Truth be told, I'm not an easy man. I can be an entertaining one, though it's been my experience that most people don't want to be entertained. They want to be comforted.

Early life and education
Russo was born in Johnstown New York and raised in nearby Gloversville. Russo wrote the teleplay for the HBO adaptation of Empire Falls the screenplay for the 2005 film Ice Harvest and the screenplay for the 2005 Niall Johnson film Keeping Mum which starred Rowan Atkinson. The couple have two daughters Kate and Emily.