Tara Dorfman has been brought in by Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs, the creative couple who created Hacks on HBO Max, to head up development of television projects for their production company, Paulilu Productions. It is a significant hiring for the company in itself because they hope to continue building on whatever success they have had so far.
Tara Dorfman will be working with both Aniello and Downs to identify, generate, develop and produce new shows of all types of genres, basically, and therefore, it is clear that Paulilu is envisioning a much larger future than simply being known as a comedy production company. The announcement was followed by a joint statement from Aniello and Downs, which, despite being brief, made their feelings clearly known about this new addition to the team.
“Tara has impeccable taste in comedy and we couldn’t be more excited to build something special together.”
Tara Dorfman loved getting together with this duo. She described them as “the ultimate trifecta – smart, funny, and thoughtful,” and since they have all been in each other’s worlds for so long, this coming together was just especially meaningful to her,
“Getting to work with people who care about the same things I do feels very special, and I’m excited to help them build on what they’ve created.”
That shared history is not just something people say to sound good for the press. Tara Dorfman first met Aniello and Downs while she was working on season 3 of Broad City, the Comedy Central series that was a major part of how the Paulilu team built their reputation in television before Hacks came along. So this is people who already know each other pretty well deciding to formally join forces, which usually tends to work out a lot better than bringing in someone from outside who you have to learn alongside from scratch.
What has Tara Dorfman been doing before this?
Before coming on board at Paulilu, Tara Dorfman had been working as an independent producer, and she had spent that time building out something pretty interesting, an international comedy project with Australia’s Easy Tiger Productions that was focused on creating an incubator for comedy across the US and Australia.
Out of that work came collaborations on shows like Colin from Accounts on Paramount+ and Territory on Netflix, as well as Optics for the Australian ABC. That kind of cross-border comedy work requires someone with a very clear sense of what makes things funny across different markets and different audiences, which is not an easy skill to have.
Tara Dorfman worked independently for the eight years prior to leaving her employment at one of the largest talent agencies in Hollywood, Creative Artists Agency, from February 2016 through May 2023. During her time at the agency, she was an agent representing comedians, writers, directors and producers as a scripted television comedy agent.
Her understanding of the needs of that specific type of performer (who are from a stand-up background) and also writers and directors building their own shows was invaluable for someone coming into a company making character-driven comedy, which is what Paulilu does. In 2018, Tara Dorfman was also featured by Forbes in their 30 Under 30 Entertainment list.
What is Paulilu Productions, and where is it going?
The couple met in New York at the Upright Citizens Brigade when they were both level one improv students. Aniello and Downs officially formed Paulilu Productions in 2007 (and also, the same year they met). Paulilu combines their names, Paul and Lucia. They are a married couple; therefore, their work and personal life are tangled, as well as being copartners in everything, from co-creation to co-showrunning to growing the business. As the business expands, they recognise that they need someone like Tara Dorfman to be in charge of the development sector.
The most popular show produced by the company is clearly Hacks (HBO Max), featuring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder and has been nominated for multiple awards, including the Emmy for Best Comedy Series. Additionally, the company has created the television version of The Babysitters Club for Netflix.
The company has obtained a comprehensive agreement with Warner Bros. Television Group. It will therefore be developing all new projects within that agreement. And with Tara Dorfman now leading Paulilu’s television development programme, while they have the agreement in place as well, they are clearly readying themselves for much greater involvement within the television industry. They have not only creative talent but also a business structure to aid them in their endeavours.
Edited by Sohini Biswas