Nigel sits down for a very special interview with director Jake Murray and writer/producer Paul Ludden as they explore the history, background and motivation behind their short film The Visit. Their intense character drama tells the fictionalised story of the perpetrator of the real life bombing of Manchester city centre by the IRA in 1996. The bomber returns to present day Manchester as an aging and ailing man, contemplating the consequences of a life spent in violence. Jake and Paul takes...

Nigel engages in a fascinating discussion with writer/director Tamas Levardi, creator of the powerful historical epic Foretoken - Omen of the Outsiders. This film follows the journey of two siblings as they seek to confront a garrison of Roman soldiers in order to free their people from Roman occupation. Tamas takes us on his filmmaking experiences and the crucial lessons he learned on his journey from agency work, to music videos to an incredibly ambitious triumph of short film...

Nigel reconnects with writer/director Laura Jefferies to talk about her supernatural psychological drama White Rabbit, an official selection and winner of the outstanding Performance award at our festival last October. This episode dives into the making of the film, working with producer Mike Marks and lead actor Kesley Cooke and her love of old school British horror. They also explore options in shaping a career path in film and the importance of short film in shaping the future of...

We kick off 2024 by welcoming writer/director George Siougas and producer Michael Stevenson to the pod. Having built successful careers in television on series from Emmerdale to Casualty and many more, George and Michael have led a talented and supremely dedicated team including actor Jason Watkins (The Crown) and legendary music composer Stephen Warbeck, to create a truly heartwarming short film. The One Note Man follows a musical man who lives a careful life. Each day is like the next,...

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions pertaining to sexual assault. In this very special episode, Nigel talks to the winners of the Outstanding Drama Short at this year's Surrey Short Film Festival (now the Cameo Launch Short Film Festival). Director Rebecca Gallon, producer Tina Zucco and writer and lead actor Matt Hansen reveal the background of their drama short film I'm Not Finished. The film follows Alex (Hansen) as he bonds with Ellie at a house party. Sparks fly between...

In this episode, Nigel talks to writer/director Daniel Deville about the making of his intense short film drama, By Any Other Name. Produced by Slick Films, this short film tells the story of a woman searching for her sister, who has been sold into the sex trade in London's criminal underbelly. Daniel talks about his background and the challenges he had to overcome as well as closing the gap between aspiration and action when it came to building a career in filmmaking. This is a...

Nigel welcomes short film horror maestro Jed Shepherd (Host, Dashcam) to the pod with an intriguing discussion on the horror genre and how the refusal of the UK film establishment to properly invest in it is hurting the UK film industry. We also dive into Jed's highly unusual journey into filmmaking and how a lockdown prank turned into a ticket to Hollywood. Watch Jed's new film Flashback on Netflix now and see the short films he wrote and produced alongside director Rob Savage below as well...

Nigel talks to first time filmmaker Aleah Marrow, whose beautiful film Wish Hill we discovered at last year's Aesthetica Film Festival. Wish Hill is an adventure story and a dream-like meditation on mortality, following two brothers conflicted with life's chaos. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, they set out on a secret adventure to a place where it is believed wishes come true. Nigel and Aleah explore the path from Aleah's professional tennis career through to her unexpected...

In this episode, Nigel hosts founder of Bluebird Productions Alexandra Blue in the pod. Alexandra has produced short films reviewed by Cameo Launch including Martha, End-O and Sarah Chong is Going to Kill Herself. This only scratches the surface of an extensive filmography and a career that spans mastering, postproduction supervising and development on films ranging from ’71 to Paddington 2. Alexandra Blue takes us on the fascinating journey of her career as we explore her initial steps into...

Nigel re-enters the pod with actor, producer and writer Emmeline Hartley as they bring their mammoth 3-part interview to a close with an eye-opening discussion on non-traditional funding for short film.  Their conversation explores how making the short film drama Keep Breathing led to new methods of film fundraising, a potential business model for short film and how it gave birth to a brand-new theatre project.  Catch the final part of the ‘Emmeline Hartley Trilogy’ and complete this...

In this very special episode, Nigel hosts Academy Award winner Chris Overton in the pod as they explore Chris' new short film, In Too Deep. This new short film is an exploration of the dangerous intersection between grief and technology, throwing us into the grieving process of Ben (Stephen Wight) and Carol (Rachel Shenton) as they struggle to come to terms with the loss of their daughter. While Carol tries everything she can to cope with her grief, Ben isolates himself and hatches a plan to...

This episode is part two of our mammoth 'Emmeline Hartley Trilogy' where Nigel and Emmeline explore the making of Keep Breathing, a short drama tackling the subject of sexual consent and power dynamics co-written, produced and starring Emmeline alongside Damien Molony. A woman gets stuck in a lift with the engineer that’s fixing it, only to discover it’s the man she had a one-night-stand with just a few weeks before. As the awkwardness manifests, it becomes clear they both have very...

