He wrote and directed the musical “Lies in the Attic,” which was performed by the group in 2016. He co-wrote and starred in the Silicon Valley mockumentary “Bubbleproof,” which was produced by the Femtofilm project in 2017. He is the brother of former New York Times reporter Alison Leigh Cowan. Cowan identifies as atheist and as of 2020 is on the Board of Center for Inquiry.