Paul Conrad Zehrer is an American film and television director, writer, producer, and editor. He was raised on a dairy farm and worked as a beekeeper

Beekeeper

A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees for the purposes of securing commodities such as honey, beeswax, pollen, royal jelly; pollinating fruits and vegetables; raising queens and bees for sale to other farmers; and/or for purposes satisfying natural scientific curiosity...

 before studying Philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 at Vassar College

Vassar College

Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...

. He later moved to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, where he began his filmmaking career.

Zehrer's directorial debut, Blessing, which captures the rhythms and rituals of Midwestern farm life, received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Screenplay.

He also directed the Emmy-nominated Blue's Clues

Blue's Clues

Blue's Clues is an American children's television show airing on the Nickelodeon family of channels. The show premiered on September 8, 1996 and airs on Nick Jr. and other channels, although production of new episodes ceased by 2006. Versions of the show have been produced in other countries,...

(Nickelodeon), was an editor for Frontline (PBS), and has edited a number of feature documentaries, including "Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones" and PBS' "Picasso Paints Picasso".

Awards and nominations

• Independent Spirit Award, Best First Screenplay - Blessing (nomination)
• Emmy Award
  Emmy Award
  An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
  
  , Best Director - Blue's Clues
  Blue's Clues
  Blue's Clues is an American children's television show airing on the Nickelodeon family of channels. The show premiered on September 8, 1996 and airs on Nick Jr. and other channels, although production of new episodes ceased by 2006. Versions of the show have been produced in other countries,...
  
  (nomination)
• Sundance
  Sundance Film Festival
  The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
  
   Grand Jury Prize - Blessing (nomination)
• Heart of America Award, Best Feature - Blessing
• Gold Jury Award, Houston International Film Festival - Blessing
• Critic's Award, Deauville Film Festival - Blessing (nomination)

External links

• http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?title1=BLESSING%20%28MOVIE%29&title2=&reviewer=Stephen%20Holden&pdate=19950412&v_id=133622 New York Times Review of Blessing
• http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=557293 Hollywood Reporter Review of Blessing