James Garland Quintel, also known as JG, was born on September 14, 1982, in Hanford, California, to Terri (nee Morris) and James Quintel. Growing up in a relatively uneventful town, he and his friends had to rely on their creativity to pass the time, and many of these experiences would later influence the development of Regular Show.
As he grew older, Quintel became increasingly fascinated with drawing, which ultimately led him to pursue a degree at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArt). During his time at CalArt, he and his friends would regularly participate in 48-hour completion challenges. The process involved selecting a random word from a hat, drawing inspiration from it, and then creating a cartoon within a 48-hour time frame. Two notable films that emerged from these challenges were "The Man From Loliland" and "2 in The Am Pm." These cartoons showcased Quintel's voice acting skills, alongside those of future collaborator Sam Marin. The projects featured early prototypes of beloved characters such as Mordecai, Benson, and Pops.
After graduating from CalArt, Quintel secured an internship at Cartoon Network, where he worked on a variety of cartoons, including Camp Lazlo and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. It wasn't long before he was given the opportunity to pitch his idea for Regular Show, initially intended for a short-lived block called 'Cartoonstitute.' When the block was ultimately dropped, Regular Show was picked up as a series.
