"Once you have dreamt big, it's hard not to dream again"
Once you have dreamt big, it's hard not to dream again"
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- Nadine Chatergon
Nadine Chatergon
Creative Director at NimRox - Writer / Illustrator / Animator
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Writing. Illustration. Animation. My three passions, once strewn across notepads, sketchbooks, and saved files. Together, they form a creative vision I couldn’t bottle up any longer. So, in 2019, I took the plunge and combined these efforts into NimRox Studio, my own creative brand. Here, I fervently toil away, crafting fantasy stories with a retro-modern fusion and a feel-good vibe. I have a strong visual style of writing with lots of sensory detail, guiding readers along whimsical journeys of imagination. From marvelling at the smallest of fantastical critters to being swept along with epic storylines filled to the brim with wit and whimsy. Illustration and Animation perfectly complement this, creating a cycle of creativity, which hones into high quality content.
late 80’s in a modest Greater London suburb, I’ve been immersed in incredible fantasy content from these names.
Movies such as Jim Henson's Labyrinth led me to my love of the journey, illustrating the wonders of puppetry at the same time, as did masterpieces such as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, which brought with it a new dimension of epic. I developed a lifelong interest in 2D animation from watching classics such as Don Bluth's The Secret of Nimh and the beautiful Anime of Studio Ghibli.
Books are among one of my first loves. As a young child, I always maxed out the number of them I could bring home from the library, delighting in which order I would read them. The Edge Chronicles from Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell were favourites along with Brian Jacques' Redwall and later, the works of Diana Wynne Jones. I decided early that I wanted to write thereby creating a little collection of 9 poems and mini sagas, which were published in separate junior compilations between the ages of 11 and 13.
Gaming played (excuse the pun), a huge influence from the start, beginning with the retro Amiga system that my Dad managed to obtain whilst he worked at a Telecoms Provider, along with a whole load of games, for me and my elder brother separated by seven years. We moved through to Nintendo consoles (contributing to a lifelong love of all things Japanese!), whilst his Fighting Fantasy role-playing books and Magic: The Gathering cards decorated the shelves. A wide gaming interest ensued, with a passion for RPGs, Adventure, 2D platformers and builder / strategy games. It helped me to be 1 of 3 winners for a gaming concept competition at my University, in association with Firefly Studios.
Cultural fusions formed an intrinsic element in my upbringing, having grown up in a British Asian household (Indian origin, through Mauritius). Simultaneously, I was given the backdrop to explore expanses of Eastern spirituality, ornate aesthetics and a healthy serving of Bollywood. Catchy Indian and African rhythms mixed seamlessly with eclectic musical tastes.
By 2009, I graduated with a 1st-class honours degree in Computer Animation. What timing that was… Hit with the global financial crisis of the time, I re-evaluated my circumstances and found myself in what turned out to be a decade-long professional career in financial services. But passion has a way of finding you. What I gained from this detour was a firm grounding in business principles, which when paired with my entrepreneurial spirit and creativity, led me to establish NimRox Studio in 2019. From here, I am driven to create a body of memorable works and favourite characters. To partner with amazing champions in the creative industries in order to bring these to life and to share them with the world. Please get in touch if this resonates!
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ou could say that my style is a cross between Jim Henson, Tolkien, and Nintendo. I would nod in agreement if you did. Since I was brought-up from the