I was always interested in art and drama at school, but I always saw them as completely different disciplines. It was only when I went to Leeds College of Art that I realised that Theatre Design was a career, and it suddenly all made sense to me that that was what I wanted to do. Once I knew it was a possibility, I suddenly couldn’t get enough of discovering amazing designers like Es Devlin, Rae Smith, Michael Vale – to name just a few of my first eye-openers. And I would just get this feeling in my stomach that I wanted to make people feel the way that I was feeling at that moment. I am very lucky that I had family who advised and guided me in the right direction, I would like to make sure more young people know the expanse of roles available to them in the industry, not just those ‘in the know’.

On a clear day, we can see the North African coast, with Morocco only a short hop across the water, and our famous Rock diligently watches over the entrance to the Mediterranean. I have a British passport, I can speak Spanish, my surname is Italian, and my wife is Maltese, so I feel very much a mix of European unity. I spent my summers at the beach, I am a voracious consumer of fresh fish, and I have always enjoyed having a close-knit family to hand. In all honesty, there are worse places in which to grow up.