About the Guests

KEN DAURIO (Screenwriter)

From original and triumphant 3-D animation movies to adventurous live action movies, Hollywood screenwriter Ken Daurio is used to seeing his work come to life with one smash hit after another. This summer, you will see Ken’s work hit the big screen again in the highly anticipated animated film, Despicable Me 2, the sequel to the box office smash Despicable Me, which grossed over $543 million worldwide. For Despicable Me 2, Ken Daurio teamed up again with his writing partner Cinco Paul to bring audiences their unique vision of the film’s characters, which features an all-star cast to include: Steve Carell, Russell Brand, and Kristen Wiig.

Ken Daurio and his writing partner, Cinco Paul are the hot Hollywood screenwriting team who also penned the highly successful screenplays based on the beloved Dr. Seuss' children's books, The Loraxand Horton Hears a Who!, in collaboration with Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment. Daurio and Paul had the distinct honor of being handpicked by Audrey Geisel (the widow of Theodor Seuss Geisel) to write the Horton Hears a Who! and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax film projects on behalf of the estate of Dr. Seuss.

Daurio and Paul are known throughout the entertainment industry for their unique pitching style, often singing their pitches to high-level studio executives. For the Disney film College Road Trip, they belted out the ’80s tune “Double Dutch Bus,” complete with harmony and melody. An estimated 90 percent of their pitches in the last nine years have involved musical performances.

Daurio met Paul while working on a church musical and they bonded immediately. In 1999, they sold their first screenplay, Special, which they later turned into a short film that played the festival circuit due to its dark comedic story line. Next came the 2001 cult classic Bubble Boy, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal as Jimmy Livingston (a boy without an immune system), a twisted take on the John Travolta television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.

Upon graduating from high school, Daurio began directing music videos for up-and-coming bands like Blink 182, AFI and Jimmy Eat World. More than 100 music videos later, he teamed up with Paul to write his first feature script. Daurio and Paul are now one of Hollywood’s most sought-after screenwriting teams.

CINCO PAUL (Screenwriter/SCA Alumnus)

From original and triumphant 3-D animation movies to adventurous live action movies, Hollywood screenwriter Cinco Paul is used to seeing his work come to life with one smash hit after another. This summer, you will see Cinco’s work hit the big screen again in the highly anticipated animated film, Despicable Me 2, the sequel to the box office smash Despicable Me, which grossed over $543 million worldwide. For Despicable Me 2, Cinco Paul teamed up again with his writing partner Ken Daurio to bring audiences their unique vision of the film’s characters, which features an all-star cast to include: Steve Carell, Russell Brand, and Kristen Wiig.

Cinco Paul and his writing partner, Ken Daurio, are the hot Hollywood screenwriting team who also penned the highly successful screenplays based on the beloved Dr. Seuss' children's books, The Loraxand Horton Hears a Who!, in collaboration with Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment. Paul and Daurio had the distinct honor of being handpicked by Audrey Geisel (the widow of Theodor Seuss Geisel) to write the Horton Hears a Who! and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax film projects on behalf of the estate of Dr. Seuss. Paul also wrote the lyrics for The Lorax movie, for which he received an Annie Award nomination in 2013 (along with John Powell).

Paul and Daurio are known throughout the entertainment industry for their unique pitching style, often singing their pitches to high-level studio executives. For the Disney film College Road Trip, they belted out the ’80s tune “Double Dutch Bus” complete with harmony and melody. An estimated 90 percent of their pitches in the last nine years have involved musical performances.

Paul met Daurio while working on a church musical and they bonded immediately. In 1999, they sold their first screenplay, Special; later, they turned it into a short film that went on to play the festival circuit due to its dark comedic story line. Next came the 2001 cult classic Bubble Boy, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal as Jimmy Livingston (a boy without an immune system), a twisted take on the John Travolta television movie TheBoy in the Plastic Bubble. Paul also recently turned Bubble Boy into a full-length musical, for which he wrote the music and lyrics. His other film credits include Disney’s megahit The Santa Clause 2.

Paul studied at Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he received his MFA in screenwriting from the University of Southern California, winning a fellowship grant to pay for his second year.