In 2004 he co – wrote the hit film I Heart Huckabees and worked with Hollywood elites Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law and Naomi Watts.
A decade later, he found his big solo break with the zombie flick Life After Beth which starred his eventual wife Plaza as well as comedy star John C. Reilly.
The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize before its A24 release.
Plaza publicly praised her then boyfriend for helping her cut through the film and TV industry.
She told People, “I think that when you’re with someone that is in your field, they understand what you’re dealing with on a deeper level.
So obviously you are able to support each other and really understand kind of the journey that we’re both on.”