Meet Andy Rowland | Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andy Rowland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andy, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks is almost necessary when creating any kind of art. You never know if someone is going to like what you create; you just know that you have a pull to express yourself through whatever medium. As a writer, I know that I have the need to tell stories that speak to me. I can’t determine whether those stories will speak to anyone else, but I have found that people tend to relate more with the work if it’s personal.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been a writer my entire life; there isn’t a time that I wasn’t making my own characters and worlds. I quickly found that I love screenwriting, and it wasn’t long before I was making my own little movies on my dad’s old flip phone. In high school, I really locked in on filmmaking and got the opportunity to express myself a lot more through the audio/video tech class my school offered. My teacher (shout out to Mr. Maples) helped push me to work on bigger and bigger projects until I was creating videos for school events and pep rallies. At West Georgia, I got to meet other like-minded filmmakers, and I got the opportunity to write a handful of short films. From there, I grew more confident in myself and my abilities and really wanted to focus on creating the best projects I can for the right audience.

While most of the projects I write have some kind of supernatural or fantastical element to them, my intention is always to write a story with characters that the audience actually cares about. I try to start with a base, usually the theme or conflict and I work out how the characters will interact and move through the narrative in a way that feels fulfilling or satisfying. After I’ve worked out some of that foundation, I can then add “fun stuff”, whether it be a haunted house or magic. The “fun stuff” is just the icing on top; the real meal is the journey the audience goes along the protagonist with. Because the conflict is grounded and relatable, the audience will connect with the characters and be more likely to buy into the supernatural fluff.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Because I live just outside of Atlanta, most of the spots I know are just areas around or in Atlanta. For me, Atlantic Station and Ponce City Market are some of my favorite spots. The food, the shops, and the environment is something you just can’t get in a suburb. And after you eat all that good food, Piedmont Park has such beautiful trails you can walk, and there’s always something going on.
Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coke, and the Georgia Aquarium are all spots that tourists from around the world come see, so if you’ve never been to Atlanta, that’s an easy stop.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family largely introduced me to a lot of the films and shows that I take a lot of inspiration from. I remember being a kid and watching Friends with my parents, watching Star Wars with my dad and The Breakfast Club with my mom. They have supported me in my filmmaking endeavors, even when they don’t fully understand it themselves.

The community I met at the School of Communication, Film, and Media at the University of West Georgia have been so supportive to me over the years, even after I graduated. I got to work with so many talented young filmmakers, including but not limited to Uriel D. Rubio, Kai Morgan, Ricky Selph, Maddie Cobb, Clay Fillers, and Kenan Poitevint. Whether it be a silly fan film or an advanced production, that community continues to be supportive of me and my work.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andy_rolo/

Image Credits
Mackenzie Kollbaum, Jayla Cochran, Allison Allgood