Breaking Bread: OkayStudio’s Debut Directors’ Dinner Lands in London
In a creative landscape where relationships often form in the flurry of production, OkayStudio is carving out space for something slower, more intentional — and delicious. This month, the post-production studio launched the London edition of its Directors’ Dinner, a new bi-annual series designed to bring together directors, editors and colourists for an evening of conversation, connection, and creative temperature-checking.
Held at Dalston’s cult-favourite restaurant Acme Fire Cult, the inaugural London event welcomed a curated guest list of 20 directors shaping the future of commercial filmmaking alongside OkayStudio’s roster.
“Directors, editors and colourists are often elusive creatures who rarely have the chance to take a beat and mix with their peers outside the studio,” says Jack Howard, EP at OkayStudio. “We wanted to create something intimate and meaningful – a chance to sit down, break bread and talk candidly about where we’re all at creatively, professionally and personally.”
First piloted in Berlin earlier this year, the Directors’ Dinner is now set to become a twice-yearly fixture in both cities – part salon, part supper club, and part quiet protest against the transactional nature of modern production.
For OkayStudio co-founder and CEO Nikolaj Belzer, the event also reflects a broader shift in how the most innovative creatives are choosing to collaborate. “The old model has cracked – it’s over,” he says. “What’s emerging is smaller, independent studios built around artists, not overheads. This moment belongs to the curious, the nimble, and the true team players – and that’s where we live.”
If the evening proved anything, it’s that great work doesn’t just come from tight edits or beautiful grades – it starts with genuine relationships. And sometimes, those relationships start over tasty barbecue.
LBB> How would you describe the state of directing/editing/grading/VFX right now – creatively, practically, emotionally?
Candice Lo - Park Village> Tough. Excitingly challenging time.
Katie Dymock, colourist - OkayStudio> It’s an interesting and divisive time. AI is obviously a big talking point, but grading is, in some ways, its own bubble. Rick Rubin recently said, “we work with artists for their opinions. AI doesn’t have a point of view”. That still holds true with directors, editors, DOPs colourists etc – we genuinely value each others’ unique insights and visions.
Joshua Vii - independent> There's more technically astounding work being made than ever before, but the sheer volume can feel numbing. Maybe it’s because my instagram feed is full of other directors and artists -- but the flipside of social media. A lot of people are crafting their work, like their lives, for the ‘gram, but that’s the most disposable way to viewwork. It’s a powerful tool for visibility and promotion, but it can dilute impact. We’re in a golden age of visual tools, but the real challenge is creating work that’s more than just an entertaining loop. You have to fight to protect a sense of soul in the craft.
Lucrecia - PrettyBird> Now more than ever, it feels like everyone’s a director, editor, and colourist — thanks to social platforms. And with AI evolving daily, the craft is in constant motion. That’s why we’ve got to be true masters of our discipline to cut through the noise. I actually welcome this shift. These tools are amplifiers, they help us make a bigger splash in culture, articulate ideas more clearly, and connect in new ways. But they shouldn't replace the idea. They shouldn’t write it for us.
Being a director these days isn’t just a title – it’s a movement. People gravitate towards it because they see themselves in it or because they’re inspired by the world that person builds – not just through film, but through how they speak, create, dress, dream, exist.
Sasha Nathwani - Caviar> Unpredictable and precarious, that’s how I’d describe the state of the industry at the moment. It’s hard to make any kind of prediction in the post-covid landscape, given the stop-start nature of production. I think the collective yearning for things to “go back to normal” is officially over. People are accepting that this is the new normal. AI comes up constantly in conversations these days. But honestly, I think the real elephant in the room is the expansion of in-house. It needs to be called out for what it often is: a corporate money grab.
Ehsan Bhatti - Friend> It’s been a butthead of a year, and the industry’s mirroring the wider socio-economic chaos. Scripts feel safer, budgets are getting ringed out, tech’s on a mad-take-over, and DEI’s getting quietly shelved… But isn’t the best art born out of uncertainty?! No one gets into directing for stability. One week it’s clinical burnout, the next it’s beans on toast in your boxers, but we tell stories ‘cause we got something to say, the more unhinged it gets out there, the more I wanna lean into it the possibility for change!
Phoebe Arnstein - Magna> Half the job for me at the moment is working out the juggle of motherhood and the industry’s ever shifting sands and crazy expectations. My silver lining is that this pressure is driving work that I’m finding to be really creatively fulfilling.
LBB> What kind of work – creatively or commercially – have you found yourself doing this year? Has anything surprised you?
Sam Hardy, editor - OkayStudio> This year I’ve been more immersed in animation and CGI than before. Kicking things off with a SuperBowl spot for OpenAI with Builders Club was a real high. Crafted from singular dots to tell the story of humanity, the ad utilised storytelling differently. Learning to work with animation from start to finish and integrating AI into the workflow was a project first.
