Paul Bevan Lieberstein (born February 22, 1967) is an American
screenwriter,
actor and
television producer. A
Primetime Emmy Award winner, he is known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member
Toby Flenderson on the U.S. version of the sitcom
The Office. He served as the series'
showrunner from seasons
five to
eight. On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Lieberstein would step down from his showrunner role to focus on a planned spin-off series featuring
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, which was tentatively called
The Farm and Lieberstein was set to be the showrunner. However, in October 2012, it was announced that NBC was not accepting the spin-off series. Lieberstein also worked as producer on the third season of television drama
The Newsroom.