Moved from NYC to Southern California

Wrote episodes of the FOX sitcom, "Get a Life!"

Staff writer on the FOX variety series, "The Edge"

Served as exective story editor on the CBS summer sitcom "The Trouble With Larry"

Penned first draft of what became breakthrough feature, "Being John Malkovich"

Was a co-producer of the short-lived FOX comedy "Misery Loves Company"

Worked as a staff writer on the equally short-lived ABC series "The Dana Carvey Show"

Produced and scripted episodes of the FOX sitcom "Ned and Stacy"

First produced screenplay, "Being John Malkovich"; directed by Spike Jonze and starring John Cusack

Second produced screenplay, "Human Nature"; produced and directed by Michel Gondry

Re-teamed with Jonze for "Adaptation"; a film version of Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief; suffered writer's block in trying to pen adaptation of the non-fiction work and instead used that situation as basis for film, going so far as to create a fictional brother, Donald, to whom he dedicated the script; received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay

Adapted game show producer Chuck Barris' seriocomic autobiography "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"; George Clooney made his directorial debut

Re-teamed with Gondry for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Screenplay

Premiered his directorial debut, "Synecdoche, New York" at the Cannes Film Festival; starred Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Michelle Williams