In 2010, the feature film Douchebag premiered in Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Jones starred in and co-wrote the film, though he was given an associate Producer credit in lieu of a writing credit. Following the film's premiere, Jones and long time friend Drake Doremus began conceiving Like Crazy. Both he and Doremus had been through similar long-distance relationships, which served to inform the film's plot.