QD&M – Christelle Chandavoine – Director of Sales & Manufacturing

Quantic Dream: Please introduce yourself! What’s your name, where are you from, and what is your role at QD? 

Hello everyone! My name is Christelle Chandavoine, a Parisian and globetrotter, I am the Director of Sales & Manufacturing in the Publishing ‘dream team’! 

Quantic Dream: How did you come to work in the video games industry? Was it a lifelong dream, or did you luckily stumble into it? 

It’s a coincidence, to be honest! After a few experiences in other industries, I started my career in the video game industry at a time when the video game market was not yet as developed as it is today, and I had a very generalist education. So, of course, I was playing on a PC, I was sensitive to the creation and the game aspect, but it was above all the encounters that made me join this marvellous world and thrive in it. 

Quantic Dream: Let’s talk about your job at Quantic Dream! Could you elaborate more on your role, and the role of your team? 

Within the Publishing team, I look for business opportunities for the games or brands of Quantic Dream and third-party studios that we publish. In concrete terms, this goes from the creation/manufacturing of physical products, their marketing via distributors or on the Quantic Dream eshop, to digital sales, including negotiations for licensing agreements for derivative products. Moreover, the manufacturing aspect of my job allows me to collaborate with the whole of Publishing: ideas often fly in all directions, but, in the end, we always agree on the importance of the quality of the products we create for our fans! 

Quantic Dream: Tell us more about the members of your team. Any fun story to share? 

The Publishing department was created in early 2019 and has been growing ever since. It is made up of people who are passionate about their work, but also fun to be around and always willing to have a drink (or several drinks) or go karaoke! 

Quantic Dream: Can you describe to us a typical day for you? Does a typical day even exist for you? 

I don’t have a typical day: it’s the projects that determine my activities. The only main features of my day are the exchanges with people all over the world: in Asia in the morning, then in Europe, and finally in America… All this while sipping green tea! 

Quantic Dream: What are your external inspirations that are reflected in your job? 

I have always travelled a lot. This has enabled me to meet and understand very different people and cultures, to learn to adapt quickly and to have an international vision. In my job it is essential to listen to people to determine their needs, to negotiate, to avoid cultural blunders; I have quite a few anecdotes on the subject, ha ha! 

Quantic Dream: Be careful, BIG question… What are your favourite games? 

A long, long time ago, when I still played a lot, Diablo was THE game where I spent countless hours as a Rogue: I still remember travelling by metro with the PC tower under my arm to go play in LANs! Now, although I occasionally test a few games, I prefer to watch others play on Twitch or YouTube. 

Quantic Dream: Tell us more about your hobbies outside of work. 

I love to travel and read novels by French (long live Patrick Modiano!), Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Italian, Korean, Japanese authors… In fact, I usually take books by novelists from the countries I visit on my trips. Since the age of 5-6, I have also practised photography; I like to capture the light of places, architectural details, atmospheres, but especially not portraits. It is reasonable to say that I am a framing freak, even without a camera! The old film habit where each shot has to be very well worked out before pressing the shutter button ? 

Tip for amateurs: if you want to take great photos with amazing light, go to Lofoten in Norway during summer! 

Quantic Dream: All right! What does your perfect Friday night look like? 

Depending on the mood and the form: aperitif with friends, theatre, concert or exhibition at night. At the moment, it’s anything but home! There’s a lot of catching up to do due to the dozen or so months that have just gone by, during which my Friday evenings were more in cocooning mode on the sofa with a good novel or a series. By the way, here are some series I discovered during this period and that I recommend: Dark, Beforeigners, Katla, Invisible. 

Quantic Dream: Do you have a message for our readers? 

I have the joy of working in a creative and dynamic sector, open to many different profiles and which is becoming more and more feminised! But I’ve also had the chance to work in other sectors that may seem less appealing, but which are also very enriching in terms of experience and encounters! The most important thing is that no matter what your life and your career path are, it is never too late to make your old dreams come true and make your inner child happy, even in small doses! 

Quantic Dream: Final question! Chocolate cake or Fruit pie? 

Dark chocolate cake, of course! Chocolate is life, it only brings joy! And no, we don’t mix chocolate and fruit! It’s just bad taste! ?