Wallace Wolodarsky described a "room character" Conan put on for the writers: "Conan used to do this thing called the Nervous Writer that involved him opening a can of Diet Coke and then nervously pitching a joke. He would spray Diet Coke all over himself, and that was always a source of endless amusement among us." During his time at The Simpsons, O'Brien also had a side project working with Smigel on the script for a musical film based on the "Hans and Franz" sketch from Saturday Night Live, but the film was never produced.Interview with Kevin Nealon.
Wallace Wolodarsky described Conan's habit of acting out a "Nervous Writer" persona, where he would open a Diet Coke can, pitch jokes nervously, and spray himself with the drink. This behavior amused his colleagues during his time at The Simpsons.  Additionally, O'Brien worked on a musical film script based on the "Hans and Franz" sketch from Saturday Night Live, but it was never made.