Originally from Needham, Massachusetts, Russ graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Radio Communications. After stints as a talk show producer (WRKO), traffic reporter (WBZ) and DJ (WXRV), he took a break from radio to spend a week on the film The Game Plan. Although it was only background work, it ignited his passion for acting, and a few years later, made his network debut in the 2013 Lifetime film Sins of the Preacher. He has put his radio background to use by adding his voice to several episodes of the PBS news program, Frontline, and has recently branched into Animation Voice acting.