Nigel Leadbitter

Nigel Leadbitter is a Canadian born writer and actor based out of Vancouver British Columbia. His writing style, which is expressed most often in dark comedies, relies heavily on metaphors and symbolism to address contemporary North American issues. Nigel Leadbitter was born in the heart of Toronto to a Catholic mother and a Protestant father. He spent his days pretending to listen to the opposing sides of his extended family who fought over his eternal soul. They always took time to explain the subtle differences that would ensure his salvation. At night, when church bells ceased to toll, he was lulled to sleep by the serenity of sirens and street lights. At some point his mother and father must have grown tired of the fight for they fled the warring families and moved Nigel and his younger brother to a remote island off the coast of British Columbia. To Nigel's young mind, who had only ever known the concrete jungle, his new home might as well have been Skull island. Quadra Island is a place where the earth still remembers the days before man. A place where winter storms pluck trees from the ground and toss them into power lines. A place with forests so dense they swallow sound and light; and when you look out into that darkness the bright eyes of the monsters lurking there aren't shy about looking back. On Quadra Island, you are very much aware that mankind is a tenant in nature's domain. This is where Nigel spent the remainder of his childhood and adolescence, tucked away in a small corner of the world so quiet you can hear the wind whisper to the trees on a still day. There was no cable t.v., no internet, or video games, so Nigel spent his days listening. He listened to the stories of the hunters, come down from the mountains. Listened to the stories of fishermen that the ocean spat back onto shore. Listened to travelers and vagabonds that found themselves there accidentally. Listened to the criminals and fugitives that hid out there purposefully. Listened to all those who came to the island to find what stillness they could before the end. While those he listened to found peace with each passing day Nigel was plagued by increasing restlessness. Something stirred within him that grew with every story he was told, until eventually he realized that what scratched at his mind were stories of his own, clamoring to get out. He bent to their wishes and put pen to paper. They were wild things at first, not unlike the island upon which they were spawned. However, over time they found their roots and they grew tall and strong, reaching ever skyward. Once Nigel realized he could bring his creations to life through film there was no turning back.