Al Jean began his career in writing with what show-runner for The Simpsons?
Al Jean Alfred Ernest "Al" Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on "The Simpsons". He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss. Together, they worked as writers and producers on television shows such as "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", "ALF" and "It's Garry Shandling's Show".
Don Payne (writer) William Donald "Don" Payne (May 5, 1964 – March 26, 2013) was an American writer and producer. He wrote several episodes of "The Simpsons" after 2000, many of these with John Frink, whom he met while studying at the University of California, Los Angeles. The duo began their careers writing for the short-lived sitcom "Hope and Gloria". Payne later moved into writing feature films, including "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" (2006), and co-wrote "" (2007), "Thor" (2011) and its sequel "" (2013). Payne died from bone cancer in March 2013.