Samona Olanipekun - ProdCo> I’ve spent a lot of the year locked away writing. It’s been tough but rewarding. It’s a nice feeling to see projects you’ve been working on in the background continue to take shape. I’m enjoying the process of discovery.
Alex O’Brien, colourist - OkayStudio> This year I’ve been working on a lot of long-form documentaries, which I’ve been leaning into more over the past few years. I love commercial work – especially its fast pace and it’s where I first cut my teeth in the industry. But with so many political shifts happening at the moment, I’m happy for the chance to contribute to social change through my grading. We work in an industry that has the power to push for change and that inspires me.
LBB> What does a great director-editor or director-colourist relationship look like to you?
Margot Bowman - Merman> It’s an ongoing exploration of creativity, an intuitive vibe check, a friendship based on curiosity, a DIY film school session.
Candice Lo - Park Village> Being on the same wavelength when it comes to understanding emotion – that’s when everything flows naturally. Sometimes it’s not personal, it’s simply about how our perspectives align or don’t. Just as important is the openness to bring both creative minds together to make something we all care about and want to do justice to.
Meiji Alabi - RSA> It comes from understanding that we’re collaborators. Yes, the director has the final word but we come to our editors and our colourist because they know something we don’t. This is their daily bread and we want them to execute our vision with their sauce and wealth of experience. Let’s have a conversation.
Marc Soria, editor - OkayStudio: A great director-editor relationship is built on trust, taste, and shared instinct. It’s about having a clear vision, but also the openness to challenge and refine it in the edit. The best collaboration is co-authorship, not just execution.
Jo Lewandowska, editor - OkayStudio> The best collaborations happen when creativity has room to flow – starting with a strong vision provides a solid foundation, but it’s the trust to experiment and be playful in the suite that often leads to the most exciting results. For me, it’s all about trust, a safe space to make mistakes, clear communication and good vibes.
Fiona Jane Burgess - Smuggler> It’s an open dialogue, and working with people who are passionate and willing to give the necessary time to get it right. I always need to sleep on a grade, I can’t just finish it in one day and be done. I need to walk away and see it with fresh eyes. A good colourist understands that and makes space for it, rather than being rigid with their time. With editors, I spend weeks in the same room, so it’s naturally a more personal relationship and a longer process. It’s all about good communication and having no ego in the room. I value someone who’s not afraid to challenge me but can also be collaborative.
Joshua Vii - independent> A great editor will make you question your decisions and create the space to see what you’ve shot with fresh eyes. I’ve been lucky to work with some incredible ones, where they’ve taught me just how far you can push the same footage to create something entirely different.
The ideal dynamic isn’t just about assembling the film as it was boarded, but about creatively exploring ways to twist, reframe and evolve what’s there. The edit is the final rewrite, and a great one can completely change a film. The colourist relationship is similar to that of a director and DOP. You need someone whose eye, instinct, and taste you trust. Sitting in a room with a colourist you clash with is frustrating.
Femi Ladi - independent> I love creative relationships that develop over time. Building that creative shorthand and mutual understanding is one of the most rewarding parts of being a director. It’s about trusting each other’s taste and instincts – and knowing when and how to challenge one another in service of the story. That level of collaboration is invaluable.
Nicolee Tsin - Kode> My relationship with my editor and colourist is super intimate. It's vulnerable walking into the room and diving into the materials you shot, but they’ve always created a safe and non-judgemental space where they can be critically honest. When you've been stuck in a project for so long, they become the third eye – helping me step back and see it objectively. I love sitting closely together in the room, even sharing the silence as we make, observe and digest. I used to think we should just instantly "get" each other but over time, working with the same editor and colourists has taught me about communication, building trust and learning each other's way.
Abigail Wilson - Park Pictures> The relationship requires respect both ways. You come into the edit suite with your newborn baby, so, if anyone starts messing with it, it's downhill from there. It's a sensitive and vulnerable environment, with so many highs and so many lows, but you’re sticking through it all together. And when it works – it's magic – there's nothing better.
LBB> What’s keeping you resilient – or excited – in this uncertain moment for the industry?
Phoebe Arnstein - Magna> Making provocative work that ignites a conversation.
Candice Lo - Park Village> Gratitude. If the uncertain moment you’re referring to is AI. AI is an exciting new technology that will both benefit and disrupt many areas of our lives. But it’s also made me more certain than ever that I want to keep creating work centered on human connection and emotion, because nuance is beautifully and uniquely irreplaceable. Being a creative person is about the process: the sweat, the hardship, the unpredictability, the happy surprises, even the face your crew made when you ask for a green tea with milk so you can keep going. That experience is something AI can't provide. For a creative person, giving that up would be a real shame.
