The following is excerpted from Elf Unwrapped: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Christmas Classic – Andy Richter ‘s Oral History of the Making of Elf the Film That Became a Holiday Classic, by Andy Richter (who had a small a role in the hit 2003 comedy ) with Aaron Karo.

The story of Elf begins like most Christmas tales do — with a Jewish kid from Philadelphia. In 1993, an aspiring screenwriter named David Berenbaum moved from Philly to L.A. with dreams of making it big. He had no connections, no experience, and for the most part, no clue how to make it in “the biz.” But what he did have was an overactive imagination and a brain brimming with fanciful ideas.

David was a cockeyed dreamer, as many of us are when we land in Hollywood, but David just felt completely out of his element. Compared to the East Coast, L.A. is just . . . weird. No one seems to have a real job here, but they all talk like they’re showbiz big shots.…