Nexus Studios

Nexus Studios is a multi-award winning creative and technology studio headquartered in London, with additional offices in Los Angeles and Sydney. Founded in 2000 by Charlotte Bavasso and Christopher O’Reilly, the company works across film, television, advertising, immersive experiences, and large-scale digital installations, blending traditional craft with engineering, real-time rendering, and AI-driven production. The studio was recognised by Fast Company as one of the “Most Innovative Companies” in virtual and augmented reality, and named one of Ad Age’s Production Companies of the Year in 2025^[1].

Nexus Studios

Company type	Private
Industry	Creative technology; film and television; advertising; immersive media
Founded	2000
Founders	Charlotte Bavasso; Christopher O’Reilly
Headquarters	London, England
Number of locations	Los Angeles; Sydney
Area served	Worldwide
Services	Film and television production; experience design; real-time and interactive; XR; large-scale installations; branded content
Website	nexusstudios.com

Projects

Its projects include producing the UFC Noche: For Mexico, For All Time show at the Sphere in Las Vegas (2024), which received six Sports Emmy nominations and won two — Outstanding Studio or Production Design/Art Direction and Outstanding Graphic Design – Specialty. It produced the feature-length concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles (2021) for Disney+, co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Patrick Osborne and starring Billie Eilish; the stop-motion anthology The House (2022) for Netflix, which was nominated for a BAFTA Television Award for Best Single Drama; and animated interludes for ABBA Voyage^[2], the virtual concert residency in London.

The studio has also created immersive experiences such as Headspace XR^[3][4], a mixed-reality wellbeing platform for Meta Quest^[5], alongside large-scale sports entertainment technology projects. One of its earliest commissioned works was the animated visuals for U2’s PopMart tour in the late 1990s.

Awards and Recognition

• Sports Emmy Awards^[6] — UFC Noche: For Mexico, For All Time (2024): six nominations^[7]; wins for Outstanding Studio or Production Design/Art Direction and Outstanding Graphic Design – Specialty.
• British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA)
  • The House (2022)^[8] — nominated for Best Single Drama (2023).
  • BBC Olympics: Tokyo 2020 trail^[9] — winner of Titles & Graphic Identity (2022).
  • BBC Winter Olympics: The Fearless Are Here^[10] — winner of Titles & Graphic Identity (2019).
• Academy Awards^[11] — This Way Up — nomination for Best Animated Short Film (81st Academy Awards, 2009).
• Grammy Award nominations
  • Best Music Video (Short Form) — Franz Ferdinand, “Take Me Out” (47th GRAMMY Awards, 2005^[12]).
  • Best Music Film — Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles (2022)^[13].
• Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — four Grand Prix awards:
  • 2024 Outdoor Grand Prix — Adoptable (Pedigree)^[14], developed with Colenso BBDO, leveraging a bespoke AI pipeline^[15].
  • Film Grand Prix — Back to the Start (Chipotle)^[16], double-Grand-Prix winner (Film and Branded Content & Entertainment).
  • Film Grand Prix — Grrr (Honda) (2005)^[17].
• D&AD Awards — two Black Pencils^[18] for Grrr (Honda) (2005)^[19].
• Thea Award (Themed Entertainment Association) — Thea Award for Brand Experience^[20] for the Google Assistant Ride at CES (2019).

Emerging Technology

Today, Nexus Studios operates at the intersection of storytelling, design, and emerging technology — producing work for global audiences across multiple platforms. Its portfolio spans long-form entertainment, location-based experiences, interactive media, and large-scale installations.

