“Stubbornly Creative” It’s the exclamation greeting anyone who visits Silver Ox Pictures, the production company run by the powerhouse coupling of Writer/Director, Joey Ally and Cinematographer, TJ Williams Jr. Cohabitants in the Silverlake neighborhood of LA (which also lends itself to the company’s name), the duo has made an impression on film festival-goers far & wide. Their award-winning work has screened internationally at 50+ festivals including Sundance, Outfest, Palm Spring International Shortfest, and Cannes Lyon. Most recently, Joy Joy Nails, Written and Directed by Joey and shot by TJ, made its debut at New York City’s own TriBeCa Film Festival. Drawn to their mutual embodiment of LIVE, WORK, CREATE, we were able to catch up with the couple on a particularly hot Friday, fresh off their TriBeCa premiere. We chatted about filming in Joey's hometown of New York for the first time, work/life balance, and the infinite inspiration one can draw from RuPaul. On shooting in New York for the first time: We shot Joy Joy in LA, but got all of our B-roll footage in New York, since that is where it’s set. We were just in a car shooting out the window for an entire day. The really noticeable difference was how many more people were on the street, and how diverse those people were. We got so much texture, making the drive from Brooklyn, to Flushing, to Scarsdale, then back through Flushing to Brooklyn. It really highlighted the layers of different communities. New York is totally different than any other city in that way, and I hope that can be preserved. On being business partners and a couple: We were creative collaborators before we were a couple. And what it did was, make us friends, with a lot of mutual respect for one another. That process has made our romantic relationship really great. We’re a two-man band now, so we can work from anywhere. I [Joey] write and direct, TJ shoots and edits. On being a female director: [Joey] I’ve actually been very lucky, getting nurtured by great women in this industry in my career, but I know a lot of women who haven’t. It’s reflected in the statistics. Something like 2 years ago, only 9% of the 250 top-grossing films were directed by women. That statistic created this big outrage in the industry, because it sounds insane, and you would’ve thought it would spark change. But the following year, that number dipped to 7%! I think it’s something that everyone who is in the industry needs to hold themselves and others accountable for – to take active steps until women are telling 50% of the Stories. It’s like anything in today’s political climate, where people want to think knowing about the problem is enough, instead of really trying to change the problem. On what inspires them day to day: Mostly other humans. We have a really diverse, brilliant group of friends, and spend a lot of time focusing on and being around those people. In general, being out in the world, having discussions with all sorts of people is what informs us. [Joey] We are also super obsessed with RuPaul’s Drag Race, which makes me want to be braver about my work, and the show Atlanta because it makes me want to be more intentional about my work. Those inspire us both. And Samantha Bee, she keeps us focused on what is really important. And finally, on fashion: [Joey] Since I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with clothes. I literally threw myself on a pile of my mother’s clothing she was trying to get rid of when I was a kid and threw a tantrum. I’ve always loved mixing thrift store finds with contemporary stuff. I love how clothing can give me the feeling that I am a character in one of my own films, and really form the experience of my day or night.