Before producing and writing for "Entourage", Ellin served as a staff writer for "Life with Bonnie", which starred Bonnie Hunt. The series ran from 2003-2004. Ellin has also written screenplays for two films, "Kissing a Fool" and "Phat Beach". He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s to be a stand-up comedian and soon got a job in the mail room at New Line Cinema. It was there where he befriended film producer Mike DeLuca who funded Ellin's first short film "The Pitch", starring then unknown actor David Schwimmer. That short film got Ellin accepted to the American Film Institute, where he graduated from in 1994. In 1996, he directed the independent comedy film "Phat Beach". The film was made on a very low budget, and Ellin has called it "Probably the worst movie ever made". Two years later, Ellin made another independent comedy film "Kissing a Fool", starring David Schwimmer, who was now known due to his role on "Friends" which was in its fourth season.