A short time after getting his MFA from UCLA Film School—and after his successful thesis film, The Passion of Martin had attracted industry attention—Payne got a writing/directing deal with Universal Pictures.
Beberapa saat setelah mendapatkan gelar MFA dari Sekolah Film UCLA dan setelah film yang juga merupakan tesisnya The Passion of Martin sukses menarik perhatian industri, Payne mendapat sebuah kesepakatan menulis/menyutradarai dengan Universal Pictures.