Forming G Recordings, he hooked up with the band who would become known as Sugar Ray and went on to work with them as a producer, songwriter and music video director after they secured a major label contract. Quickly developing a style and a reputation, he proved a perfect match for such good time California-based rock acts as Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth, and brought his sunny eye-catching signature style to other artists as well, helping to lighten up the image of harder edged acts like Korn, Cypress Hill and Mase. His music video resume reads like a compilation album of ubiquitous summer hits: Sugar Ray's "Fly" and "Every Morning" (both of which he also co-wrote), Fastball's "The Way", Smash Mouth's "Walkin' On the Sun" and "All Star", The Offspring's "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" and "Why Don't You Get a Job" and Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" are among his credits.

That the videos' striking but not shocking super-saturated visuals, universally appealing hedonism-lite approach and subsequent constant play from MTV had something to do with the great success of these songs seems a fair conclusion to draw. Excellent at aiding bands in selling albums, McG proved capable of more overtly commercial endeavors as well, helming spots for companies such as Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola and GAP. For the popular clothing store, he directed a memorable ad featuring khaki-outfitted country line dancers stepping in time to Dwight Yoakam's interpretation of the Queen hit "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". The most inventive of a series of GAP ads utilizing pop songs, his commercial was honored at the 1999 London International Film Festival.

Film producer and pop icon Drew Barrymore, impressed with his fresh and accessible short form work, was excited with his ideas for her big screen version of "Charlie's Angels". Impressing studio heads with his vision and his energetic presentation, the neophyte director landed the much-hyped assignment as his feature debut. Displaying all of the colorful energy and exuberant, harmless fun of his music videos, the cartoonish action film had a sweet, sassy and self-mocking feel, coming off more like a live action look at modern animated heroines "The Powerpuff Girls" than the 1970s glamour gals the title points to.

In contrast with reported on-set tangles (primarily between co-stars Lucy Liu and Bill Murray), the film was quite charming, and while it was unlikely to bowl over critics or garner major awards, it promised to entertain and likely not offend audiences. McG flirted with a variety of potential follow-up projects, including taking the helm of the much-discussed re-launch of Warner Bros.' "Superman" franchise, but aside from a stint as executive producer of the glossy, short-lived TV cop actioner "Fastlane" the director bided his time until taking the reigns of the second "Charlie's Angels" film in 2003. He next committed to another franchise-friendly project, a big screen adaptation of the enduring collectible toy cars, "Hot Wheels." McG tried his hand at television again with a stint as executive producer on “The O.C.” (Fox, 2003- ), followed by another short-lived series, “The Mountain” (WB, 2004). He moved on to produce “Supernatural” (WB, 2005- ), a drama about two brothers (Jared Padelecki and Jensen Ackles) who travel the country battling evil spirits while looking for their father after he mysteriously disappeared.