Born in 1967, Louis C.K. got his start in comedy after moving to New York City in 1989 and appearing on as many of the numerous televised comedy programs being shot in the city as possible. Soon making short films and touring the country on the comedy circuit, C.K. got his start in television as one of the original writers for the wildly irreverent Conan O'Brien Show when it premiered in 1993. Masterminding such long-running skits as the Staring Contest and Actual Items (some of which continued to appear regularly, years after his departure), C.K. continued to make short films as he later worked for The Late Show With David Letterman and The Dana Carvey Show, all the while gaining popularity as a talented comedian. 1996 proved to be a somewhat pivotal year for him. After taping his own comedy special for HBO, he was hired as a producer for what would become one of his most fruitful opportunities, The Chris Rock Show. After a brief departure, during which he shot his first feature film, Tomorrow Night, he returned to The Chris Rock Show and earned an Emmy for his contributions in 1998. Serving as host to the PBS short film showcase Short Cuts the following year, C.K. next wrote and directed his first major studio film Pootie Tang (2001), based on the mush-mouthed character he had created for The Chris Rock Show, in addition to serving as co-writer on Rock's Down to Earth.