Paul Rauch

Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1972 to 1982. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with head writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings. In the 1970s Daytime ratings, Another World often rose to the top of the ratings, just below number one show As the World Turns and Guiding Light.

Rauch led the show to an expanded hour format in 1975, which was a success. However, a subsequent time expansion to 90 minutes in 1979 was less successful.

During his tenure on Another World, he was the co-creator and executive producer of three other soap operas, Lovers and Friends, For Richer For Poorer, and Texas (the other creators being John William and Joyce Corrington), spin-off of Another World, that aired on NBC from 1980 to 1982. In addition to being co-creator, he held the title of Executive Producer until 1981.[2]

Following his stints on Another World (1972-1982), Lovers and Friends and For Richer For Poorer, and Texas (1980-1981), he was hired by ABC Daytime to be a producer for One Life to Live in 1983. He served as executive producer from 1984 to 1991.

In addition, he was executive producer of Santa Barbara from 1991 to 1993, and Guiding Light from 1996 to 2002.

Rauch appeared at the end of the final episode of Santa Barbara on January 15, 1993. The final shot consisted of Rauch standing in front of the camera, smashing a cigar under his shoe, and walking away.

From 2003 to 2005, he was an executive consulting producer to a period-drama that aired on Russian television, called Bednaya Nastya. From 2008 to 2011, he was the executive producer of the serial The Young and the Restless.

On August 22, 2013, Grant Aleksander, who had portrayed Phillip Spaulding on Guiding Light from 1983 through the series finale in 2009, revealed in an interview with Carolyn Hinsey that Rauch had been working on a continuation of Guiding Light at the time of his death on December 10, 2012. According to the interview he had consulted with the Big Networks executives regarding the proposal and Procter & Gamble were interested as well.[3]

In 2009 Paul Rauch was named "The Greatest Daytime Producer of All Time" by TV Guide Canada, while he served as co-executive producer of the #1 daytime show The Young & the Restless. Rauch also produced the feature films Lover's Knot (Cannes Film Festival) and Run the Wild Fields (Film Advisory Board Award, special honors at the Sarasota Film Festival, Emmy, Best Family Film), as well as the 100-episode primetime series Poor Nastya for Sony Pictures Int. and Russia 3.