Show Notes
This is episode 3 of the third season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s special episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined in conversation by Director Nick Rowland, who is seen as one of the UK’s and Hollywood’s brightest young stars. He joins us to talk about his latest release She Rides Shotgun, an action thriller which stars Taron Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger, available now on Amazon Prime. Nick breaks down his journey, process and the difficulties in dealing with expectation in this revealing conversation that very much centres on craft.
This conversation covers the following: -Nick’s journey into directing from Rally driving. -How he navigated his early career/expectation. -The difficulty of imposter syndrome. -His philosophy on directing and how it relates to his sensibilities as a human. -The difficulties of making a first feature film. -His struggles and learnings around tone in film. -How Nick prepares for interviews and pitches. -A breakdown of the craft of She Rides Shotgun and his philosophy in working with actors.
NUGGET OF THE WEEK Marcus: Dancing in the Ashes (short film) Oz: SLAP (short film) Nick: Pablo Neruda’s poetry
Credits Music by Oliver Wegmüller
Socials The Directors' Take: Twitter (X) & Instagram Marcus: Twitter (X) & Instagram Oz: Twitter (X) & Instagram Nick: Instagram & Directors Now
If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected]
More from The Directors Take Podcast
PODBEAN COPY This is episode 9 in the third season of The Directors Take Podcast. Your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are back, having both largely finished their longform projects, Marcus with his debut feature film CAST ME! and Oz with a couple of TV directing jobs now under his belt, they both break down their journey across this year and discuss the key differences they experienced in transitioning from directing shorts-to-longform. Credits Graphic Design by Ria Nightingale Music by Oliver Wegmüller
This is episode 8 in the third season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined in conversation by Manchester based Writer/Director and 2025 Screen Daily Star of Tomorrow Liam White. Liam built traction through his short film work which includes Doughnut (2020), Tick Tick Tick (2020), Punch-Drunk an exceptional thriller set in a cafe in Marseille which was longlisted for a BAFTA in 2022 and his most recent short film Housewarming won Best UK Short at Raindance Film Festival and earnt a BIFA nomination, firmly securing him as one of the UKs most exciting filmmaking talents. Liam now has several features in active development, two with Anna Keeley at Escape Plan and another with Heyday films. In this episode which was recorded live in 2025, with a catch up on the end, we break down his journey so far as he ascends the industry. As ever, it’s a must listen! Credits Graphic Design by Ria Nightingale Music by Oliver Wegmüller
This is episode 7 in the third season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined in conversation by some of the creative team behind SURVIVING EARTH, the BFI & FILM4 backed debut feature film from Writer/Director Thea Gajic. Producer Sophie Reynolds also joins us to talk through the film’s life cycle, as it successfully navigated the UK development system to eventually earn a Premiere at SXSW2025 and a UK theatrical release from 24th April. As ever… This is an in-depth episode about the pathway and process!
This is episode 6 in the third season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined in conversation by Producer Hollie Bryan and Writer/Director Jack King, the BAFTA nominated team behind The Ceremony, the indie feature film that won the Sean Connery Prize at Edinburgh International Film Festival before going on to earn two BIFA nominations and a BAFTA one too for good measure. We caught up with them the morning after the BAFTAs to talk through their experience of making the film on limited resources and the journey which came after… It’s a must listen!
This is episode 5 in the third season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s special episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad were joined for a LIVE conversation at the wonderful venue of MetFilm School Manchester by acclaimed actor Corin Silva. Corin is a rising star in the Film & TV industry with roles in SAS Rogue Heroes, Masters of the Air, All the Light We Cannot See and the upcoming release of the BAFTA nominated Wasteman. He is also a big advocate of short filmmaking and has featured in over 100 short films. As ever, this conversation breaks down his pathway into acting, his process and we uncover his thoughts on the Actor/Director relationship.