After finishing school, Yakin worked in the film industry, developing projects for several companies, and saw his first screenplay reach the screen in 1989, when "The Punisher", a vehicle for Dolph Lundgren, was released. Yakin's next screenplay was "The Rookie", starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen. Wanting to take on more personal material, Yakin drew from his experiences growing up in New York's inner city for his next screenplay, "Fresh". Yakin opted to direct his screenplay for "Fresh" himself. The film won critical acclaim, earning the Filmmaker's Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.