Gregory J. "Greg" Mottola (born July 11, 1964) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and television director. Mottola wrote and directed the 1996 independent film

Independent film

An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

 The Daytrippers

The Daytrippers

The Daytrippers is a 1996 independent drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. It stars Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci, Parker Posey and Liev Schreiber.-Plot:...

, then concentrated for several years on directing in television for series such as Undeclared

Undeclared

Undeclared is an American sitcom that aired on Fox during the 2001–02 season.- Premise :The half-hour comedy was Judd Apatow's follow-up to his earlier television series Freaks and Geeks, which also lasted for one season...

and Arrested Development. More recently, he has directed the feature films Superbad, Adventureland

Adventureland (film)

Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:...

, and Paul

Paul (film)

Paul is a 2011 science fiction comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It stars Pegg, Frost, and the voice of Seth Rogen as the title character...

. Mottola grew up in Dix Hills

Dix Hills, New York

Dix Hills is a hamlet Dix Hills is a hamlet Dix Hills is a hamlet (and a census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Huntington on the North Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Dix Hills was named the 19th most affluent U.S. neighborhood by Forbes in 2008.. It is one...

, New York, in a Catholic family of Irish-Italian descent. He received his BFA

Bachelor of Fine Arts

In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...

 in art from Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....

 and MFA

Master of Fine Arts

A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...

 in film from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

.

Mottola directed Adventureland

Adventureland (film)

Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:...

, set in the 1980s, a "first love" story about a group of college-age kids working at an amusement park. The protagonist's plans go awry when circumstances cause him to miss out on a backpacking trip to Europe with his friends. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and received critical praise.

His most recently released film, Paul

Paul (film)

Paul is a 2011 science fiction comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It stars Pegg, Frost, and the voice of Seth Rogen as the title character...

, is about two comic book nerds (played by the film's screenwriters Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...

 and Nick Frost

Nick Frost

Nicholas John "Nick" Frost is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is best known for his work with Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg in the role of Mike Watt in the television comedy Spaced, as well as the film characters Ed in Shaun of the Dead, PC/Sgt...

) who find an alien named Paul while vacationing in the US. As of 2011, Mottola is writing a screenplay based on Leanne Shapton

Leanne Shapton

Leanne Shapton is a Canadian artist and graphic novelist, now living in New York. Her second work, Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry, has been optioned for a film slated to star Brad Pitt and...

's Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry, to be produced by Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman

Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...

 and Plan B Entertainment

Plan B Entertainment

Plan B Entertainment is a film production company founded by Brad Pitt, Brad Grey, and Jennifer Aniston. In 2006, Pitt became the sole owner; the company currently holds a release deal with Paramount Pictures, along with Warner Bros...

. Mottola is married to Sarah Allentuch and has three children.

Film (as director)

Year	Title	Notes
1989 1989 in film -Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...	Swingin' in the Painter's Room	Short film
1996 1996 in film Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...	The Daytrippers The Daytrippers The Daytrippers is a 1996 independent drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. It stars Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci, Parker Posey and Liev Schreiber.-Plot:...	Also screenwriter
2007 2007 in film This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...	Superbad
2009 2009 in film The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...	Adventureland Adventureland (film) Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:...	Also screenwriter
2011 2011 in film The year 2011 is notable for containing the release of the most film sequels in a single year, at 27 sequels. The following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2011.- Highest-grossing films :...	Paul Paul (film) Paul is a 2011 science fiction comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It stars Pegg, Frost, and the voice of Seth Rogen as the title character...

Television

Year	Show	Episode	Notes
2001	Undeclared Undeclared Undeclared is an American sitcom that aired on Fox during the 2001–02 season.- Premise :The half-hour comedy was Judd Apatow's follow-up to his earlier television series Freaks and Geeks, which also lasted for one season...	"Addicts"
		"Sick in the Head"
		"Eric Visits Again"
2002		"Jobs, Jobs, Jobs"
		"Truth or Dare"
		"The Perfect Date"
2003	The Big Wide World of Carl Laemke	"Pilot"	Unaired television pilot
	Arrested Development	"Charity Drive Charity Drive "Charity Drive" is the fifth episode aired, though the sixth episode in DVD continuity, of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:... "
		"Visiting Ours Visiting Ours "Visiting Ours" is the sixth episode aired, and the fifth episode in the DVD continuity of, the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:... "
2004		"Storming the Castle Storming The Castle "Storming the Castle" is the ninth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:While doing some business work at home, the chair Michael Bluth is sitting in collapses. Michael decides he'll get one from work, which George Michael questions... "
	Cracking Up Cracking Up For the movie, see Cracking Up .Cracking Up is an American television sitcom created by School of Rock writer Mike White, who also served as the series' head writer. It aired on the Fox Network on Monday nights from March to May 2004. The title of the program and the name of the psychiatrist, Dr...	"Scared Straight
2005	The Comeback The Comeback (TV series) The Comeback is a television series produced by HBO that stars actress Lisa Kudrow as sitcom actress Valerie Cherish in modern-day Los Angeles, California. It was created by Kudrow and Michael Patrick King, a former executive producer of Sex and the City...	"Valerie Demands Dignity"
		"Valerie Saves the Show"