My Comedy Career: Lukie Nixon
Lukie Nixon juggles his time between being a radio/podcast producer and a stand-up comedian. Here's his thoughts on his career:
Tell us what you do in your job.
I'm Lukie Nixon a stand-up, a radio producer and the co-director of Snipper Nixon - a wee family production company. It consists of my sister Olivia (actor, writer & podcast host) and dad, Alan (award-winning radio comedy producer).
While making our own material, we also work with BBC Radio 4 and Audible. We recently helped create a comedy short for Amnesty International on global warming that got over 3 million views on YouTube.
One misconception is we sell AK-47s as Sniper Nixon!
How did you first get involved in the comedy industry?
I was 8 and entered into this local talent show at a village hall doing stand-up. My mum was the judge. Even though it was rigged, I still couldn't win.
I started writing more seriously at school, taking plays to the Edinburgh Fringe, where I've also performed, and then starting up with stand-up on the open mic circuit at 23.
What key skills do you need to be able to do your job well?
I'm obsessed with podcasts and radio. I listen whenever I can; whether that's walking, doing the dishes or the rare occasion I exercise. It's the attention to detail, keeping the flow of the show going and personally, creating something that I would tune into.
What has been your biggest career achievement to date?
After uni, I'd gone from being the manager of an award-winning student radio station (Dragon Radio USW) to moving back in with my mum; I was directionless. My dad met me for a coffee and mentioned that Radio 4 had turned down this great idea where top comedians talk mind, body and spirit with a real Harley Street doctor. It was conceived by Arnold Brown (one of the great pioneers of alternative comedy) and his close friend, Dr Brian Kaplan, so they pitched it to us. Dad and I had no money to make the show (or a company) but a mate of mine, Alex had a couple of mics. So that's where Snipper Nixon was born. Arnold's comedy connections helped secure comedians to interview. I badgered agents on the phone and together we secured some unbelievable talent. Stewart Lee, Shappi Khorsandi, Zoe Lyons, and Jamali Maddix to name a few. We used to sneak into a room in Harley St and set up recordings, it was very ad-hoc. But to meet and record so many comedians I looked up to was an immense privilege.
And what has been the biggest challenge/disappointment?
After Are You Feeling Funny? gained some traction, our podcast distributor mentioned that Apple were interested in featuring the show. This would have been a game changer but sadly never happened. We overcame this by still making the podcast, because we believed in it and we're still proud to have small pockets of audiences all over the world.
We continue to make them and attract a lot of top talent. The late, great Jeremy Hardy was supposed to do the show, something our team will always regret.
Talk us through a typical day.
Working with a small family production company means that no day is ever the same. On a Monday I could be attending BBC Radio commissioning round talks while Tuesday I could be meeting a wacky priest who wants to make a documentary about basketball. My work-life balance isn't great leaving little time to do life admin... the washing basket is always piled high...
Tell us a trick/secret/resource that you use to make your job quicker/easier.
I'm a night owl. Editing shows at 3am with pizza is my zen state. I often work as producer but work closely with an exec producer - who is my outside eye. That's really essential to a good piece of work in my opinion. The objective view will pick up on things you've missed and offer alternatives.
How are you paid?
Snipper Nixon is paid through our commissions, whether that's work for the BBC, Amnesty or Audible. We also do consultancy on scripts, podcasts and run The Script Fixer's Forum (an online script consultancy).
Personally, the money I make from stand-up occasionally pays for the odd takeaway on the train home which I consider a monumental win.
If you could change one thing about the comedy industry, what would it be?
It's a strange beast the comedy business, I would love to see more support for women in comedy. There's too many horror stories and abuses of power. We should watch the comedy community carefully and call out bad behaviour.
A quick one: I used to work as an office runner in a production company. This isn't a joke I promise, a top producer tapped me on the shoulder telling me he'd blocked the toilet and didn't have time to unblock it. He also mentioned that if I didn't fix it, he'd tell everyone that I wasn't a good runner. I'd love to meet him now, who knows, maybe he'll watch me doing a bit about him one day.
What tips would you give for anyone looking to work in your area of the industry?
I think my one piece of advice would be to watch people you respect, ask to hang out with them... ask questions at the right moment. I think talent is one thing but passion is a whole other ball game. Chase what you love because we're not here for that long.
Listen to 'Are You Feeling Funny?'
Snipper Nixon's latest show is The Mother/Daughter Manual
