In 1985, while still an undergraduate, he sold his university thesis screenplay, "Shadow Clan", for $500,000. The script would become the basis of Highlander (1986).
Worked as a firefighter for three years. Witnessed a friend killed by
an explosive backdraft which became the basis for the screenplay
Backdraft (1991).
Graduated from UCLA Film School writing program shortly before selling
the script for Highlander (1986)
A committed traveler, his explorations have taken him to war-torn Somalia, Uzbekistan, Namibia, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the arctic island of Svalbard, Indonesia, and Argentina.