Jim Owen is an award winning comedy director represented by 2AM.

He is well known for his brilliant casting and ability to glean pitch perfect comedy performances from his talent. He has worked with with comedians, actors and celebrities alike, including; Diane Morgan (Philomena Cunk, Motherland, After Life), Joe Wilkinson, Sean Walsh, Greg James, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Rita Ora.

Jim also writes, directs and edits short films, 'The Priest' and 'Good Grief' were both selected for The BFI’s London Comedy Film Festival.

Alongside his commercial work Jim is currently writing and directing a series of short topical, experimental sketches about Britain’s hypocrisies and people’s strange behaviour, you can check them out at Lowest Common Denominators (LCD) @wearelcd / https://jimowen.co.uk/lcd/

You can check out Jim's work on 2AM's site here.

1. What bands or artists are you listening to most right now?

Joy Crookes, Years & Years after watching 'It’s A Sin' on C4, SAULT. We just shot a commercial (with 2AM) which led me to Chaka Khan and then 'Suga' by Fatback Band & Sarah Ruba which I’ve listened to a million times and I’m not tired of it.

2. What was the first record you bought?
By the time I was five or six I’d managed to cobble together a box of 7” hand me downs, that included The Beatles Love Me Do, Hound Dog by Elvis, some Adam Ant and a dog-eared copy of Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Dury & The Blockheads.

3. Favourite podcast?
Sam Harris. Adam Buxton’s chats with Kazuo Ishiguro and Adam Curtis were both brilliant - and my girlfriend put me onto Eleanor Gordon-Smith’s 'Little Bad Thing'.

4. What was the last gig you saw?
We watched the Kano-in-the-rain Live At Worthy Farm set recently. Kano in the raino?

5. Favourite album cover?
'Boy In Da Corner' by Dizzee. Graphic, iconic. Richard Russell’s Liberation Through Hearing is a great book about running XL Recordings and being creative in the music industry, and his stuff in the book about first hearing Dizzee and Wiley is great.

6. What's your go to Karaoke song?
The thought of Karaoke makes me wanna be sick in my mouth.

7. Favourite music video?
So many. Massive Attack’s Live With Me by Johnathan Glazer. Sad, beautiful, magical.

8. What song gets you dancing in your living room?
Our kids have led us back to The Bee Gees, the Grease soundtrack and a lot of Nile Rogers, so all that’s been going on lately. The Bee Gees documentary is surprisingly good btw. I appreciate that last sentence doesn’t read correctly, but it’s true.

9. Favourite movie & soundtrack?
'There Will Be Blood' and Jonny Greenwood’s soundtrack. What a film, what a soundtrack. I loved 'Nomadland' and its music. Chloé Zhao’s film 'The Rider' is also excellent. Chloé Zhao is something else.

10. If you could direct a music video for any artist/band, who would it be?

Portishead, Adam Ant, China Drum.

11. Film director idol?
I love Alan Clarke, Andrea Arnold, Shane Meadows, Michael Winterbottom. Charlotte Regan’s short films 'Fry Up' and 'Little Monster' are brilliant and feel like they belong to that great lineage. So all of that incredible British realist work that has edge, a big heart and a sense of humour.

12. What can’t you live without?
Our family. One day, you find yourself standing in a kitchen and there’s two small humans looking up at you and they’re asking for breakfast. Turns out they’re your kids and you really like them.

13. Greatest influence on your career?
Granddad told me never to take life too seriously and it’s worked for him, he’s 97 in September.

14. What has got you through all the lockdowns?
WhatsApp. Good mates on tap is essential business.

15. Anything you want to tell us about?

I’ve been making a series of sketches with my mate Ben and a great little cast and crew called Lowest Common Denominators. You can find them here: https://jimowen.co.uk/lcd/