31/10/2024
𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗗 to post this before October ended, or else we’d be stuck again in the cycle of belatedly acknowledging our milestones. For those who missed it, 13 August marked 20 years since No Average Joe (NAJ) was founded, and just last weekend, 26 October, was our 15th anniversary as an officially registered business in Singapore. Where has the time gone?
Anyway, anniversaries aside, the point is: we’re grateful to still be here, doing what we love (and sometimes what we must, lol). Over the years, we’ve been called the “Red Bull guys” and the “O$P$ guys” - the former from nearly a decade of factual work with the Austrian energy giants, and the latter from our cathartic early days developing our first video game. Ultimately, though, we’re still just good ol’ No Average Joe, your regular indie production house, punching above its weight.
At the heart of this “little engine that could” are its people - more than just the anthropomorphic silverback at the helm, mind you. And while many have passed through our hallowed halls (well, it’s really just 𝗧𝗛𝗘 hall of The Broom Cupboard), this "dirty dozen" depicted here, in an homage to Jim Lee’s historic X-Men Issue 1, lives long in memory for their invaluable contributions to NAJ and our clients.
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁:
𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 - our first production manager, who kept us organised behind the scenes, especially in the pivotal transition from sole proprietorship to an incorporated company.
𝗚𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗡 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗚𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗼 - a founding member who remains our UK & Europe rep to this day, while running his own agency, Eagle & Beagle, out of Cambridgeshire with the lovely Emma.
𝗡𝗨𝗥 𝗤𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗭𝗔𝗛 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗤 - joined as a junior editor in 2010 and is now one of NAJ’s executive directors, taking on countless roles to help us pull through time and again.
𝗟𝗢𝗛 𝗪𝗛𝗬𝗘 𝗞𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗪𝗶𝗸𝗶 - our one and only “Super Intern”, who evolved from a shy but enthusiastic learner into a versatile creative, beloved by all along the way.
𝗚𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗡 𝗠𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗔𝗢 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 - who helped NAJ realise its ambitions in game development and publishing, and remains an active member in our gaming and esports ventures.
𝗥𝗨𝗗𝗬𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗟 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗥𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗶 - our shooter extraordinaire, covering land, sea, and air, from event highlights to feature documentaries, lifestyle to product photography, and mastering drones.
𝗫𝗜𝗡 𝗭𝗛𝗘𝗡𝗚 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 - a fascinating member we first met as an admiring client, then a job applicant with little production experience, now an ace producer who’s always been terrific with people.
𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗬 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿 - an inimitable character who practically volunteered himself to the cause, taking on leadership roles and leaving a lasting influence (for better or worse) on our young ’uns.
𝗛𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗞𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗖𝗼𝗯𝗿𝗮 - joined as a seasoned producer and left as a brilliant story editor, seeing through her transformation with aplomb and producing some of our best work.
𝗞𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗘𝗩 𝗚𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗦 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗼 - our first-ever hire and an ongoing collaborator, responsible for much of the “cool sh*t” we produced early on, particularly in our motion graphics and reels.
𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗘𝗢 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝟱𝗗𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗧𝗲𝗼 𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻 - an incomparable “partner in crime,” bringing a true adrenaline shot to every project with his ingenuity and inspiring others through his photography.
𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗞𝗢𝗛 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮. 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵 - our very own “struggling artist,” responsible for the bulk of our artwork and designs, from the first iteration of our logo in 2004 to this tribute to Jim Lee, and everything in between.
𝗣.𝗦. - 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘺. 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘦, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘋, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴, 𝘒𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 “𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴” 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 “𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘯” 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩.
