Hi Alan. Who are you and what do you do in comedy?

Hi, I'm Alan. I am an Engineering Manager by day, and a lover/writer of comedy by night. I have been writing jokes, books & scripts for the past 12 years or so.

Tell us about how you first became involved in the comedy world.

I first fell in love with comedy when I watched Seinfeld. I loved the dialogue and the interactions between characters. Plus, Jerry Seinfeld is still one of the greatest to ever perform stand up, so that's what got my interest. From there, I joined Twitter and started tweeting one liners & puns that I thought up. At one stage I was voted into The Poke's Top 100 Funniest People on Twitter, alongside some true comedy greats. This gave me the motivation to keep going and to try my hand at writing books & scripts.

Tell us about your comedy favourites.

As stated in the previous answer, Jerry Seinfeld is my comedy hero. However, there are others that I rate close to that level, such as Frank Skinner, Kevin Bridges, Billy Connolly, Bill Burr from a stand up point of view. From a writing side of things, I love what the likes of Rob McElhenney and Dan Goor do with their respective shows. However, the ultimate in writing has to be Aaron Sorkin. He can have you laughing then crying within two or three lines of a script.

The comedy industry is competitive. Why should people pick you to work with?

I'm very personable, passionate and determined. I have a very good eye for comedy so I feel that I can create something from nothing, or reshape something where required, to make it better. My engineering background has given me a great brain, and a great thought process, that allows me to deal with things in a variety of different ways based on the situational requirements.

What's the best advice you've ever been given, read or heard?

As a manager of two separate teams of engineers, I tend to do what I feel is right by the situation at hand. However, the piece of advice that always resonates is from New England Patriots Coach, Bill Belichick, who simply tells his team to "Do. Your. Job." Basically, he wants people to do what they are supposed to do and not worry about what anyone else is doing, or not doing.
He's the greatest Coach in the history of the NFL, so who am I to argue?!

Where would you like to be in 10 years' time?

In 10 years' time I'd like to know I gave all I could to get my script(s) on TV, and to maybe even have a movie to my credits as well. My life has changed a lot in the past 10 years, so it's difficult to predict anything with any certainty.

If you ever get free time, how do you spend it?

I love spending time with my kids, watching the NFL and visiting the numerous Restaurants in and around Edinburgh. I always look forward to catching up with various comedy friends, who are performing, at the Fringe Festival every August.

If a genie offered you one wish, what would you ask for?

A new hip. Seriously.

Published: Friday 24th July 2020