Oren Peli is an Israeli-born American film director, producer and screenwriter, best known as the director/creator of Paranormal Activity. He is also a video game programmer. Oren Peli was born in Israel. When he reached the age of 19, he relocated to the United States. He was an intensive student of animation and graphic design and that helped him to become the successful director he is today. Peli is not only a film director but is also a screenwriter. In 2009, his film debut Paranormal Activity was released, with inspiration from The Blair Witch Project. Despite a $15,000 budget, he managed to create a box-office hit out of the horror film.