Meet Paul Ingoldsby | Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Ingoldsby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, why did you pursue a creative career?
I think being creative is something that’s in the bones of Irish people — to tell stories, to create, to express ourselves is just who we are. I certainly always felt that way, and grew up drawing inspiration from many of the great Irish writers. Though I was also always drawn to the possibilities and freedom of American cinema.

But for a long time, I resisted pursuing writing. I come from a tiny village deep in the Irish countryside, where there aren’t many career opportunities for young people. Your choices are farming or, if you’re unusually academically inclined, teaching.

So even though I wrote and directed a short that won a national student filmmaking award in high school, growing up I didn’t know a single person who made a living in the film industry. I knew I had talent, but a creative career just never felt like a viable path for someone from where I’m from.

But my problem was I was plagued by an idea. An idea for a TV show that would tell the story of Ireland, but in doing so also tell the story of America. It was ambitious, unique, and the kind of content I longed to see in the world. But also the kind of story I knew only I could write.

So after working on a few features and TV shows for a Dublin film production company, I turned my idea into my first script. That script, Trouble, ended up beating out other international applicants to win a $60,000 fellowship from the University of California, Riverside.

That achievement, that confirmation that I could write at an internationally recognized level, was a huge turning point for me. From then on, I knew there was a big appetite out there for what I was creating, and that I had to meet it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a repped LA-based Irish screenwriter who specializes in dramatizing true events. I’m particularly interested in stories about ambition, success, and the American Dream, which I approach through a uniquely Irish lens.

I started my career in development, where I worked on award-winning features and TV shows including Irish-American co-production Son (2021) and miniseries The Vanishing Triangle (2023), which is based on the true story of the unsolved disappearances of several Irish and American women in 1990s Ireland. Since moving to LA, I’ve twice been an Academy Nicholl Fellowship semifinalist, including for my tech thriller Analytica in 2023.

Of course, any career in this industry is not without its challenges. From the lingering effects of the pandemic, to the writers’ strike, to the shifting technological landscape, any writer will tell you the past few years have posed a unique set of challenges to our profession.

But despite this, I’ve been able to succeed by remembering to focus on the things I can control. I think that too often as creatives we waste energy trying to second-guess our industry’s desires — worrying about what genres are in vogue this month, waiting for the perfect market conditions to look for representation, or you know, just doomscrolling through Deadline — instead of doing the work to put ourselves in the best possible position to succeed. On a large scale, the odds of success in this industry might be a million to one, but on an individual level, your odds are more like 50/50 — either you succeed, or you don’t. At the end of the day, any industry is hungry for quality work, regardless of whatever market forces happen to be doing. So if you’re talented enough, your odds start to look pretty good.

This focus on creating the best work possible has paid off for me, with the recent optioning of my thriller spec script Leech by a veteran producer and collaborator of both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

It’s a big step for my career, and a sign of exciting things to come. It’s also testament to much of what my writing is about: that regardless of where you come from — even a remote village on a windswept island in the Atlantic — talent and hard work pays off in America.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I‘ve actually had a lot of visitors from Ireland in the last year, so I feel like I’ve honed my itinerary down to the crowdpleasers.

We’re starting off with a greasy brunch in a diner like Rae’s in Santa Monica. In a place that doesn’t always prioritize its past, I’m kind of obsessed with these strange little time capsules that dot the city. And in terms of ambiance, as well as cuisine, we really have nothing like them in Ireland.

Next, we’re hitting up El Matador. There’s no shortage of beautiful beaches here, but El Matador’s dramatic collision of cliffs, sand, and churning sea always impresses. When visitors have a mental picture of the perfect California coastline, it usually looks like El Matador.

We’re skipping the obligatory (but lowkey underwhelming…) In-N-Out, and heading to Little Dom’s in Los Feliz for an early dinner. Visitors always seem to spot celebrities there whenever I take them, which tends to go down pretty well. And of course, the food’s not bad either.

It’s also next door to the beautiful Los Feliz Theatre, where we might catch an American Cinematheque-hosted screening and Q&A. Access to great filmmakers and artists discussing their work is one of my absolute favorite things about this city, but it’s something that’s easy to take for granted by locals who’ve never known anything else. For visitors to LA, however, it’s one of the many things that makes this city so special.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, there have been so many people who’ve been crucial in helping me achieve everything that I’ve achieved so far. Nobody makes it in this industry alone, and talent and hard work go a lot further when you have mentors willing to take you under their wing. I’ve been pretty lucky to have a number of those at various stages of my career.

For me, producer AnneMarie Naughton of Park Films played a particularly vital role when I was getting started. Creatively gifted and blessed with sharp business acumen, she’s everything you could want from a producer. And the sheer quality of her filmography speaks for itself.

But despite her hugely successful career, she was always incredibly generous with her time, advice, and the opportunities she gave me while working together. She has an excellent eye for talent, and very much operates on the belief that the best idea in the room wins, no matter who it comes from.

This meant that despite my initial lack of experience, I was soon working as a script editor on big projects for her. The environment she fostered was thrilling and empowering, which — for a young creative working their first industry job — was deeply inspiring. Creating films and TV shows that were both financially successful and artistically rich taught me that creative fulfillment need not come at the expense of commercial success, and vice versa.

In the future, when I have the opportunity to mentor young creatives, I’ll think of her generosity and the trust she placed in me, which made me feel like anything was possible in this industry.

Website: https://paulingoldsby.com