Production biographies

21 April 2011

Paul Abbott
(Creator/Executive Producer)

British writer and producer Paul Abbott began his television-writing career on Coronation Street in 1983 and in 1988 he went on to co-create the drama series Children's Ward with Kay Mellor, which ran for more than ten years.

He produced the second series of Jimmy McGovern's BAFTA winning Cracker and went on to write on series three in 1995, which also won a BAFTA. Following this he wrote the drama serials: Reckless, Springhill, Touching Evil and Butterfly Collectors.

In 1998, he created the series that established him as a leading writer of contemporary television drama, with the award-winning series Clocking Off. This was followed by The Secret World Of Michael Fry, Linda Green and Alibi.

In 2003, to a rapturous critical reception the political thriller, State Of Play played out - and in 2008 was made into a Hollywood movie, starring Russell Crowe.

Then came the multi-award-winning semi-autobiographical Shameless, now in production for its eighth series in the UK, in addition to its US remake.

Paul Abbott has won various awards for writing and producing, including the BAFTA Dennis Potter Award for Outstanding Writing in Television, International Emmys® and the Peabody Award. He is a visiting professor at Salford University, and honorary professor at Manchester Metropolitan University.

In 2008 Paul established his development company AbbottVision, which enables him to continue to write, mentor and work with new writers.  He also has several new projects of his own in pre-production, including a new drama series Exile, which starts filming at the end of 2010.

Paul lives with his wife and two children in Manchester.

 

John Wells
(Executive Producer)

John Wells is one of the most prolific writers, directors and producers for television, film and the stage. Over the past two decades, Wells has been a creative force behind some of primetime's biggest hit series, including ER, The West Wing, Third Watch and China Beach. In addition to SHAMELESS, he is currently executive producer of the hit TNT crime drama, Southland.

Shows produced by John Wells have received an astounding 267 Emmy® nominations with 55 Emmy® wins, not to mention 5 Peabody Awards, and numerous People's Choice Awards, Producers Guild Awards, a Humanitas Prize (nominated 7 times), as well as numerous distinctions from health care organizations across the country for ER. During its fifteen year run, ER earned 122 Emmy® nominations, the most in television history.

Wells recently wrote and directed The Company Men, a drama set against the backdrop of affluent Boston suburbs that vividly portrays the struggles of families coping with the current ongoing economic meltdown. The film marks Wells' feature film directorial debut with an extraordinary ensemble cast including Academy Award® winners Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper, as well as Emmy® winner Craig T. Nelson and Golden Globe nominee Maria Bello.

As a producer, Wells' motion-picture credits include: Carroll Ballard's critically acclaimed drama Duma, a children's film, starring Hope Davis and Campbell Scott; Peter Kosminsky's adaptation of Janet Fitch's critically acclaimed novel White Oleander, starring Alison Lohman, Robin Wright Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer and Renée Zellweger; and Neil Jordan's The Good Thief, starring Nick Nolte. Wells also served as a Producer on Andrzej Bartkowiak's Doom, based upon the popular video game and starring Dwayne ‘The Rock' Johnson.

Wells executive produced Todd Haynes' upcoming miniseries Mildred Pierce for HBO and the innovative Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There. He also served as Executive Producer on Tom Kalin's Savage Grace, Douglas McGrath's Infamous, Mary Harron's The Notorious Bettie Page and Phyllis Nagy's Mrs. Harris for HBO, which garnered several Emmy® nominations. Also in collaboration with Killer Films was Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven, Mark Romanek's One Hour Photo, Todd Graff's Camp, Fenton Bailey's Party Monster, Robert Altman's The Company, Michael Mayer's A Home At The End Of The World and John Waters' A Dirty Shame.

A seven-time Writers Guild Award nominee, in 2007, Wells received the WGA's prestigious Paddy Chayefsky Television Laurel Award, given to writers who have advanced the literature of television and made outstanding contributions to the profession of television writers. In 2005, Wells was awarded the David Susskind Achievement Award in Television from the Producers Guild of America.

Wells' award-winning stage work includes productions of Judgement, Balm in Gilead, Battery and She Also Dances.

Wells currently serves as President of the Writers Guild of America, West. He previously served as its President from 1999-2001 and was vital to the success of the 2001 MBA contract negotiations.

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Wells graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and later earned a Masters degree in film and television at the University of Southern California, where he also serves on the school's Television Executive Advisory Council.