Case Study 002 → Sphere
Reimagining immersive storytelling, content, and partnerships for one of the world’s most ambitious experiential venues.
For 18 months leading up to the highly anticipated launch of Sphere in Las Vegas, I was embedded within Madison Square Garden’s Burbank-based Sphere Studios as a content and creative strategist. Working at the intersection of storytelling, technology, and audience experience, I partnered closely with internal teams and world-class creators to define how immersive content could be conceived, sold, and delivered at an unprecedented scale. Things I worked on included:
– Talent, audience, market, and competitive research
– Exosphere concept decks, style guides, and ad sales presentations
– Writing and conducting venue/studio tours with top directors, musicians, partners, immersive creators
– Producing sizzles, explainers, feature guides, and creator documentation
– Developing customer experience proposals and immersive storytelling for the Sphere campus
– Writing early pitches and creative treatments alongside five leading documentary directors
– Crafting copy/concepts for Show 1 with Darren Aronofsky, the U2 Residency, and Formula One
– Early tone of voice testing and messaging parameters for Aura Robot experience
Insights: Immersive content is entering an incredibly interesting era right now, with mass-scale experiences like Sphere, new, AI-powered creation/automation tools, and the latest wave of headsets from Apple and Meta laying the groundwork for what many in the industry believe will be an XR revolution in the next 10-15 years. To make it, creators will need to continue experimenting with new mediums that lean away from the perceived clunkiness and isolation of AR/VR, and instead embrace community and the feeling of “being there” to reach mainstream adoption. The real breakthroughs will come from those willing to reimagine presence, participation, and play—not just the technology itself, but how it brings people together.
Impact: 500,000 daily in-person impressions, 4.4M daily social impressions, $420 million revenue generated, 1.3 million tickets sold. Industry-first technology and collaborations with a 300+ person team of creators, engineers, developers, producers, and designers.