Dynamic Duos: Jules O’Loughlin & Dan Shotz
Posted on Mar 13, 2026 by Admin
With a creative partnership of nearly 13 years, DOP Jules O’Loughlin, ACS, ASC and executive producer Dan Shotz see each other as family. We ask what makes them gel
Interview Katie Kasperson
Definition: Tell me about your first project together.
Dan Shotz: Our meet cute was on a pirate show. We both did Black Sails; that’s where we met, in South Africa.
Jules O’Loughlin: It was the first time I had done a big show overseas, and it was a terrifying experience. I was so nervous. Something struck me, though: as I looked around the set, I realised I wasn’t alone. You’re looking for comfort, and you’re making contact with people – kindred spirits, I guess. Dan was one of those people. Very quickly, you go: ‘These are the people I need to be with. I trust these people. They feel like my tribe,’ and there’s comfort in that.
DS: Jules had this love of story and cinema, and we could talk about all those things. When you find that person, especially in a totally new environment, you think, ‘I’ve got to hold this guy crazy tight.’ He used the word tribe; I use family. These amazing collaborators are your family, and Jules is at the top of that list.
Def: What else do you enjoy about one another?
JO: The fun of working together. We genuinely like each other as people, and the same goes for the co-showrunner Jon Steinberg. They know my kids, they know my partner, so it’s all that shared experience, but it’s also a taste thing. You know what you like and what you don’t.
I can push the envelope, as far as the cinematography. That kind of thing can create fractures in a collaboration when you don’t really know each other. With Dan, we have each other’s backs. It’s a creatively fulfilling, trusting relationship.
DS: I love using the word trust. You want to have people you know will deliver and that you can trust to handle themselves. To me, the cinematographer is the leader of the crew, so that person is the face of the show every day on-set.
Def: What are you currently working on, and what new challenges has it brought?
DS: We’re shooting season three of Percy Jackson. This is our eighth TV season together. I was daunted taking it on, and not just because of the fan base or the size of the project. The number one thing I was anxious about was working with children. It’s a ton of responsibility.
Immediately, I was like: ‘If Jules is leading this crew, he’s making sure this is a place that’s fun, safe and where these kids can do their best work.’ I know Jules; I know the kind of father he is. I know the energy he puts out into the world. He is inspiring these kids on a day-to-day basis, let alone making a beautiful show.
JO: When I first started out, it was always about the script and the show. Now, it’s the story and the people, nose to nose. It’s about turning up and working with people that you love. They are the best in the world at what they do, and they are decent human beings. That goes for the cast as well; these kids have so much energy, and they are so keen and so professional.
DS: The work has gotten so ambitious. While it has gotten easier when it comes to the shorthand, it has gotten ten times harder because every season we are trying to up our game. You can’t get complacent with TV. We are making a feature with every episode. And we all got into this because we wanted to make great art, so that is where we all want to put the majority of our attention.
JO: The less you have to worry about your collaborators, the more energy you can put into the art. If you trust the team you have around you and you know that they are going to be giving 100% every day, it is such a good feeling. Moviemaking can get gnarly at times – but Dan has a ‘no dickheads’ policy.
DS: Life’s too short! I want to go to work every day and feel good about who I’m with.
Def: And what do you do on the bad days?
JO: Rely on your experience. A big part of filmmaking is lurching from one crisis to another, solving problems. I can’t remember the last time I had a bad day on Percy; it is stressful and there’s pressure, but we always work it out.
DS: When something feels off, you don’t have to go to a dark place. Jules calls me into the tent, and we talk about it.
Def: Do you have any projects in the planning phase?
DS: My goal is to keep having projects so that Jules doesn’t go anywhere else. Don’t leave me!
JO: Maybe it’s time you came to Australia, or at least Hawai‘i.
DS: Jon and I are developing a lot of different projects. While we’re hopefully keeping Percy going for more seasons, we’ve got a couple of other big pieces of IP and then some smaller stuff: passion projects in the early stages.
Def: Any last words you’d like to leave us with?
JO: It’s about the person next to you, and that person’s Dan.
DS: Jules has changed my life. When you find those people, you hold them tight. If you have that, you have everything.
Learn about other filmmaking dynamic duos in this interview with Ben Semanoff and Igor Martinovic.
This article appears in the February/March 2026 issue of Definition
