In a feature article on him, Variety called screenwriter/artist Tony Puryear "The Determined Dilettante" for his many-faceted career, or careers. He became the first African-American screenwriter to write a $100 million summer blockbuster with his script for the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Eraser. He has written films for Oliver Stone, Mel Gibson, Jerry Bruckheimer and Will Smith.
The New York native achieved early recognition as a gourmet chef after college at Brown University, winning awards for presentation and design. This caught the eye of advertising executive James Patterson, (then the head of J. Walter Thompson, NY, now the world's best-selling novelist.) Patterson brought Tony to New York to art-direct award-winning television commercials for Burger King and Goodyear. After Tony was temporarily blinded in an accident, the demanding Patterson insisted he write the spots, and, with Patterson's tough mentorship, Tony's career as a writer began.
Regaining his eyesight, Tony went on to work as a hip-hop music video director, helming ground-breaking clips for acts like K-Solo, EPMD and LL Cool J. He came to Hollywood when he was selected for the inaugural class of The Walt Disney Company's Writers Program.
Tony was a writer on Season 1 of the critically-praised Showtime series Street Time for Executive Producer Richard Stratton, the drug-dealer/convict-turned-writer. In 2018 he was Staff Writer on the five-season hit USA series, Queen of the South.
As a designer, Tony won national attention with his poster for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. It is now in The National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.
Tony co-created, co-writes and draws the critically-acclaimed graphic novel series Concrete Park from Dark Horse Comics with Erika Alexander. An action-filled sci-ti story, Concrete Park features people of color in a disturbing future. This landmark multicultural series was named one of The Best American Comics, 2013 and won the 2016 Glyph Award for Best Collection.
Tony's most recent graphic work includes a suite of drawings for the provocative 2016 adult coloring book BAIT by novelist/screenwriter Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club.)
Tony's new political art series, gankstas! ™, chronicles the schemes and personalities of the Trump Crime Family® and their hostile takeover of the government of the United States. (http://www.gankstas.com)
Tony Puryear lives in and works in downtown Los Angeles.
tony@concretepark.com