Oliver Cole

Writer | Director

Oliver Cole is a screenwriter and director, based in Melbourne, Australia.

Most recently, Oliver co-wrote the upcoming feature film, Better Man (dir. Michael Gracey, Footloose Productions, 2023), a radical musical biopic which explores the life of Robbie Williams. In addition to co-writing the screenplay, Oliver shot and directed pre-visualisation, established visual research, art directed still photography and worked closely with the heads of costume, hair and make-up, the set decorator and props department. The film was independently produced for a budget of AUD$100 million and was recently picked up for US distribution by Paramount Pictures, who will release it in theatres this Christmas.

Oliver initially studied Graphic Design at Swinburne University, and Pattern Design at RMIT. He began his career as a successful commercial photographer.

From 2001-2022 Oliver held various creative roles at production companies, including being a TVC treatment writer for Partizan UK/US and Moth Productions. He has also directed and has been the cinematographer for various campaigns, including being the Second Unit DOP for OWN Network USA TVC, the DOP and director for Ellie Goulding Live, the Second Unit DOP for T Mobile TVC (Partizan UK), and the DOP and director for a Remi music video. Oliver was also an actor, with roles in shows such as It’s A Date (Princess Pictures/ ABC, 2013), Spreading Joy (Partizan US, Silent Soprano, 2012), Bollywood or Bust (Lime Pictures UK, 2011), and The Secret Life of Us (Southern Star Entertainment/ Network Ten, 2001).

Wishing to move into more long-form screenwriting and directing, Oliver created and wrote multiple television series and pilots, and a feature film, which are all currently in development. He was also a script doctor on feature films such as Welcome to England (Lonesome Pine Productions UK, 2013) and The Greatest Showman (dir. Michael Gracey, Twentieth Century Fox, 2017).

For the past 20 years, Oliver has collaborated with the Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey (dir. The Greatest Showman), with the past 13 years seeing them focus on creating and writing original content. From 2018-2022 Oliver also worked full-time for Michael’s production company Babyfoot UK, where he was responsible for writing and creating original content for film and television. In 2011, Michael encouraged Oliver to travel to India to make the documentary Bollywood or Bust (Lime Pictures UK). The goal was to infiltrate Bollywood without any connections. This lead to the absurd comedy, Spreading Joy, where Oliver played Anil Joy – a struggling and type cast LA actor who discovers his roots in India and realises Bollywood is the place where he can be a leading man. The show was picked up by Partizan US (prod. Alex Drubigny). Oliver is currently re-imagining this project, and it was this project that demonstrated to Michael Gracey Oliver’s writing ability, leading them to collaborate more frequently. The culmination of this partnership is Oliver’s most recent credit, co-writing the creatively audacious musical biopic about Robbie Williams, Better Man (dir. Michael Gracey, Footloose Productions, 2023).

For enquiries regarding Oliver Cole please contact us via email or on (02) 9319 7199.