Paul Shapiro

Paul Shapiro
Paul Shapiro
	Paul Shapiro Headshot 2020 Web-Size.jpg Paul Shapiro
Born	1979/07/03
🏳️ Nationality	United States
💼 Occupation	Author
🏢 Organisation	The Better Meat Co.
Known for	Host of Business for Good Podcast
Works	Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World
🏡 Home town	Sacramento, CA
👩 Spouse(s)	Toni Okamoto
👪 Relatives	Ryan Shapiro
🏅 Awards	Animal Rights Hall of Fame
🌐 Website	https://www.cleanmeat.com/
🥚 Twitter	https://www.twitter.com/PaulHShapiro
👍 Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/paulshapiro
📷 Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/paulshapiro1

Paul Shapiro is an entrepreneur, CEO, podcast host, best-selling author, and thought leader in the realm of meat sustainability, innovation, and the future of food. Shapiro published the Washington Post best-selling “Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World” in 2018, and co-hosts the podcast “Business For Good”. With many years of pertinent experience in the evolving field of food sustainability, Shapiro has lent his expert insights into hundreds of leading news outlets, multimedia platforms, and thought-provoking publications.

Early Life & Animal Conservation

Young Shapiro attended Georgetown Day School from 1993 to 1997, where he manifested his growing interest in animal conservation by forming the high school club, Compassion Over Killing. Originally intended as a school-based organization aimed at championing awareness of predatory food manufacturing processes, Paul Shapiro grew this club into a national organization post-matriculation. After founding Compassion Over Killing in 1995, Shapiro spearheaded campaigns to successfully stop false advertising on egg cartons. Additionally, he parlayed growing leadership skills to generate national headlines about various animal abuses.

Upon completing high school in 1997, young Paul Shapiro enrolled at the prestigious Georgetown University, where he majored in Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in 2001. Post-matriculation, Shapiro became Compassion Over Killing’s first full-time employee. Having grown the group since inception, Shapiro spearheaded the now-national organization until 2005. Since Shapiro’s departure, Compassion Over Killing has been renamed Animal Outlook.

Joining a national animal conservation group in 2005, Paul Shapiro spent the next 11 years as the group’s Vice President of Farm Animal Protection. He worked alongside multiple agencies, individuals, and conservation groups to champion innovative legislation, eliminate inhumane practices within the farming industry, and increase the availability of plant-based meat alternatives. In 2016, Shapiro accepted a leadership role for the group and was named the VicePresident of Policy Engagement. For the next two years, he worked alongside industry leaders to manifest legislative change, Congressional protections, and other policies intended to innovate the farming, and meat production industries.

TEDx Talks & Thought Leadership

In 2017, Paul Shapiro spearheaded a series of four thought-provoking TEDx Talks, highlighting some of the most pressing issues plaguing the clean meat movement, animal conservation, and food manufacturing. In September, Shapiro presented “Are We Doing More to Protect Aliens than Life on Earth?” This Baltimore-based TEDx Talk explored the benefits of treating livestock in a manner consistent with NASA’s policies for treating potential alien life forms. Shapiro followed his presentation with his second TEDx Talk, titled “Clean Meat: The Clean Energy of Food.” This South Lake Tahoe presentation explored the potential impact of innovative start-up companies harvesting animal cells for the production of meat products. Through the elimination of slaughter-based meat products, Shapiro presented the notion that clean meat products could be a viable “traditional meat alternative.”

In Sun Valley, Idaho, Shapiro presented his third TEDx Talk, “We Are Better Than How We Treat Animals.” The moving conversation begged the question of whether or not humanity is inherently “better” than the historical treatment of animals, and whether the collective self-perception of humankind aligns with this systematic mistreatment. The following month, Shapirodelivered his last TEDx Talk, titled “What Will Future Generations Think About Our Treatment of Animals?” In this Washington D.C. based presentation, Shapiro explored the changing generational perceptions of behavior and pondered what future generations will conceive of the current mistreatment of animals.

In addition to leading these thought-provoking TEDx Talks, Paul Shapiro has leveraged his pertinent experience to discuss animal conservation, innovation in the clean meat movement, and the future of meat manufacturing via many leading platforms. Shapiro has been interviewed by the likes of CNN, The Washington Post, and Fortune Magazine as a thought leader. His scholarly work has been published in various academic journals and textbooks, including “Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics”, and “Impact of Meat Consumption on Health and Environmental Sustainability.”

Entrepreneurship & Leadership Ventures

In July 2018, Paul Shapiro joined forces with his partner, Toni Okamoto Shapiro, to co-host the podcast “Business For Good”. In the podcast’s first season, the duo interviewed industry disruptors and startup founders who aim to resolve the world’s most pressing issues through their business ventures. Currently, Shapiro interviews thought leaders working toward systemic change in the fight against pollution, animal mistreatment, food waste, and other pressing matters.

Inspired by his work with the meat manufacturing industry, Paul Shapiro founded The Better Meat Co. in April 2018. The business-to-business venture aims to provide resources for meat manufacturers, and institutional meat sellers to utilize plant-based proteins in their meat production processes. The inclusion of these plant-based proteins provides meat manufacturers with a cost-effective, sustainable, and healthy addition to their products.

Innovative Author

Following the clean meat movement on the frontlines, Paul Shapiro penned “Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World” as an insider’s look into the groundbreaking work to commercialize lab-created meat products. Released in January of 2018, Shapiro’s inaugural tome was named a Washington Post best-seller during the week of January 7, 2018. The book is the first published comprehensive exploration of the innovative work being done to launch real meat alternatives. In the book, Shapiro delves into the science behind harnessing new meat products from the cells of animals,the impending impact of this movement on sustainability, and the controversy surrounding the clean meat movement. Heralded as an informational, timely, and innovative dive into this groundbreaking industry, “Clean Meat” encapsulates Paul Shapiro’s continued commitment to the evolution of the meat industry, animal conservation, and sustainability.