Native New Yorker Paul Junger Witt took his first television position with Screen Gems in Los Angeles immediately following his graduation from the University of Virginia. At Screen Gems, one of Hollywood's most active television production companies, he worked as an associate producer and director of The Farmer's Daughter and Occasional Wife. In 1971 Witt produced the enormously successful and influential-and Emmy-winning-made-for-television movie Brian's Song. On that project he worked for the first time with his future partner, Tony Thomas. He then assumed producer-director duties on The Partridge Family.

     In 1971 he moved on to become a producer with Spelling-Goldberg Productions, where he was involved in several films. A year later, he joined Danny Thomas Productions as president, serving as executive producer of five movies for television and two series, including Fay, which was created and written by Susan Harris.

     In 1975 Witt joined with Tony Thomas (son of the legendary comedian Danny Thomas) to form Witt/ Thomas Productions. A year later, the two men teamed up with Susan Harris to form Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. Their first venture, Soap, was both a critical and popular success, although it was roundly attacked by religious and cultural conservatives. Witt found the criticisms particularly disturbing since no one in the groups making the attacks had ever seen the series. Yet several ABC affiliates responded to the critiques and either refused to air Soap or relegated it to late hours. It is Witt's belief that the unfair depictions of the show by those bent on removing it from the  air  continued  to have a chilling effect on advertisers for all the remaining years that the program was on ABC.

     A unique television event. Soap set in motion a long string of major television hits for the three partners. including Benson, The Golden Girls, and Empty Nest. Of these series. Soap and Golden Girls reflected a continuing emphasis on strong female characters. The company also produced at least five other shows with modest success that focused on women. In addition, Witt/Thomas produced Beauty and the Beast, Blossom, The John Larroquette Show, The Secret Lives of Men, and Everything's Relative.

     The huge success of the company solidified Witt/Thomas/Harris as a powerful force in the television industry. Witt observed that their reputation gave them significant access to network time slots. In 1984, Witt/Thomas also began production of feature films including Dead Poets Society and Three Kings.