Serving as first assistant director on Napoleon Dynamite (2004) certainly gave first time filmmaker Tim Skousen a template for some of the character creations and mullet-head protagonists for The Sasquatch Gang - formerly known as the Slamdance entry winner of The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang.
Steve Barron started his career directed music videos--many of which have became classics since then. His second film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, quickly became the first independent feature to break the 100-million dollar theatrical barrier in the U.S.