hiː wʌz ɐn ˈɪntɜːn æt spˈaɪ mˌæɡɐzˈiːn ˌʌndɚɹ ˈiː. ɡɹˈeɪdɑːn kˈɑːɹɾɚ bᵻfˌoːɹ dʒˈɔɪnɪŋ ðə stˈæf ʌvðə dˈeɪvɪd lˈɛɾɚmən ʃˈoʊ, wˌɛɹ hiː ɹˈoʊt fɔːɹ θɹˈiː jˈɪɹz, ɪŋklˈuːdɪŋ wˈʌn jˈɪɹ æz hˈɛd ɹˈaɪɾɚ.
He was an intern at Spy magazine under E. Graydon Carter before joining the staff of The David Letterman Show, where he wrote for three years, including one year as Head Writer.