HANNAH: I’ll start us off with an easy question! What do you enjoy most about your job and when did your interest in this field start?

I fell into this field by accident. I had no career plans going through university (#student-loans-graduate-moans), I just studied subjects I liked. My first job after graduating was in a department store (horrendous, our stock room was a converted gents toilet with the cubicles and sinks still in place). My loathing of that job motivated me to take an internship with a company where I stayed for 5 years. I picked up a lot of random skills – copywriting, teaching, marketing, outreach etc. – and somehow Squideo found worth in that. So in short, I have no idea how I got this job. But I’m glad because I love it! 

BEN: You’ve asked all of us about our favourite projects. You might be the newest member of the Squid Squad, but you’ve written a lot of scripts already! Which one was your favourite?

Hmm, let me think. One of the first scripts I wrote at Squideo – maybe even the first – was for Crunch accounting. So I’ll pick them for the nostalgia factor.

CALLUM: Where has been your favourite place to travel to and where – if you have any plans – are you going next?

I have been fortunate to travel a lot. Since Hannah is running this interview I’ll choose a spot I think she’d like most. Disneyland – the original theme park. My Aunt and Uncle used to live about an hour away from Anaheim (which is where the park is). The coolest thing was going to Club 33. It’s this super exclusive private club – the only place there which serves alcohol. My Aunt took me for my birthday. I had fondu with Mickey Mouse, it was pretty awesome.



No travel plans yet. If I could go anywhere I’d go back to San Jose in California (I lived there for six months and it was fantastic).

ADAM S: Tell me three interesting facts about you. [Define interesting?] No. You define interesting.

Okay. By my definition of interesting:

1. An ancestor of mine had a waxwork in Madame Tussauds. An artefact of theirs is also on display in the British Science Museum.
2. My Granddad was a professional rugby player who played for Hull FC and was friends with Clive Sullivan (interesting if you’re a rugby fan and from Hull).
3. I wrote a book during the first lockdown which I’m preparing for self-publication. 

SARAH: What is at the very top of your bucket list (if you have one)?

Visiting the historic ruins at Herculaneum at the foot of Mount Vesuvius in Italy. I’ve been fascinated since I was a kid, as it combined my love of history and geography. The ruins at Pompeii are more popular, but Herculaneum is better preserved. Plus it would give me a chance to practice speaking Italian again. 

ADAM L.: If you could time travel for a day, where would you go?

Do I have any time to prepare before I time travel? If so, I’d go withdraw my bank account, convert that money into gold, then travel back to London in the 1950s, convert the gold back into money and use it to buy a house there. Come back to the future, sell the house and I’m financially set for life.

LESLEY: You’ve mentioned yoga and meditation before. What got you into them as a hobby?

I first went to a yoga class when I was about… eight years old? My Mum’s workplace put on a parent/child yoga class during the school holidays. My entire body hurt afterward (and at that time I was really active, I was on nearly every sport team my school offered) so I never wanted to do it again. Cut to 10 years later and I decided I needed to take up something relaxing. I started going to a yoga class at my community centre. We practiced meditative breathing which then also got me into meditation. 

BEN: These questions are all way too easy. Here’s one. What is your vision for the idyllic future of mankind?

Star Trek. Star Trek is an idyllic version of humanity’s future. No money, so no poverty. Food replicators, so no hunger. Planet-wide peace. Since I’m a cynic, however, I know it will never happen. I expect a Blade Runner future. Rain, painfully bright neon lights, and replicants getting murdered in the streets. Maybe a dash of Logan’s Run and we have to report to the Sleepshop when we’re too old to work for our keep.

ADAM S.: Okay, harder question? How about if you could only eat ONE thing for the rest of your life, nothing else, what would you choose?

Pragmatically. Something that fully incorporated all of the food groups into one meal to ensure my nutritional health. Some kind of salad that incorporates vegetables (urgh kale / mmm carrots), fruit (tomatoes, I guess), protein (chickpeas, nuts, chicken, maybe some bacon for flavour), dairy (cheese), carbohydrates (croutons, pasta), and a salad dressing. Again for healthiness, it should probably contain some healthy fat like olive oil, balsamic vinegar… is balsamic vinegar classed as a fat? Eh, who knows. Well a nutritionist, but I can’t be bothered to look it up.

Reality. Lasagne. Specifically the one my Mum makes; I’ve never had one that’s better. 

HANNAH: A fun question this time. [Thank you!] You’re welcome. If you could live in any film / game / book etc. universe, where would that be?

I think I already answered that when I said Star Trek! My Dad got me hooked on Star Trek: The Next Generation when I was a kid. It’s still my favourite so I want to live onboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D not NCC-1701: I can’t stand Kirk and my favourite Vulcan is Tuvok not Spock). 

HANNAH: Technically this last question is yours, since you’ve asked everyone else this. We all know about Ben’s wild idea of going to Amsterdam for Christmas, and everyone else has thrown different international destinations into the ring. Where would you go?

I’m up for everyone’s suggestions, so long as a trip to Australia involves several stop-overs: I can only sit on a plane for so long. Out of them all, I definitely like the idea of Amsterdam the most. It’s the most practical. Although I’d prefer to fly there; I don’t think I could handle the ferry ride. 

That wraps up our Back to the Beginning series! Be sure to check back in next week when we unveil a brand new series with a post that will be sure to put the "oo" in spooky!