Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening (pronounced /ˈɡreɪnɪŋ/, GRAY-ning; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, screenwriter and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell and the television series The Simpsons and Futurama. Groening made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to the avant-garde Wet magazine in 1978.