Born in Los Angeles, California, but spent his formative years in Albany, New York, a city that would later influence his creative endeavors.
During his high school days at Voorheesville High School, he had the opportunity to attend classes alongside notable individuals, including actress Yvonne V. Perry, who has made a name for herself in the film and daytime television industries, and film composer Joe Kraemer, known for his work on the film "Way of the Gun".
As a young filmmaker, he was an avid enthusiast of super-8 filmmaking, often producing feature-length works in this format. He would later go on to graduate from the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
While attending the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan as a freshman, he had the chance to meet and befriend Bryan Singer, a renowned film director known for his work on "The Usual Suspects", "X-Men", "X2", and "Superman Returns". During this time, he directed Singer as an actor in three short films.
He made his mark in the film industry by serving as the second unit director on Singer's first feature, "Public Access", which was released in 1993.
His first feature film, "Burn", was executive produced by Singer and Adam Duritz, the lead singer of the rock band Counting Crows. The film received critical acclaim, winning the Special Jury Honor award at the Slamdance Film Festival in 1998 and the Silver Award at the Worldfest Film Festival the same year.
His second film, "Ten 'til Noon", received widespread recognition, taking home nine festival awards in 2006, including three awards for Best Picture, one for Best Director, two for Best Screenplay, and one for Best Editing.
