BWere there any people who supported/mentored/championed you in the early stages of your career? How important are these kinds of relationships?
SGKenton Allen, as mentioned above, has really changed my life. Before he got Him & Her made, I was penniless, hopeless and assumed no one would ever want to make the sort of thing I wanted to make. He's really nurtured me and looked after me, both artistically and personally. He supports me and encourages me and tells me when I'm being an idiot and listens when I insist I'm not. It's so important to work with people who tell you when you're rubbish because if they don't, no one will. If I'm lucky enough to be doing this for any longer, it's thanks to him.
Richard Laxton, who directs Him & Her, has also really helped me. When I started writing the show I knew exactly how it should taste but I was less clear on what the ingredients were. He's been invaluable in helping me make my ideas work on screen. And he's a very kind, funny and generous person, which informs everything he does. I know everyone in this kind of interview says everyone they work with is unrealistically amazing – and I know it always comes across as lame and completely fake – but Richard is genuinely a brilliant director and I feel very lucky to have been able to sit with him while he directs Him & Her.
