Early Life and Work
Daniels said he became interested in comedy by watching Monty Python's Flying Circus as a child, as well as by reading books by humorist S. J. Perelman at age 11. His first joke was a Carnac the Entertainer joke for his father which was later used for The Office episode, "The Dundies." Daniels attended Phillips Exeter Academy and then Harvard University where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon with Conan O'Brien. After graduating in 1984, the two accepted jobs at Not Necessarily the News, but they were soon fired due to budget cuts. The two later met Lorne Michaels in the late 1987 and they were given a three week try-out in the Saturday Night Live writing staff. While on the staff, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program. Daniels left the writing staff in 1990, three years after joining it.
Read more about this topic: Greg Daniels
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