HBO’s “Silicon Valley” is about a lot of things: being an underdog, funding a business, succeeding in a competitive field. But it’s also about being a techie, and the way in which the world sometimes labels you a “nerd.” And as actor and comedian Thomas Middleditch points out, television and film have not always been kind when portraying nerds. 

We caught up with him on the streets of Austin during SXSW Interactive. For his part, Middleditch is proud of the research that goes into accurately portraying Silicon Valley. For him, it means the poking fun at the people in the tech industry is earned. And if anyone engrossed in start-up culture is paying attention, he also points out they can learn a lot from improv comedy when it comes to improving their approach to working with others.

Click below for an extended cut of our conversation with Thomas Middleditch:

Silicon Valley premiered at last year’s SXSW Interactive conference, and is gearing up for a season 2 premiere on April 12th.