In 1912 Neilan was working as a car salesman at a dealership in La Mesa,
California, when he was instructed to deliver a car to a nearby film
location, whose director had just purchased it. Neilan delivered the
car to the director,
Allan Dwan, and since Dwan didn't know how
to drive, Neilan took him out and taught him. The two hit it off and
Dwan asked Neilan if he wanted to be an actor in his film. When Neilan
discovered that the job would pay twice as much as his car salesman
job, he took it, beginning his long career as an actor, writer and
director.
