Sharon Murdoch - Funny As Interview

Hailing from the deep south, political cartoonist Sharon Murdoch started out as a designer and came to cartooning later in life. In this Funny As interview she discusses influences on her life and career, including:

• Early years in Invercargill and her “fantastic” art teacher, Jim Gilmore, who made her feel “seen” for the first time
• How having a child later paved the way for a career in cartooning
• How working for Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) in South Africa made her realise the potency of comic strips 
• Being regarded as “a bit of an oddity” in the newsroom because of her age and gender
• How satire in a cartoon can be missed, provoking unexpected responses
• How committing to an idea for a cartoon and delivering quickly increases the risk of being embarrassed by the result

This interview was recorded for 2019 TV series Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy. All audiovisual content is copyright to Augusto, and may not be reproduced. Publication of Funny As extended interviews made possible with funding from the NZ Lotteries Grants Board.