The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone at Berkeley, California in 2001. The trio first met the previous decade while attending high school. After graduating from college, they regrouped and moved to Los Angeles, California, where they struggled to find work and began making short films, combining absurdist comedy and occasionally music. Among the first performers to post their material on the Internet, they involved themselves with Channel 101, a non-profit monthly short film festival. Their popularity at the screenings led to unsuccessful pilot deals with Fox and Comedy Central, but also a writing job for the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. The show's host, Jimmy Fallon, recommended them to Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live.