Conversation so far:
what happened to gus van sant in 1982?
After spending time in Europe, Van Sant went to Los Angeles in 1976.
He secured a job as a production assistant to writer/director Ken Shapiro.
what did he do with ken?
assistant to writer/director Ken Shapiro, with whom he developed a few ideas, none of which came to fruition.
did he stay with ken?
In 1981, Van Sant made Alice in Hollywood, a film about a naive young actress who goes to Hollywood and abandons her ideals.
was the movie popular?
It was never released.
what else did he play a .part in making?
Van Sant went to New York to work in an advertising agency.
He saved $20,000 during his tenure there.
what did he do with the money he saved?
finance the majority of his tale of doomed love between a gay liquor store clerk and a Mexican immigrant.
what was that movie called?
CANNOTANSWER.
was he able to make the movie?
Shot in black-and-white, the film earned Van Sant almost overnight acclaim on the festival circuit, with the Los Angeles Times naming it the year's Best Independent Film.
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
The film's success attracted Hollywood interest, and Van Sant was briefly courted by Universal.
what did he do with universal?
the courtship ended after Van Sant pitched a series of project ideas (including what would later become Drugstore Cowboy.

Question: did they not like his ideas?
Self-contained rewrite: Did Universal not like Gus Van Sant's ideas?