Femi Ladi - independent> Delusion. Honestly, most creatives need a healthy dose of it to survive in this industry. Even in uncertain moments, that delusion keeps you resilient – it helps you keep pushing forward, stay hopeful, and find new ways to express yourself despite the chaos.
Sasha Nathwani - Caviar> In terms of future excitement, I believe audiences are beginning to turn away from endless digital consumption. We’re at the apex of screen time, and people will start safeguarding their time more carefully. When they do choose to watch something, whether on a big screen or a small one, they’ll want to spend that time on thought-provoking, meaningful stories rather than the instantly disposable content we are seeing on Instagram and TikTok.
Robbie Samuels - Not Just Any> I am just trying to ride out this rollercoaster like everyone else; my resilience is formed from knowing that times of change always lead to new opportunities, and I believe that the industry will level back out at some point.
Ehsan Bhatti - Friend> Feels like we’re teetering on the edge of a major paradigm shift. No one really knows where it’s going, but it weirdly reminds me of early COVID: uncertain, yet oddly unifying. Small talk’s out, DMCs are in, that can’t be a bad thing. Anna, my EP at The Cornershop, checks in weekly, regardless of budget or board-flow updates, just asking “How are you really doing?” makes the world feel a bit safer. AI’s on everyone’s lips, and plagiarism is a real concern. As a community, we should be pushing for legislation. Still, I’m hopeful about how AI can unlock creativity – shots we never thought possible, voices that never thought they’d be heard. I’ve used it to make proof-of-concept teasers for long-form scripts, but would I rather be a prompt engineer than bring my people together for a shoot? Absolutely not!
LBB> What are you aspiring to – personally or professionally – for the rest of this year and beyond?
Margot Bowman - Merman> I'm working on my debut feature, using fiction to process what's happening in our dystopian reality and deepening the relationships in my creative community to nurture hope.
Fiona Jane Burgess - Smuggler> My aspiration is to continue to push myself creatively and to try to develop my narrative work. Just to keep persevering even though it's tough, and to keep hustling.
Joshua Vii - independent> I heard a quote the other day about envisioning your life as a TV show, and imagining what the audience is shouting at the screen. Maybe it hit harder because I’m a filmmaker, but I think for most of us in commercials, there’s that lingering nagging feeling that we should be doing something more personal, expressive and experimental. There’s a different kind of thirst that only personal work can quench. So, before the year is out, I have to make something that’s just for me. Hopefully putting it in writing here will keep me to it.
Tom Day - Pulse> I’m a natural optimist and a big believer in putting one foot in front of the other. If there’s nothing happening, I will make something happen (however big or small). I’m restless and always want to create, so I guess that energy is my resilience.
Lucrecia - PrettyBird> I’m really happy with how this year’s unfolding – I want to see more exciting new ads and music videos on the horizon. I’m still deep in development on my next short, which I’m hoping to start shooting by the end of next year and I’ll continue with my Latinxs series whenever I can. It’s such a meaningful extension of my creative voice.
Femi Ladi - independent> I’m focused on pushing myself and exploring new ways of expressing ideas through film. I’ve got another short coming out and I've worked on a few music videos and commercials so far. Working across different formats keeps me creatively engaged and helps me stay honest and responsive to the story in front of me. I want to keep growing and stay open.
“It was such an inspiring evening,” said Franky Chadwick, colour executive producer at OkayStudio. “Everyone around the table can be celebrated for incredible pieces of work from the last year, and while there’s a lot to celebrate, the past year has also brought with it lots of challenges, so it was a great moment to reflect together on shared experiences of this funny old industry."
As the plates were cleared and conversations lingered long into the night, it became clear that OkayStudio’s Directors’ Dinner is more than just a networking opportunity — it’s a signpost for where the industry is heading. In a time of rapid automation and fleeting digital interactions, there’s growing appetite for slower, more intentional creative exchange. By fostering honest dialogue between directors and post-production artists, OkayStudio is championing not just craft, but community — and reminding us that some of the best collaborations begin over a shared meal.
The full list of attendees at the event were;
OkayStudio: founder Nikolaj Belzer; managing director David Thomas; executive producer Jack Howard; colour executive producer Franky Chadwick; colourists Alex O’Brien and Katie Dymock; editors Marc Soria, Jo Lewandowska and Sam Hardy.
Directors attending: Nicolee Tsin – KODE; Margot Bowman – Merman; Abigail Wilson – Park Pictures; Iggy London – Park Pictures; Meji Alabi – RSA; Ehsan Bhatti– Friend UK; Sasha Nathwani – CAVIAR; Tom Day – Pulse; Robbie Samuels – Not Just Any; Samona Olanipekun – ProdCo; Candice Lo – Park Village; Joshua Vii – (independent); Femi Ladi - (independent); Lydia Garnett - Somesuch; Phoebe Arnstein - Magna; Fiona Jane Burgess - Smuggler; Lucrecia - Prettybird.