Nigel speaks to Emmeline Hartley of the Nexus Cast & Crew Network and they embark on one of the most eye-opening discussions of the podcast to date, diving into the terrain of the UK film and cinema industries and why establishing a career in grassroots filmmaking is often so hard. We also get the opportunity to learn about the Nexus network, its origins and how it helps to uplift independent filmmakers in underserved areas of the UK. Touching on issues of funding, cost and exposure,...

Director Weiyang Liu joins Nigel in the pod all the way from Beijing to discuss his directorial debut, Can’t Quit. Liu discusses his desire to conduct the ‘real’ iPhone challenge by shooting the entire short film on an iPhone 14 Pro with just available light and a skeleton crew. Liu and Nigel also dive into the complexities of getting people to take a chance on your first time filmmaking efforts and the advantages of establishing a filmmaking career in the streaming age. Read our review...

Director Brian Pittala joins Nigel in the pod all the way from America’s Pacific Northwest to talk about his new short film Asteroids, a coming-of-age comedy/drama about a young woman arriving at a crossroads in her life and having to choose between her creative potential and a stable future. Brian and Nigel talk first time filmmaking, finding a team you can count on and art reflecting life. You can find our review and watch Asteroids here. Click here to listen to more episodes and...

In this very special episode, we get two interviews for the price of one! Nigel talks to filmmaker Ryan Nunes about his latest short film After the Beep, in which a young man tries to reconnect with his estranged father during the Christmas period. We go into Ryan’s motivations for telling this particular story, the emotional risk of personal honesty in storytelling through film, how and why Ryan made After the Beep with a cast and crew of one and striking a balance between creative...

Nigel sits down with writer/director Spencer Zimmerman to discuss his sci-fi drama short film that meditates on the human struggle to overcome grief. Darkside is an ambitious and epic space opera that while massive in scope is intimate in focus. Spencer Zimmerman takes us through the layers of personal experience and emotional vulnerability that he poured into his biggest filmmaking challenge to date. Listen to this fascinating conversation and catch our review by following the link. See...

Nigel talks to the director and producer of romantic comedy 'Love at First Sight' starring John Hurt and Phyllida Law. Michael Davies shares his insights on the nature of short film storytelling and working with British acting royalty to make a genuine and heartfelt movie. Additionally, Sandra Gorel talks us through the journey of guiding a production that became more ambitious than anticipated and how to maintain focus, professionalism and equity while delivering a truly wonderful...

Nigel talks to MarBelle, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of one of the most influential short and indie film platforms in the UK. This episode sheds light on the origins of one of the biggest mainstays on the British film landscape and delves into the changing face of modern film. Find out more about Directors Notes here - https://directorsnotes.com/  Subscribe to our podcast on your favourite platform here - https://www.cameolaunch.com/podcast 

This year's Aesthetica Short Film Festival featured a heartbreaking movie following a mother dealing with the aftermath of her young son's attempted suicide. Writer/director Adam Etheridge brings us the social drama Milk produced by the guest of this episode Katherine Press. Nigel sits down with Katherine, a ballet dancer turned actor turned producer, writer and director as she charts her career journey. Listen in for her fascinating story and insights into thriving in the world of UK short...

Actor, writer and director Adetokumboh M'Cormack returns to the pod for an interview with host Nigel Morgan to discuss The German King the series. Following his award-winning short film, Adetokumboh has ventured out on a journey that has started the development of a new epic series expanding on the story of King Rudolf Manga Bell. He also embarked on an international tour that has seen the German government and the King's descendants start on a journey of reconciliation over a century after...

This episode, Nigel talks to the director of 'Hotter Up Close' the final short film in our LGBTQIA+ Month.  This film follows Chris, a gay slacker who is dealing with a recent break up. We go on a journey with him as he struggles to overcome his crippling insecurities in order to find love. Leland Montgomery takes us through the genesis of the film and the importance of creating a relatable and positive romantic comedy that takes place in an LGBTQ space. Read our Watchlist Review for the...

What would you do if you had a chronic health condition with no effective treatment options and were EXHAUSTED from being misunderstood by healthcare professionals? Well, Elaine Gracie wrote a script for a short film! We are VERY excited to share our conversation with her!  Elaine’s script for her short film “End-O” was picked up by the director Alice Seabright (who also directed the NetFlix series “sex education”) and stars Sophia di Martino (who recently appeared in the Marvel series...

What happens when you make a film about a personal story? For Chad Sogas, he thinks it saved his life.  On this episode, Zarrin talks to Chad, an award-winning filmmaker based in Brooklyn about the making of his film Rat Tail.  Rat Tail started out as a quick, autobiographical short film about a childhood haircut, but the film became a story of self-discovery and ultimate healing. It was through making the film that Chad got diagnosed with bipolar depression and was able to get the...