Early-life: Seth Woodbury MacFarlane was born in Kent, Connecticut, on October 26, 1973 to Ann and Ronald. His sister is voice actor Rachael Ann MacFarlane. Seth knew from an early age that he wanted to develop his interest in animation. He began publishing a weekly comic strip entitled Walter Crouton for a local newspaper. His parents gave him an 8mm camera and he went on to study film, video and animation at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). During his time as a student, he performed stand-up and also created animated short The Life of Larry. On the back of this short, he was hired by Hanna-Barbara, where he worked as an animator and a writer for Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoons series. During his time at the studio, he also worked on Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel and Johnny Bravo. He also worked freelance on projects for Walt Disney, writing for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Early-life: Ronald Joseph Livingston was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 5, 1967 to Linda and Kurt. He is the older brother of John, Jennifer and Nick. Ron went on to study Theatre Studies and English Literature at Yale University. After graduating, he moved to Chicago, where he performed in a number of stage productions. He made his film debut in Straight Talk (1992).

Early-life: Matthew Lynn Lillard was born on January 24, 1970, in Lansing, Michigan. He moved with his family to Tustin, California, as a young child and began his acting career after graduation when he was hired as an extra for Ghoulies 3. He enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California, and set up the Mean Street Ensemble Theatre Company with a friend. He later moved to New York to attend the Circle in the Square Theatre School.