Nash began writing the screenplay for Charlie Bartlett when he was 26 years old and working at a mall in Burbank, California.
[1][2] He had attended the University of Southern California[3] to learn screenwriting and had already written nine as-yet unsuccessful spec scripts.
[1] As Nash finished writing Charlie Bartlett, he read C. D. Payne's novel Youth in Revolt for the first time.
"[1] He says he preferred adapting Youth in Revolt to writing Charlie Bartlett as he had source material, and in early 2008 he was working on a spec script based on a graphic novel series of short stories called Rumble, Young Man, Rumble, which he is in an agreement to direct as well.
He is also working on another teen film to star Vince Vaughn titled Career Day, based around a high school career day where adults visit the school to speak about their professions.