Raised in Berkeley, California, Samberg enrolled in NYU’s film program. While developing a talent for comedy and film, Samberg took a job as an entry-level production assistant on the Michael J. Fox sitcom “Spin City”(ABC). Samberg joined forces with two like-minded lifelong friends to create “The Lonely Island,” a group of writer-performer-filmmakers who created short films for a website they dubbed “the untelevised television network,” and the website Channel 101.com. Their shorts quickly caught on with a parody of Fox’s “The O.C.” called “The ‘Bu” and a full-length pilot called “Awesometown.”
Joining "SNL" in the fall of 2005, at the same time as newcomers Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis and Kristin Wiig, Samberg was part of a widely celebrated batch of new talent. His former cohorts, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer were hired as writers at the same time. Samberg appeared in a number of pre-filmed segments, including a hugely popular commercial parody for a fictional Mexican restaurant called “Taco Town” and a video ballad celebrating the life of "Young Chuck Norris."