In the early 1970s, Simpson moved to Los Angeles and got a job marketing exploitation films for Warner Bros in 1971, handling distribution marketing for the movies "Woodstock" and "A Clockwork Orange". In 1973, Simpson got a job at Paramount Pictures. While there, he co-wrote the 1976 film "Cannonball", in which he also had a small role. By 1977, he was named vice-president of production at Paramount, and president in 1981. He was fired at Paramount in 1982 after passing out during a studio meeting due to drug use. He was working on 8 productions at once, and would regularly throw a tantrum while in production.