Paul Starkman is a film and television director born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and a graduate of the AFI Cinematography Program. He began his career as a camera operator on MTV’s The Real World before quickly rising to Director of Photography on America’s Next Top Model.

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In 2006, Paul began shooting the finales for Project Runway and soon transitioned into directing for the series, earning his first Emmy nomination. He later joined Bravo’s hit series Top Chef, directing for seven seasons.

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In narrative filmmaking, Paul wrote and directed the short film The Tree (2007), the story of a man searching for shade on a treeless Brooklyn block. He went on to write and direct his first feature film, Wheels, about a young DJ finding his way in Brooklyn. The film won multiple awards on the festival circuit, including Best Narrative Feature at the Woodstock Film Festival, and was released by 1091 Pictures in 2020.

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Paul’s directing work spans many of television’s most popular competition series, including Making It (NBC), Baking It (NBC), LEGO Masters and LEGO Masters Jr. (FOX), Next Level Chef (FOX), Crime Scene Kitchen (FOX), Top Chef (Bravo), The Trust (Netflix), Pressure Cooker (Netflix), Nailed It! (Netflix),  Age Of Attraction (Netflix) and On Brand (NBC). 

 

Paul is drawn to stories about highly skilled, passionate people striving to discover and prove their true potential.