Chris Carter has a career.
Chris Carter ( born October 13 , 1956 ) is an American television and film producer , director and writer . Born in Bellflower , California , Carter graduated with a degree in journalism from California State University , Long Beach before spending thirteen years working for Surfing Magazine . After beginning his television career working on television films for Walt Disney Studios , Carter rose to fame in the early 1990s after creating the science fiction-supernatural television series The X-Files for the Fox network . Carter went on to create three more series for the network -- Millennium , a doomsday-themed series which met with critical approval and low viewer numbers ; Harsh Realm , which was canceled after three episodes had aired ; and The Lone Gunmen , a spin-off of The X-Files which lasted for a single season .