Alexander Payne is an Academy Award-winning film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are best known for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society. Payne's journey into filmmaking "began in the 1960s when his father, owner of The Virginia Restaurant in downtown Omaha, received an 8mm projector from Kraft Foods as a bonus for being a good customer." A short time after getting his MFA from UCLA Film School, he got a writing/directing deal with Universal Pictures. The ensuing screenplay, which was turned down, would ultimately become About Schmidt (2002). Notable films to his credit include, Election (1999), Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011) and Nebraska (2013).