Awards

Year	Name	Award/category	Project
2003	D&AD Awards[21]	The People's Pencil	Catch Me If You Can
2004	Campaign Magazine[22]	Commercial of the Year	Honda Grrr
2005	GRAMMY Awards	Nomination for Gold Award for Best TV Commercial/Cinema Commercial	Franz Ferdinand Take Me Out
2005	Creative Circle[22]	Platinum Award, 5 Gold awards	Honda Grrr
2005	British Arrows[22]	Best Commercial, Best Animation 3 Gold Awards	Honda Grrr
2005	Cannes Lions[23]	Grand Prix, Titanium Lion, Journalists' Award	Honda Grrr
2005	D&AD Awards[24]	2 x Black Pencils	Honda Grrr
2005	Clio Awards[25]	Grand Clio	Honda Grrr
2005	Andy Awards[26]	Grandy at the Andys	Honda Grrr
2007	Cannes Lions[27]	Gold Award	Coca-Cola Videogame
2007	British Arrows[28]	Silver Award/ Best International Commercial	Coca-Cola Videogame
2008	Academy Award[29]	Nomination for Best Animated Short	This Way Up
2009	Sundance Film Festival[30][better source needed]	Nomination for Best Animated Short	This Way Up
2009	Adweek[31]	Commercial of the Decade	Honda Grrr
2010	D&AD[32]	Yellow Pencil for animation	Comcast Town
2011	TED[33]	Ted's Top 10 Ads worth spreading	The Chase Intel
2011	TED[33]	Ted's Top 10 Ads worth spreading	Nike Foundation Girl Effect
2011	British Arrows[34]	Nominated for Best Animation	Chipotle Back to the Start
2012	Andy Awards[35]	Grandy at the Andys	Chipotle Back to the Start
2012	Clio Awards[36]	Film Grand Clio, Gold for Adapted Music	Chipotle Back to the Start
2012	AICP[37]	Best in Show in Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial, Visual Style	Chipotle Back to the Start
2012	Cannes Lions[38]	Gold for Animation in Film Craft, Grand Prix x2 for Film and Branded Content & Entertainment	Chipotle Back to the Start
2012	ADC[39]	4 x Gold (Advertising, Interactive and Motion Categories)	Chipotle Back to the Start
2012	British Arrows[21][failed verification]	Best 3D Commercial	Coca-Cola The Siege
2012	British Arrows[40]	Best Web Based Film	The Chase Intel
2012	Clio Awards[41]	Hall of Fame	Honda Grrr
2013	Shots Awards[42]	TV Commercial of the Year	Honda Hands
2013	British Arrows Craft Awards[43]	Gold	Honda Hands
2013	TED[44]	Ted's Top 10 Ads worth spreading	Honda Hands
2014	Cannes Lions[45]	Silver Lions x2, VFX and Sound Design	Honda Hands
2014	D&AD[46]	Yellow Pencil, Innovative Use of Technology	Photon Shower
2016	Rhode Island Film Festival[47]	Grand Prize for Animated Short	To Build a Fire
2017	SXSW[48]	Jury Award for Best Animated Short	Wednesday With Goddard
2017	Clio Awards	Bronze for Film Technique (Animation)	Google I/O, The Story of An Idea
2017	BAFTA (Children)	Nomination for Best Interactive	Gruffalo Spotter AR Experience
2017	BAFTA	Nomination for Best Animated Short	To Build A Fire
2017	D&AD	Wooden pencil for Animation & Illustration for Digital Marketing	Tripl Stitched
2018	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Nomination for Outstanding Interactive Programme	Google Spotlight Stories, Back to the Moon
2018	Webby Awards	Best Overall for Best Use of GPS or Location Technology	HotStepper
2018	Cannes Lions	Bronze for multi-platform social	UEFA Together #WePlayStrong
2018	D&AD	Wood Pencil for Art Direction for Film Advertising	BBC Winter Olympics The Fearless Are Here
2018	Rhode Island Film Festival	First Prize for Best Comedy Short	Fern
2018	British Arrows	Nomination for Branded Content	Robot & Scarecrow
2018	Telly Awards	2 x awards: Best use of VR & Direction	Google Spotlight Stories Rain or Shine
2018	BAFTA TV Craft Awards	Best Title & Graphic Identity	BBC Winter Olympics The Fearless Are Here
2018	Annie Awards	3 x nominations for: Production Design, Best Character Animation and Best Use of Music	Google Spotlight Stories Back to the Moon
2018	Annie Awards	Nominated for Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial	BBC Winter Olympics The Fearless Are Here
2018	Lovie Awards	Gold for Best Use of AR, People's Lovie Award and Bronze for Animation & Bronze for Best Use of GPS/Location Mapping	BBC Civilisations AR, Google Spotlight Stories, Back to the Moon & Hotstepper
2018	Webby Awards	Public Service & Activism	Google Creative Lab Notable Women
2018	Peabody Awards	Excellence, innovation and impact in digital storytelling	BBC Civilisations AR
2019	British Arrows	2 x nominations for Animation: 2D	BBC Winter Olympics The Fearless Are Here & Wimbledon #TakeOnHistory
2022	BAFTA TV Craft Awards	Best Title & Graphic Identity	BBC Summer Olympics Let's Go There
2022	AdAge Creativity Awards	Craft of the Year for Digital/Social	Cox Communications and 180LA Drawn Closer
2022	Cannes Lions	2 x Silver and 3 x Bronze Awards	Chipotle A Future Begins
2022	Cannes Lions	Industry Craft Grand Prix and Media Grand Prix	SHEBA Hope Grows
2022	Primetime Emmy Awards	Individual Achievement in Character Animation	The House
2022	BAFTA Television Awards	Nominated for Single Drama	The House
2022	Annie Awards	6 x nominations, including for Best Special Production	The House
2023	The One Show	Bronze Pencil	Jungle Back on 74
2023	The One Show	Silver Pencil	The Washington Post This is Your Brain on Food
2023	Webby Awards	2 x nominations	The Washington Post This is Your Brain on Food
2023	DEG EnTech Awards	Emerging Technology Award	Kung Fu Panda: The School of Chi
2023	Anthem Awards	Gold in Health: Innovation, Silver in Health: Best Use of Technology, Silver in Responsible Tech: Special Project	Headspace and Meta Headspace XR Project
2023	Fast Company's Next Big Thing in Tech[49]	Included in the list for AR, VR, Spatial Computing, and Multiverse categories	Headspace and Meta Headspace XR Project
2024	Cannes Lions	Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Lions	ColensoBBDO
2024	British Arrows	Craft Silver in the Animation: 2D & Stop Motion	BBC Summer Olympics Welcome to the City of Love
2024	Sports Emmy Awards	2 x Outstanding Studio or Production Design/Art Direction and Outstanding Graphic Design – Specialty	UFC and Sphere Las Vegas For Mexico For All Time