Irving began his career as a screenwriter, director and producer of movies. He also directed numerous theatrical plays. He then moved on to writing and directing documentary shorts. He co-wrote the textbook
Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video along with Peter W. Rea. The book is the only text on short film creation to focus on the importance of
symbiosis between producer and director. It was originally released in 1995, and is in its 5th edition as of 2019. In 2008, it was announced that he would serve as head of NYU's Tisch Asia graduate film department. In 2010, Irving wrote another textbook entitled
Fundamentals of Film Directing. In 2011, he published another textbook entitled
Elements of College Teaching. He served as the chair of the
New York University Tisch School of the Arts Film and Television program for both the undergraduate and graduate schools for over seven years. ==Personal life==