Carruth was born inΒ Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Carruth wrote, directed, produced, and performed one of the two main roles, and composed the music for hisΒ independent filmΒ Primer, which was honored at the 2004Β Sundance Film FestivalΒ with the Grand Jury Prize and theΒ Alfred P. Sloan Award. As a former softwareΒ engineerΒ with an undergraduate degree in math,Β Carruth utilized his technical knowledge on the project.