Paul Israel Pickman

Paul Israel Pickman (born February 4, 1958) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, newspaper publisher and columnist best known in United States of America for founding the Kackad(Каскад) pronounced Cascade in English) Russian newspaper.

Soon after graduating from world renown Gerasimov's Institute of Cinematography (Class of 1981) (Russian: Всероссийский государственный университет кинематографии имени С.А.Герасимова or All-Russian State University of Cinematography aka. VGIK) film school in Moscow with a degree in journalism and art of film directing, Pickman rejoined his family in Minsk, Belorussia (Father Israel Pickman Израиль Цуриелевич Пикман was filmmaker who was well known in the USSR and also a graduate from VGIK. Mother - Mera Volchenok a chemical engineer).
Pickman quickly came to public prominence in Belarus in the 1980s once he joined his father in Belarus film studios where he interned since the high school years. Like many other Jewish soviets Pickman left then USSR for USA in 1989.

In America, Pickman reinvented himself with the American dream mentality starting with meeting his 2nd wife Nelly in 1994. Shortly after, in 1994, with his support team, Pickman embarked a new project as a scriptwriter, film director and producer with his good friend Avi Abramov as a director of photography. Both created an international documentary called “Peace Sound Sweet”. In 1995, the movie was well received and won an award at the Philadelphia International Film Festival. Fresh out of the moviemaking experience, Pickman and his wife decided to launch Baltimore’s Kackad Russian Newspaper in June 1995. Currently, Pickman still serves as the newspaper publisher and columnist.

Pickman plays a pivotal role as a spokesman for the Baltimore Russian and Former USSR Jewish immigrant community.

• 1987 - Prize and diploma from All Byelorussian Festival of Young Cinematographers, Minsk, USSR, for documentary, "Long Live the Wind".
• 1988 - First prize and Diploma from "National Festival of Advertisements", Kishinev, USSR, for films, "Save the Bread", "Old man, Old Woman and Kilowatt".
• 1989 - TV shows for National Broadcasting, Moscow, USSR, for "These Non-Understandable Old Men", "House at the Road".
• 1988-89 - Vice President, Young Cinematographer’s Union, Minsk, USSR, 1988-1989

• 1994 - Development Stages of Several film projects with McDonagh-Davis Newborn A Quante Associates including TELLY AWARD-WINNING "The Loneliest Journey", camera, production, editing.
• 1995–Present - President Goubernia Corp., Editor in Chief of the Cascade Russian newspaper
• Editor, Milner-Fenvick Video Company
• Film Director, Cinema Verite
  • "Songs and Music of Russian Jews"
  • "From Baltimore with Love"
  • "Peace Sounds Sweet"
• Diploma of Philadelphia International Film Festival, participate in New York 17-th Independent Film Market and Leipzig International Film Festival

• "Peace Sounds Sweet"

After much success as a print newspaper in the Baltimore, DC, and Virginia area, in 2002 the paper adapted the domain name kackad.com and expanded to an online market to capture the world audience.

In 2014, Paul Pickman published a book called, New Year in September.