Played guitar in a band called the Slags in the late 1980s

Earliest known published piece, a short story titled "At the Village Hall" in the Northampton zine Perkins Press

Began contributing essays and short fiction to the alternative weekly New York Press; regularly courting controversy

First novel Light House was published serially in the Amherst literary magazine Old Crow Review over five installments

Wrote a weekly column for the seasonal Hamptons magazine

Hired to work as an editor at the now defunct Spy magazine

Garnered critical acclaim for his first novel Light House: A Trifle

Sold first spec script, a Barbary War epic titled "Tripoli" to 20th Century Fox; script was eventually shelved

Penned the screenplay adaptation for director Ridley Scott’s "Kingdom of Heaven"

Scripted the police/mob thriller "The Departed" for director Martin Scorsese; based on the Hong Kong action film "Infernal Affairs"; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay

Penned the film adaptation of "Body of Lies" directed by Ridley Scott