[3] In 1988, McCullah graduated from James Madison University in Virginia where she was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority[4] and majored in marketing.

[5] Before screenwriting, McCullah worked in "marketing and PR, painting furniture sold in galleries in New Mexico, travel writing, and teaching creative workshops to teen gang members," as well as various fast food jobs.

[8] They admired and were considering following in the footsteps of Clueless, a spin on Emma, as they knew they wanted to write a teen comedy with a twist on a classic story.

[8] Of writing the main character, McCullah said: "It was fun to play with that dynamic with [the rich, pretty, popular girl] being the underdog, having to prove herself to other people even when she was completely capable."

[12] Originally, the "bend and snap" scene — where main character Elle explains to her new, older friend Paulette how to get her crush's attention — almost didn't make it into the movie.

"[13] The film originally ended with Elle winning the movie's pivotal case and sharing a victory kiss with Emmett, then starting a Blonde Legal Defense Club at law school in the future.

[6] Her future projects include Hope, a Netflix rom-com starring Aubrey Plaza, and [16][17] Party Girls, a comedy picked up by Paramount Pictures,[18] all with her screenwriting partner Smith.