Paul Williams

Personal Bio

Born and raised in the Great State of New Jersey, Paul J. Williams started film school at the age of eight when his parents took him to the theater to see his first movie: “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Since then, he has become a multi-award-winning screenwriter, producer, director, and consultant based in the New York City area. In 2010, he founded Rolling Dark Productions and has had several movies screen at film festivals throughout the world.

His screenplays have reached the Quarterfinals, Top 10%, Top 15%, and the Top 20% in the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting; the Semifinals and Second Round in the Austin Film Festival; and the Semifinals in the CineStory Feature Retreat Competition.

He is an alumnus of the New Jersey Film School; a member emeritus of the New Jersey Screenwriters’ Group; and serves as a Professional Mentor for Cinema Ed Films, a non-profit film production company that uses cinema as a teaching tool for at-risk high school students in the Newark, New Jersey area.

Paul has also worked a screenplay reader/analyst for the Austin Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition (First and Second/Quarterfinal Rounds) and for Catch & Release Films (PRECIOUS, 127 HOURS, FOXCATCHER, MUD, WIN WIN). He has also reviewed movies and had articles on cinema published in various online outlets.

In his other life, Paul is a retired decorated law enforcement officer of almost twenty-six years, serving both as a Federal Officer with the U.S. Department of Justice, where his duties required him to travel to over twenty countries around the world, as well as a Police Officer for the City of Newark, N.J. Upon graduating the police academy, he volunteered to be assigned to Newark’s tough 4th Precinct (the Wild, Wild West District). He responded to Ground Zero in Manhattan after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions on December 14, 2002; transferred to Morris County, N.J. in July 2006; was promoted to Detective in July 2015; and retired in June 2021.

He resides in central New Jersey with his family, including a Miniature Dachshund named Hazel.