Notable for writing and directing such socially conscious films as The Fluffer (2001), Quinceanera (2006), The Last of Robin Hood (2013), and Still Alice (2014), he is also remembered for his producing work on the reality series America's Next Top Model. After earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, he completed his doctorate in English literature at the University of Virginia. He wrote his first independent feature film, Grief, in the early 1990s.
