He received a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television Production from the School of Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California in 1990 as well as a BA in English/Humanities from USC. In 1991, he received a Master of Fine Arts from USC in screenwriting, with additional emphasis in directing. Before coming to Brigham Young University he worked in Los Angeles for 15 years as a producer, director, and writer with companies such as: Miramax Pictures, CBS Television, Orion Pictures, David E. Kelley Productions, EMI/Capitol Records, Fox Television, Dallas Museum of Art, Franklin/Covey, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Times, Lilly & Brandon Tartikoff, McGraw-Hill Companies and United Artists.