[1] Skaaren was appointed by Governor Preston Smith as executive director of the newly formed Texas Film Commission on December 9, 1970.
The company handled location shooting for the television series Dallas and worked on the film Tender Mercies (1983).
[3] Meanwhile, he was pivotal behind the distribution of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), to which he claimed credit for crafting the film's title.
[4] In 1983, Skaaren was approached by a Texas businessman to write a script about the Gurkhas, who were Nepalese soldiers serving in the British Army.
[7] Skaaren then co-wrote the script for Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988), sharing credit with Michael McDowell.
In 1986, he established a private charitable trust, the Laurel Foundation, and was involved with the East West Center, a macrobiotic dietary provider.