Michael Dane has successfully avoided real work for most of his adult life. He has been writing since fourth grade, when his mom read his first story and said, "You should be a writer." Instead, he did standup comedy, appearing regularly at the Comedy Store in Hollywood. He's also performed on a frozen lake for the opening of ice-fishing season, at a synagogue for Purim, and at the Oxnard Strawberry Festival. Surprisingly, none of those gigs led to an HBO special. Michael Dane lives in Sacramento now, where he has decided his mom was probably right. Not for nothing, he also makes a killer meatloaf.