It’s New York and the April sky is gray, and the W Hotel on Union Square is a menacing beacon of stylish know-how, intimidating to those who either can’t afford its grass-lined check-in counters and goose-down pillows, or resented for its fiscal superiority. But where else do you house a college press screening for a fresh batch of journalistic hopefuls, all jockeying into position to kiss the feet of the relatively famous? Even more entertaining then the ankle-biting college youngsters are the men that have brought them here, those ultimately responsible for the film “”Hot Rod.”” Who are these dudes, and how have they managed to slip into the Hollywood limelight from such an unlikely beginning?

Let’s back it up to junior high (that’s around 18 years ago), when three kids by the names of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone all grew up in the city of Berkeley, Calif. Fast forward to three friends graduating from different colleges, then reuniting in 2001 after receiving degrees in theater and film in the incarnation of “”The Lonely Island”” group. The trio started out as Internet moviemakers, the newest way to become famous seemingly overnight. But they worked hard for their success, gaining notoriety through funny parodies, shorts, music videos and even filming three full-length TV pilots. Eventually, they caught the eye of “”Saturday Night Live”” by writing for the MTV Movie Awards and hitting it off with cast member Jimmy Fallon.

The SNL digital shorts began a snowball of success, gathering notable singer/actors to croon about putting their “”dick in a box.”” Schaffer appreciated the difference between shorts and moviemaking, saying that, “”You freak out when it’s not ready with SNL because you gotta hit your mark.”” Schaffer, who directs 95 percent of the digital shorts, became the natural choice to helm the direction of “”Hot Rod.”” But transitioning from digital shorts like “”Lazy Sunday”” proved rough for Schaffer.

During a panel after the screening, Schaffer commented that the main movie difference was really “”pacing issues; a three- to four-minute dinner scene could slow up the entire shoot and the mountain scene alone took 12 days to shoot.”” It seems that in media production, it’s either fast or slow – there is no middle ground. The cast didn’t even have downtime between filming the shorts and “”Hot Rod,”” as SNL’s July-to-September schedule prolonged the entire process. Though grueling, Schaffer remembers the experience fondly, commenting that he “”had to switch between so many little things that it kept [him] up at night. But it’s an awesome thing to complain about.””

But how did they go from SNL shorts to the big screen, with Schaffer directing a script that, for the first time, wasn’t written by the troupe? The answer lies in one very special short that was downloaded over a million times the day after it was aired on SNL: the song known as “”Lazy Sunday.”” Notorious for setting the children’s classic to rap beats, the skit “”The Chronic (What?) Cles of Narnia”” made Paramount see a goldmine in the trio. It was only a natural step to court Schaffer to direct and Samberg to star as the Napoleon Dynamite-esque stunt man Rod.

In the end, Samberg, as well as every other member of the project, encourages film students to try film “”by making crappy [movies]. And not everything has to be beautiful – make as many films as possible.”” Even Bill Hader (who plays Dave) jumped on board to say that it’s about “”being motivated to keep making something that people notice.”” They’re humble now, enjoying the first taste of major motion picture production and being treated like “”divas.”” For Schaffer though, the goal is really just “”trying to make the smartest dumb movie you can make”” – and enjoying the ride as long as it lasts.