107Future ShapersLaurieNunn, 33, is the screenwriter and creator of
Netflix’s smash hitSex Education, starring Gillian
Anderson and Asa Butterfield. The show won
universal praise for its accurate portrayal of sex and
friendships, and was estimated to have been
watched by 40 million viewers. Prior to this, Nunn’s
play,King Brown, won a judge’s award at the 2017
Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. She has also had
projects developed with major companies including
Kudos, Channel 4 and Revolution Film.I owe everything to my mentors.From university
tutors to my agent and producers who commissioned early
work from me. It was actually my secondary school media
teacher, Miss Wolf, who encouraged me to apply for film
school. I’d told her it ‘wasn’t worth it because not many
women get in’. Her telling me, ‘You’ll never know if you
don’t try’ really kick-started my career. The inspiration for
Sex Educationcame from people and experiences in my own
life – students I went to school with as a teenager, relationships
THIS PAGE: SHIRT AND SKIRT, BOTH VICTORIA BECKHAM AT FENWICK; EARRINGS, JENNIFER FISHER.OPPOSITE PAGE: DRESS, TARA JARMON; BRACELET, MONICA VINADERwith family and teachers, as well as formative friendships.
TV can change your life.When I was in my early
twenties, I discovered a love of TV through box sets.
By that time, I knew I wanted to focus on screenwriting
and realised that telly was the medium where writers are
most central. I was hugely inspired by female television
writers like Shonda Rhimes, Phoebe Waller-Bridge,
Issa Rae, Jill Soloway and Sharon Horgan. When
creatingSex Education, I decided to focus on issues such
as consent, body positivity and female pleasure/desire,
in a funny and accessible way that hopefully encourages
people to have a more open dialogue about things
we usually find uncomfortable and awkward to talk about.
The show provides a great opportunity to have a frank
conversation about sex with a teen audience.
Clarity is kindness.Be brave and tell people you work
with when you’re unhappy about something. When you find
other creative people who you love working with, don’t take
them for granted, no matter where they are in their career.
Having an affinity with a collaborator is more important
than working with someone more ‘successful’ who doesn’t
really understand what kind of work you want to create.The groundbreaking scriptwriter