Founded in 2014 by award-winning duo Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford, Merman is a production and entertainment company working across the UK and US. The company is acclaimed for scripting award-winning TV and film, alongside creating and executing the next generation of advertising, branded entertainment and premium short form content.

Through mentorships, partnerships, and sponsorship, Merman are committed to nurturing the directors of tomorrow. We spoke to Managing Director & Executive Producer, Siobhan Murphy and Spencer Dodd, and Directors Rep & Production, Ziver Irkad, about some of the challenges facing young creatives today, how the industry can best support them, and maintaining a positive mindset...

What’s the main reason for coming on board as a sponsor for the Young Arrows?

SPENCER: More than anything it aligns perfectly with our values and ambitions. Exposing ourselves to and encouraging and nurturing new, interesting and diverse voices within the industry.

ZIVER: We wanted to be involved in the Young Arrows for quite some time, it’s my favourite awards show of the year. As a team, it keeps us inspired and revitalised. We do our best to keep our finger on the pulse but with so much talent in London, it’s difficult to keep up so it’s the one event that brings incredible people to our attention. I always leave absolutely buzzing and trying to find any way possible to work with some of the talent that really speaks to us. We just highly rate it so it's a no brainer!

What are some of the challenges young people face starting off in the industry, and what can we do about these challenges?

SPENCER: It’s a saturated market. And as a creative industry we are surprisingly risk averse. The democratisation of technology has removed some historical barriers to entry which is great although many still exist. Consequently there are a lot more production companies and directors in the market place. However the amount of work available to production companies and directors hasn’t increased. There’s more supply than demand.

Ultimately we need to move beyond viewing diversity and new talent as a risk; instead seeing that talent as bringing fresh perspectives, innovative ideas and different solutions to current challenges thereby offering a strategic advantage.

To do that, collectively we have to build an inclusive framework that fosters a culture where diverse thinking is valued and leveraged for innovative and better decision-making. Support systems like mentorship and work experience programmes can help guide new talent in developing the skills they need to succeed.

ZIVER: Access, or rather, the lack of it. So often, people want to work with the same familiar names over and over, which makes it incredibly hard for those without existing relationships to break in. I appreciate it might feel like a risk to work with someone new but if that person has the right support around them, they might just bring something fresh to the table that could push the work in exciting new directions. What can we do? We need to actively shift the mindset. Just because you don’t recognise someone’s name doesn’t mean they don’t have something great to offer. Take the time to look at their work, to meet them. You might end up discovering the next big thing!

If you could change one thing about the way the advertising industry supports emerging talent, what would it be?

SIOBHAN: There needs to be a way to develop and nurture younger talent as right now, even the smaller budgets are going to more established directors. Perhaps under a certain budget level agencies could set a precedent that they approach directors who have only worked in the industry for a certain number of years (or only have a few pieces of work) and I still believe we need to do a lot more on diversity. It appears to have fallen by the wayside in the past year and agencies seem to have gone back to their bad old habits.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for production companies to support younger directors which is tragic as there is so much exciting talent out there to discover. Part of the reason I got into production was to nurture young talent and it is demobilising and frustrating to come against so much resistance within the industry.

Do you have any plans for the future when it comes to supporting emerging talent?

SPENCER: Continue and expend upon our Mentorships, Q&A sessions, Work placements and Work Experience initiatives. I think we have to look at a variety of initiatives from the ground up and eat all levels. People need help, advice, a foot in the door, experience and ultimately role models / mentors in more prominent positions.

Q&A Sessions to offer advice to people looking to get into the industry. Making sure they’re aware of what the industry has to offer and that there is a place for them within it. Offering help support and advice about how to get a foot in the door.

Work experience for those looking to get into the industry so that they can get a feel for it and an understanding of where their skills and interests are best placed. Work placements for those that have a better understanding of the industry and are looking to gain experience / make contacts in a particular area of the industry.

ZIVER: This year especially, we’ve been putting our money where our mouth is and spending time nurturing and connecting with talent we believe in. Spencer and Siobhan have been teaming up with Iconic steps and they’ve made an incredible effort to meticulously place up and comers in the right roles to get the most relevant experience. We’ve also taken the talented director Abbey Monteiro under our wing, paving the way for her and we are striving to make some headway with her in the new year. Our plan is to keep it up!

What advice would you give to anyone starting out in the industry? Or the best piece of advice you received early on in your career?

SPENCER: Be nice. Work Hard.

ZIVER: LISTEN, once I started listening in on conversations I didn’t need to be a part of, that is when the penny started to drop for me and I started to really get an understanding of how it all works. And be yourself from the get-go, what’s the point of working in a creative industry if you’ve gotta hide!

What are you most looking forward to for the rest of the year creatively?

SIOBHAN: There are so many changes happening in the industry right now but I try to keep a positive outlook on things. Glass half full kind of gal! I think we can get caught up in all the negativity surrounding in housing / AI killing our business, but there will also be a flipside to all of that. We are seeing more work direct with clients who no longer want to be a part of a bigger agency and would rather work independently.

We are also utilising our writers / directors and TV background to push more into branded entertainment, which I think will be embraced more confidently in 2026.

Our US offices are ahead of the game and are seeing a lot of development in this area. At the end of the day, people still want to be entertained by good storytelling, whether that be emotional or with humour - and we feel we are in the perfect position to provide that. Bring it on!

Thank you to Merman for sponsoring the Young Arrows Junior Agency Producer award.