My first job was . . . Teaching piano to kids.
It taught me . . . That kids have to learn to colour inside the lines.
My big break came . . . What big break? Ummm biggest break for a non-big-breaker? Christ Almighty at the Basement Theatre, which I co-wrote. I think that was how I got on Shortland Street, thanks to actress Beth Allen talking to writer Steven Zanoski. Then they killed me (Christmas cliff-hanger) and then I got my way on to the storylining table. Turned out I wasn't terrible and since then I've continued to write as a hired gun for Shortland Street and work on my own slate.
The last job I quit was . . . Story producer for Neighbours. I quit because of the immense amount of work, but the people were absolutely gorgeous. Plus, let's be honest, there's only so much that can happen in a cul-de-sac.
The most famous person I've ever met is . . . Robbie Magasiva. It was after Christ Almighty. He was playing Donkey and I was playing The Three Wise Men (we wrote him as one schizophrenic man). I had a hospital gown on which showed my arse. I blacked out my teeth and had a bald skull cap on. Oh, and a huge homemade merkin that hung below my knees. I came out of the dressing room and he was talking with my father - who had bought him a beer and had no idea who he was - guess he just liked Robbie's Donkey (sounds rude!). I introduced myself - "ah, I wrote the play?"
