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Being the new guy is tough; being the temporary new guy, who can be taken off the job at any moment is even worse, as Ryan Howard could tell you! On NBC’s The Office, Ryan, as portrayed by B. J. Novak, plays a temporary employee in the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin paper distributor. While he finally got over the corporate cultures shock, Ryan manages to pick up a girlfriend in the chatterbox Kelly Kapoor, and climb further up the ladder by getting promoted to a position above his original supervisor. Despite his excellent education and his new cocky attitude, Ryan still manages to slip up and show off his lack of experience. As of this point, he has still failed to make a single sale, and it sounds like people are starting to notice!

While Ryan Howard might be unsure and overcompensating with arrogance, you definitely can’t say the same about B.J Novak! Novak was born on July 31, 1979 in Newton, Massachusetts. He is the son of noted playwright William Novak and he completed high school at Newton South High School. While he attended high school, he was acquainted with John Krasinski, with whom he would later work on The Office. It is obvious to see that Novak was a writer even back then; Krasinski starred in a satirical play that Novak wrote and directed. Novak has earned a degree in English and Spanish at Harvard University, and has written for The Harvard Lampoon, the nation’s oldest running humor magazine.

Novak’s acting career began on the TV show Punk’d, where during the second season, he orchestrated wild and outrageous pranks to play on celebrities. He was involved in making Amber Timberlyn think that her pet dog has been taken by a dog snatcher and making Tracy Morgan believe that his car was impounded by an inept valet. He has also been busy with film projects. In 2006, he appeared in Unaccompanied Minors as a desk attendant. In 2007, he appeared in Knocked Up and Reign Over Me. Besides his work on The Office as an actor, he has also written several episodes of the award winning show as well as served as a supervising producer.

Not only does he have a thriving career in film and TV, Novak has also done stand up comedy to rave reviews, and he was named one Variety’s “Ten Comedians to Watch.” He has performed at The Improv, and appeared on Premium Blend and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In addition, Novak was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. He also won the Writers Guild of America’s award for writer on a comedy series. As you can see, Novak is definitely a star to keep your eye on!