Alumnus Paul W. Downs (’04) came home on September 15 with two Emmys under his arm.
Downs was awarded one Emmy as Executive Producer when his HBO/Max production “Hacks” received the 2024 Award for Best Comedy Series. He garnered a second Emmy, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, for penning the “Hacks” episode titled “Bulletproof.”
Since 2021, Downs has received seven Emmy nominations for “Hacks.” The pilot episode of the series gave him an Emmy in 2021 for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.
In addition to being a writer and producer, Downs is also an actor. He honed his comedy skills at Duke, where he participated in improv and sketch groups. In 2022, he talked with Duke Magazine about the path from his undergraduate experiences to Hollywood.
In that interview, Downs said, “When I visited Duke, I was struck by how much people loved being at the school. Then I saw the Duke improv group do a show and it was like, ‘oh I can do comedy here.’”
With three Emmy Awards to his credit, Downs has proved he can do comedy anywhere.
Theater Studies