Poul served as executive producer for the HBO original series, Six Feet Under, on which he made his directing debut. He directed four episodes of the series from seasons two through five.
He later directed the pilot for CBS' series Swingtown, of which he directed a total of four episodes. He also directed the 2010 CBS Films romantic comedy The Back-Up Plan, originally titled Plan B.
He signed a new deal with HBO in April 2011. He was an executive producer of Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom. He directed seven episodes of the show, including the series finale.
Poul was an executive producer on Tokyo Vice and directed the final episode of its first season, Yoshino. He is fluent in Japanese.
Poul has been nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys, a Directors Guild of America award, and won a News & Documentary Emmy Award in Outstanding Historical Program for The Pacific Century.
