon!, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics in 2022 for his song "Corn Puddin'."[12]

In 2021, he published the rhyming children's book Clayton Parker Really Really Really Has to Pee, illustrated by Gladys Jose.[13]

Paul has also written the original musical A.D. 16 with playwright Bekah Brunstetter; it revolves around a teenage Mary Magdalene developing a crush on teenage Jesus Christ.[14] The musical was produced in early 2022 by the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Maryland, receiving a rave review from the Washington 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 film Winter Wonderland, also writing original songs for the project.[18]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Toone, Trent (June 27, 2013). "Latter-day Saint screenwriters talk about their movie careers, 'Despicable Me 2'". Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Haun, Harry (June 25, 2013). "Gru & Crew, take two: Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio revisit ex-villain in 'Despicable Me 2'". Film Journal. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  3. ^ Roberts, Sheila (July 3, 2013). "Writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio Talk DESPICABLE ME 2, Giving the Minions a Bigger Part, and Adding Romance". Collider.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Riess, Jana (July 9, 2015). ""Despicable Me" creator on Mormonism, Minions, and "the best calling in the church"". Religion News Service. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Sluis, Sarah (June 22, 2010). "Despicable glee: Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio brainstorm 3D animated tale of evil genius". Film Journal. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e Engel, Allison (2010). "The Singing Screenwriters". USC Trojan Family Magazine. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  7. ^ Murray, Rebecca (May 21, 2010). "Exclusive Interview with Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio". About.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  8. ^ "Bubble Boy [Original Cast Recording] - Cinco Paul | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  9. ^ Jacka, Sally (January 29, 2018). "Announcing the BIRTHRIGHT Movie!". Skybound.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-12. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  10. ^ Ethan, Bauer (20 December 2023). "The TV Series Schmigadoon! Offers Lessons for Everyone--Even Its Creators".
  11. ^ "'Schmigadoon!' Co-Creator Says Series Was Inspired By A 'Love Affair' With Musicals". NPR. August 23, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  12. ^ "Schmigadoon!".
  13. ^ Harrison, Jessica (25 August 2021). "Mini Review: Clayton Parker Really Really Really Has to Pee".
  14. ^ "A.D. 16". www.publictheater.org. Archived from the original on 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  15. ^ Marks, Peter. "Saints be praised: Mary Magdalene and Jesus are meet-cute Nazareth teens in a hilarious 'A.D 16'". Washington Post.
  16. ^ "Home - Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards". circle.tcg.org. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  17. ^ "Nominees & Recipients Database". TheatreWashington. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  18. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. "Hot Project: Cinco Paul To Make Directorial Debut On Imagine/Warner Music Group Animated Film 'Winter Wonderland'". Deadline Hollywood.
  19. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 24, 2014). "Chris Meledandri's Illumination Sets Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet And Kevin Hart For 3D Animated 'Pets' Pic At Universal". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 27, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  20. ^ "'Despicable Me' Screenwriter Discusses Local Honor, Theme Park Attraction". Conejo Valley Happening. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015. We just started writing Despicable Me 3,...
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