12 Devs in 12 months: Clémence Nogrix

Even if our 15th anniversary is behind us, we still have a bunch of amazing employees that deserve to be known. That’s why we’re starting the second edition of 12 Devs in 12 Months. Until March 2022, you’ll get to meet 12 new talented and friendly members of our team.

This month, we’re introducing you to CLÉMENCE NOGRIX, Associate Creative Director, who has been with us for 4 years.

Enjoy!

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DESCRIBE YOUR JOB IN A GIF.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST MEMORY UBI?

If there is a time that resonates strongly and brings together devs and gamers alike it is the season of industry events like E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), Gamescom ,China Joy, Paris Games Week, Pax or The Game Awards etc… where the look of the future of the video game medium is on.

Because of this, being present at the Orpheum Theater for E3 on June 11, 2018 for the reveal of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and seeing the audience react live and online is my best memory. I don’t think I’m the only one who has that moment as the most memorable. When a studio of 500+ people works in secret for 3 years or more on large mandates, that the teams go through ups and downs and that it’s finally the moment to present the game to the world; it’s a very special and intense feeling between the courage of jumping into the void, the anticipation of the response of a crush, the release of the stress of screaming your joy and the heart racing of a jump scare. It’s also about exposing your project, because it’s about allowing the best and the worst to be said about your project, but that’s another topic.

WHAT LED YOU TO THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY?

A hobby and an opportunity.

Hobby, because like many people I fell into the video games’ pot when I was little with wonders like Adibou, Adi, Jumpstart, NightLight, DroidMecano, Carmen Sandiego or Batman Activity Center, on PC, Game Boy Color and some misadventures with Silent Hill on Playstation at 8 years old (laughs).

Opportunity, because since students are still asked to have as many years of experience as their current age, it was strongly recommended to accumulate internship experiences. I took advantage of a bridge between a Grande École program and a Master of Science in Innovation and Entrepreneurship to try the gap year. This is a one-year period that allows you to work in a company to gain more experience during your studies. I divided my year in two and the second part I tried a new job, department and industry: Product Manager in Operational Marketing at Ubisoft Paris on Assassin’s Creed Unity. Once a game is finalized, Operational Marketing is a team that takes over to ensure the launch on the market. This connection with a production team and the players fascinated me. I haven’t left the entertainment industry since.

WHAT WAS THE BEST PROJECT YOU WORKED ON?

he one I’m working on right now. Stay Tuned!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WORKING FROM HOME? WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST?

The +

Besides continuing to work in the middle of a pandemic? I’d say I’ve levelled up my office set up at home, not having to worry about the weather and the commute back and forth. I also developed a certain friendship with my fridge and my cat was particularly delighted.

The –

Not being in direct contact with people. Not being able to take breaks to drink tea, sit in a corner of the studio and chat with a colleague, the spontaneity of the human. The virtual and the cameras do wonders, but the lack of physical presence is what was the hardest.

IF YOU HAD ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO DO THE SAME JOB AS YOU, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

One is way too short ^^
I would say to be organized, curious, to know how to express an idea and to know how to draw and combine inspirations in everything around you.

WHICH COLLEAGUE HAS MARKED YOU IN THE LAST YEAR AND WHY?

The person who particularly stood out for me was Mymi Lemieux. She joined the studio last year, in the middle of the WFH. She had to learn the teams, the tools and the ways of doing things remotely with international teams in order to achieve goals related to the Ubisoft Forward #2 event which was aimed at promoting Immortals Fenyx Rising which was released the following fall. She was also responsible for building a community for this new franchise and simply blew me away. She is the personification of a shooting star, bubbly, positive and determined (sorry for the missed alliteration).

A breath of fresh air in a year full of uncertainty and fear. They say it’s easy to be nice, but keeping the same level of mojo, being able to motivate your teams, being respectful in all circumstances, being optimistic and doing everything to make the people you work with smile is a huge task. For all the energy she finds within the cosmos, she has my eternal respect

WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT OUTSIDE OF WORK?

I’m a creative mess. I am a big fan of science fiction and fantasy, Jane Austen books, books in general, paper or audio, solving puzzles, dancing, sports, cooking and laughing. I love to laugh. I am also an extremely curious person who loves to try new hobbies and plan events with family and friends. I learned to sew during the pandemic and I will be attending my first ComicCon, the one in Quebec City in October, in cosplay! Also, Halloween 2021, I see you!

WHAT DID WORK FROM HOME ALLOWED YOU TO DISCOVER ABOUT YOURSELF?

That memes, audio sagas, links to funny videos and other GIFs that I love to illustrate my ideas and emotions and that sometimes show my quirky and childish side are actually quite crucial in a WFH context where “over-communication” is the order of the day. Also, bottom line, people need to laugh. But I would also like to focus on kindness and empathy. I think we all do our best and we need to keep reminding ourselves of that. The world can be scary enough, anxiety and loneliness have no place at work.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST ABOUT GOING BACK TO THE STUDIO?

1. My colleagues. This may sound very absurd, but I am a person who loves to communicate and get to know the world and I prefer to do it face to face. 2. I have a bubble gun in my desk drawer and a glitter bomb in my bag just waiting for me to come back and celebrate the end of this ordeal. 3. The Christmas Party!

[JULIEN’S QUESTION] WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM THAT MADE AN IMPRESSION ON YOU AND WHY?

I would have to say Dune. I have seen it twice and intend to see it in IMAX as well. The music, the photography, the environmental storytelling, the prod design, Rebecca Ferguson’s range of emotions, how it sets what’s yet to come whether you are familiar with the books or not. It was a well received slap in the face. Quite excited and intrigued by what’s to next to come.

WHAT QUESTION WOULD YOU ASK THE NEXT #12DEVSEN12MONTH PARTICIPANT?

A dragon against a hydra, who wins? Why is that?