Mendel first produced Wes Anderson’s Rushmore starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, which won two Film Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor.
[3] Subsequently, he produced Shyamalan's follow-up, Unbreakable,[4] then went back to work with Anderson on The Royal Tenenbaums, which was Oscar-nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
[5] Their collaboration continued on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,[6] which Mendel followed by producing Joss Whedon’s feature film directorial debut, Serenity.
[7] Mendel next conceived, developed and produced Munich,[8] directed by Steven Spielberg, which was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture.
He also produced Sundance Special Jury Prize-winning musical God Help the Girl, a collaboration with Stuart Murdoch of the Scottish band Belle and Sebastian, who wrote and directed the film.