The daily stresses of being a finance novice are all unpacked in HBO’s newest drama series “Industry,” which premieres Monday, November 9.
From creators/writers Konrad Kay and Mickey Down, the show is primarily focused on a group of young graduates all working for a permanent position at a high-level London bank. In an interview with The Knockturnal, Kay and Down explained how they originally met working together in the finance industry, which led to many of their real-life experiences shaping the show’s story.
“We really wanted to create a character-driven relationship drama,” Down says, “And setting it in that [finance] world just made a lot of sense. Sort of the universality of having your first job is relatable to many many people.”
Industry follows a diverse group of characters, which Kay says was simply an accurate portrayal of him and Down’s time working in finance.
“The landscape of a trading floor or a graduate class when I was doing it or when Mickey was doing it […] it is actually kind of a meritocracy in terms of grades and ability. They’re very naturally and organically diverse places.” Kay noted. “The thing we were interested was not the point at which you’re brought through the door, but the months after that, unpacking that meritocracy thing a little bit.
Check out the full conversation in the video above!