Who are we?
AWARDS/HIGHLIGHTS
Welcome to My Cow is Dead, a vibrant production company that specialises in crafting live comedy shows, captivating short films, and engaging audio productions.
Our creative endeavours span the spectrum of comedy and drama, ensuring a diverse and entertaining experience for our audience.
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Set up in 2015 as a production company for live comedy shows, the name comes from a comment made during a comedy show where one of the acts was labouring the point of a joke, one of our producers turned and said, "I'm going to have to call the dairy, my cow is dead, I think he's been milked to death"
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At My Cow is Dead, our core philosophy centres on the unwavering pursuit of excellence, coupled with a commitment to enjoyment throughout our creative endeavours. With a proven track record of producing multi-award-winning short films, we take great pride in upholding the highest standards of production.
Whether you're engaging with one of our live shows, watching one of our short films, or immersing yourself in our audio productions, rest assured that each experience is crafted with meticulous attention to detail.
2024 MHAwards Wales Silver award for best product - Studying2b
2024 Wales International Film Festival Official Selection - So Brave
2024 Berlin Film Awards Honourable Mention - 2B
2023 Swedish Academy of Motion Pictures: Best Short Winner - 2B
2023 Liverpool Indie Awards: Best UK Short Film Winner - 2B
2022 Hollywood Script Awards: Best Writer Winner - Dying
2022 Malta Independent Film Awards: Best short screenplay - Dying
2022 Screenplay Awards: Honourable Mention - Rooms
2021 Wales International Festival: Finalist - Swipe
2021 Paris Screenplay Awards: Best Short Script Winner - Swipe
2021 Luis Bunuel Awards: Best Short Script winner - 2B
2020 Tagore Film Festival: Best TV Pilot Script winner - Violet Holmes
2018 Feel the Reel: Best Short Experimental film winner - "Alan"
Nicko Vaughan is a multifaceted and award-winning writer whose career spans television, film, radio, live performance, and academia. Her storytelling prowess and innovative approaches to narrative have garnered her significant acclaim across creative industries.
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Nicko has written several award-winning short films, showcasing her unique voice and keen eye for character and structure. Her talents extend to television as the head writer for the Cymru BAFTA awards TV show and a commission for the BBC Summer of British Film. As a performer and writer, Nicko co-created and starred in international comedy shows, including Nicko and Joe Sell Out, Songs We Think We Know, and Appetite for Distraction. Her distinctive comedic style and sharp wit also made her a popular writer and presenter for BBC Radio 7's Comedy Zone. Additionally, she has been a key contributor to various acclaimed radio shows, such as Recorded for Training Purposes.
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Her long-running live show, The Bad Film Club, has captivated audiences for nearly two decades, with a celebrated five-year residency at London’s Barbican Centre. The show, known for its humorous yet insightful commentary on the art of "bad cinema," has become a cult favourite among cinephiles.​ Nicko has an impressive portfolio of commissioned work, including writing buy-out TV pilots for Talkback Thames.
Beyond her screenwriting accomplishments, she is also the author of several non-fiction books on film, screenwriting, and the legacy of Sherlock Holmes, highlighting her deep passion for storytelling in all its forms. She also continues to work in collaboration with Edge 21 Studio as a writer of films, games and AR content including crime drama After the Evidence and the film location app Reel Reality.
She works actively to create environments where all writers can thrive, contributing significantly to the empowerment of underrepresented voices in academia and the arts.​Nicko’s creative work continues to receive widespread recognition. Her acclaimed film 2B earned the prestigious Silver Award for Best Wellbeing Product at the Mental Health & Wellbeing Awards 2024, and she is currently authoring a groundbreaking book with Routledge, Embracing Neurodiverse Perspectives in Screenwriting: Screenwriting 'Wrongly' which explores innovative frameworks in storytelling, aiming to amplify neurodiverse voices and challenge traditional paradigms in the screenwriting field.​
Most importantly, Nicko loves what she does and loves working collaboratively with others who love to create interesting and innovative content. ​
IMDB Profile: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2343472
Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Nicko-Vaughan/author/B01EQ36370​
Orange Pip Books: https://www.orangepipbooks.co.uk​
Joe Timmins is a writer, performer, musician, and producer whose eclectic career began behind the scenes in post-production as a sound engineer for DVD television releases.
His deep love of film and finely tuned ear for comedy led him to the stage, joining Nicko as a musician for their debut show Songs We Think We Know at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.
Joe’s film knowledge is as expansive as his guitar solos, both honed over years of obsessive viewing, collecting, and live performance. He was the lead guitarist for the band Wilmer and brings a rock-and-roll sensibility to everything he does.
He is also a co-producer at My Cow is Dead Productions and co-creator of The Bad Film Club, developing content that blends comedy, commentary, and cultural critique. Whether on stage or in the edit suite, Joe brings wit, warmth, and wild enthusiasm to the art of celebrating truly terrible films.
