My Break . . . Ivan O’Mahoney

Series director of Go Back to Where You Came From and Great Southern Land Ivan O’Mahoney on how he got his start.

How did you first get into TV?

I studied international law and had an interest in human rights. After a couple of years in law I got quite frustrated with the fact that I was often representing people who were winning cases because they could afford specialised lawyers. That led me to look for the next step in my career. I went to journalism school at Columbia University. Given that I spent time in the army, I thought I was going to be a war correspondent and be in front of the camera but in the first week we were taught how to use cameras. From that moment I wanted to be behind the camera.