They subsequently collaborated on South Central, which received wide critical acclaim.
Janet Maslin of The New York Times named Anderson in the "Who's Who Among Hot New Filmmakers," along with Quentin Tarantino and Tim Robbins.
Additionally, The New Yorker praised South Central as one of the year's best independent films.
Anderson earned a bachelor's degree in motion picture production and American literature at the University of New Mexico.
He then earned a master's degree in motion picture production at the University of California, Los Angeles.