Writer

Paul W. Cooper has been a working freelance television and motion picture screenwriter for more than twenty years. With over 60 television credits and one motion picture, his awards include three Emmys, the Humanitas Prize and the Writers Guild Award. He wrote the critically acclaimed film ONCE UPON A TIME WHEN WE WERE COLORED which won Best Picture honors at the Movie Guide Awards and Houston Film Festival.

His television credits include MURDER, SHE WROTE, HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE and THE WALTONS. He served as Story Editor on Oprah Winfrey's dramatic series BREWSTER PLACE.

Paul has written 21 ABC and CBS AFTERSCHOOL SPECIALS, dealing with subject matter exploring every significant social issue including incest, alcoholism, physical abuse, homosexuality and racism. A number of these projects won Emmys as Best Television Specials for their significant social and dramatic impact. Paul has written a number of films for cable television, which have appeared on Showtime, The Disney and Family Channels. He wrote THE MALDONADO MIRACLE, movie for Showtime, produced and directed by Salma Hayak which earned five Emmy nominations. Additionally, he wrote and directed the interactive CD-Rom video game, CHESS WARS: A MEDIEVEL FANTASY, which won Best New Game, 1996. Upon graduation from the University of Tulsa as a business major, Paul served for six years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. A Vietnam Veteran, Paul began script writing while sitting long hours of alert as an aircraft commander in the Strategic Air Command. After many years of agent rejections, he eventually attracted the attention of Earl Hamner, creator of THE WALTONS and FALCON CREST, who encouraged him to come to Hollywood and give television writing a try.

Currently Paul has a project in development at The Disney Channel. He has optioned an original script based on the life of heavyweight champion Joe Louis and has written a Christmas Special for the Readers Digest. Paul has instructed Film and Television writing at Pepperdine University.