Sometime in his 20s, Paul Bugden began his endevour as an actor in various fields of Australian theater, television and cinema. For him, he was in the middle of a cultural shift in the country as the 1970s saw the revival of the Australian film industry after many decades of inactivity. Once building a career as an actor, Paul would find himself behind the camera, as he made his directorial debut with the indie short film "Adam" in 1975. A monumental film in queer cinema as it was the first Australian movie to center on a gay protagonist as well as be written and directed by an openly gay filmmaker. His themes into queer sexuality would be greatly contrasted in his followup film "Confirmation" in 1977, where it centers on the titular protagonist of his first film during his childhood years. Specifically in the midst of his Confirmation ceremony and what he envisions himself to be as a "Soilder of Christ"
Paul's pursuits into film making would find himself amongst the eccentric bohemians of New York City by the later half of the 70s. Whilst he now lives the pleasant life of retirement, Paul continues to express his creative ambitions in theater, with one of his recent contributions being his script for the one-man play "Stardust".