Paul Teutul Jr.
Paul Michael Teutul is one of the stars of the American reality television series American Chopper, also starring his father. Paul was the chief designer and fabricator. Prior to this, he was head of the rail shop at Orange County Ironworks. He is the founder of Paul Jr. Designs, which manufactures custom motorcycles and sells branded clothing.
Teutul, along with his father and younger brother Michael, became celebrities when they became the focus of a reality television series American Chopper on Discovery Channel in 2002.
Early life
The oldest of four children, Paul Jr. has two younger brothers: Daniel, the owner/general manager of Orange County Ironworks LLC, and Michael who featured on the television shows. The youngest of the Teutul children is sister Cristin, who currently works as a nurse in Rochester, New York. Paul's mother is Paula Teutul, his father's first wife.Falling out
On the April 9, 2009 episode of American Chopper, following a disagreement with his father and business partner, Teutul's employment was terminated. They attempted to resolve their disagreements, and he returned to work for OCC. The April 30, 2009 episode reveals that Teutul ultimately decided to voluntarily terminate his employment as a full-time member of the staff. In subsequent episodes, Teutul returned to OCC as a consultant, helping with bike builds when his father was away from the shop, and on motorbike builds needing additional manpower.Paul Jr. Designs
Teutul opened his own design firm Paul Jr. Designs, and, in 2009, designed a dog park in Montgomery, New York. His first product design was a "facelift" for Coleman's 10th anniversary "Roadtrip Grill" in 2010. On the February 4, 2010 American Chopper episode "Stewart-Haas Bike", Teutul pitched a line of dog toys to Bamboo Pets.It was reported in mid April 2010 by TMZ, that Teutul planned to start his own motorcycle business to go head-to-head against OCC. The report states that Teutul is bringing on several former OCC employees, including Michael Teutul, Vinnie DiMartino, Joe Puliafico, and Robert "Nub" Collard. After waiting out a one-year non-compete clause with Orange County Choppers, Teutul began building motorcycles at PJD, which is featured on a new series, American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior, on the Discovery Channel. The company now competes directly with OCC. Former OCC employee Cody Connelly has since joined PJD. In 2014, PJD assembled two teams to create two Azeroth Choppers for Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft which appeared in the game. In 2016, PJD created two bikes for the feature film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.