Writer/director Deborah Kaplan met partner, writer/director Harry Elfont, at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts' prestigious film school. In a strange coincidence, they discovered that their parents were friends and that they both attended neighboring high schools in Philadelphia. Kaplan had spent time abroad in high school at a film production program at Oxford University in England, UK. Kaplan relocated to Los Angeles and was working behind the scenes in the movie business. When Elfont headed to California after college, they joined forces and crafted "The Family Way", a romantic comedy that was purchased by Can't Hardly Wait (1998) producer Jenno Topping, during her stint at The Ladd Company. The writing duo continued working with Topping, writing A Very Brady Sequel (1996). Kaplan and Elfont also lent their talents as contributing writers to Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996) and Jingle All the Way (1996). In her spare time, Kaplan enjoys kick-boxing, photography, and hiking with her Mongolian Ferret Hound. Can't Hardly Wait (1998) was both Kaplan and Elfont's directorial debut.