The blooloop 50 Immersive Influencer List 2026

Amna Abulhoul, executive creative director of entertainment & experiences at Expo City Dubai, helps shape Dubai’s evolving experiential and cultural landscape through artistic direction, curation, and large-scale event development. Her work focuses on creating immersive experiences that bring together art, technology, storytelling and public engagement.

Abulhoul curates the Dhai Dubai Light Art Festival, which brings together artists and light-based installations to transform public spaces.

The festival uses light, technology and visual storytelling to create shared experiences, demonstrating how public environments can become platforms for artistic expression and audience interaction.

She has also helped develop new cultural platforms at Expo City Dubai, including House of Arts, which expands opportunities for contemporary Gulf creativity and audience participation.

Through these initiatives, Abulhoul is contributing to a broader approach to cultural programming, moving beyond traditional exhibitions towards experiences that connect art with place and community.

One nominator said: "Her work demonstrates how major cultural destinations can move beyond conventional exhibitions to create dynamic, participatory experiences that connect art with place, community, and technology."

Her approach also highlights the potential for cultural programming to foster dialogue, celebrate regional identity and attract diverse audiences.

By combining artistic vision with large-scale destination development, Abulhoul is helping to shape the next generation of immersive cultural experiences in Dubai.

Jenefer Brown is president of global products and experiences at Lionsgate, overseeing the development of the studio’s intellectual property across location-based entertainment, live productions, games, consumer products and strategic partnerships. She joined Lionsgate in 2014 and previously served as executive vice president and head of the division.

Brown has helped expand Lionsgate’s presence in themed entertainment through attractions based on film and television franchises including The Hunger Games, Saw, Blair Witch and The Walking Dead. Projects include Lionsgate Entertainment World, an indoor theme park that opened in Hengqin, China, in 2019, and attractions at Motiongate Dubai.

More recently, she helped bring the John Wick franchise into an immersive, multi-room experience at AREA15 in Las Vegas. Opened in March 2025, the John Wick Experience combines cinematic environments, interactive challenges and live performance. It received a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Attraction category in 2026.

Brown has also helped expand Lionsgate’s properties into live theatre. The Hunger Games: On Stage, based on Suzanne Collins’ novel and the Lionsgate film, opened in London in November 2025. She was involved in bringing the adaptation to the stage, and the production formed part of the studio’s wider expansion into live entertainment.

Before joining Lionsgate, Brown worked at themed entertainment design firm Thinkwell Group and practised law.

Abigail Bysshe is chief experience and strategy officer at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where she leads visitor experience, exhibition development and strategic planning. She previously served as the museum’s vice president of Experiences and Business Development, creating experiences for an audience of nearly one million visitors a year.

Bysshe oversees the acquisition of special and touring exhibitions, including brands such as Marvel, Jurassic World, Harry Potter and Disney. Her responsibilities also include the museum’s experiential and architectural masterplan, customer journey planning and the development of its touring exhibition programme.

Before joining The Franklin Institute, Bysshe worked in the exhibits department at the National Gallery of Art before moving to National Geographic. There, she led travelling and digital exhibition programmes and managed museum partnerships in the US and internationally. She has more than 20 years of experience in museum business strategy and exhibition development.

Bysshe is leading the development of Star Wars: The Experience, an 18,000-square-foot exhibition created by The Franklin Institute in collaboration with MDSX, Lucasfilm and Disney Consumer Products. Scheduled to open in Philadelphia on 13 February 2027, the exhibition will run until 6 September before embarking on a five-year North American tour.

One person who nominated Bysshe said: "Abby can build the business model, secure world-class intellectual property and guide the creative development in a way few leaders can. Her global perspective, fearless curiosity and instinct for what audiences want make her a one-of-a-kind force in immersive entertainment."

Neil Connolly, creative director at Immersive Everywhere, is an award-winning writer and creative leader who has spent nearly two decades pioneering playable and immersive entertainment.

His work spans theatre, attractions and interactive experiences, including The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Tomb Raider: The Live Experience, Chaos Karts and Peppa Pig: Surprise Party.

Connolly’s recent work on The Traitors: Live Experience demonstrates his ability to translate established intellectual property into participatory entertainment. He led the creative vision for adapting the hit television format into a live experience where audience behaviour, social interaction and gameplay drive the story.

Combining live performance, show control and branching decision-making, the production operates at commercial scale in London’s West End.

His wider portfolio includes Peaky Blinders: The Rise, Doctor Who: Time Fracture, The Great Gatsby: New York and The Snowman and The Snowdog. In 2019, he also created an immersive experience for Queen Elizabeth II during Sainsbury’s 150th birthday celebrations.

One of his nominators says Connolly has a rare ability to honour original intellectual property while creating experiences that resonate with audiences. His work bridges immersive theatre, competitive socialising and interactive technology, helping shape the evolution of location-based entertainment.

Efsun Erkılıç, co-founder of Dataland and partner at Refik Anadol Studio, has played a key role in bringing data-driven and AI-generated art to audiences worldwide.

Over more than a decade, she has helped translate ambitious experiments in data, architecture and machine intelligence into cultural experiences presented at more than 70 venues.

Her work combines creative vision with the strategic, operational and institutional development needed to bring complex projects to life. This includes building partnerships, coordinating teams and addressing the practical and ethical considerations involved in presenting emerging technologies to the public.

In June 2026, Erkılıç co-founded Dataland in downtown Los Angeles, described as the world’s first Museum of AI Arts.

Across five multisensory galleries, the museum brings together artificial intelligence, architecture, sound, scent and interactive environments. Its inaugural exhibition, Machine Dreams: Rainforest, uses the Large Nature Model, an open-source generative AI model dedicated to nature.

Erkılıç is also helping create opportunities for other artists to explore AI through Dataland’s residency programme with Google Arts & Culture, supporting experimentation within a community focused on responsible innovation.

Her work extends beyond producing individual immersive experiences to building a lasting platform for an emerging artistic medium. By combining institution-building with a commitment to creative exploration, Erkılıç is helping shape how the public presents, experiences, and understands AI art.

Rod Findley is president and CEO of Immotion, a global provider of immersive edutainment experiences for zoos, aquariums, museums and science centres.

Under his leadership, the company combines cinematic storytelling, stereoscopic 360-degree filming and motion-enabled VR technology to transport audiences into the natural world while supporting institutions’ education and conservation missions.

Immotion now works with more than 150 institutions worldwide, expanding beyond its established zoo and aquarium presence into science centres and museums.

Its partners include the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Marine Megafauna Foundation, and it develops experiences alongside scientists, conservationists, and subject-matter experts to combine spectacle with educational value.

In 2026, Immotion’s Dolphins of the Reef won the Lumiere Award for Best Use of Virtual Reality, marking the company’s second win in the category. The company was also named to Fast Company’s 2026 Most Innovative Companies list, following its 2023 Lumiere Award for Gorilla Trek.

Findley believes immersive technology should serve a purpose beyond entertainment, creating a sense of presence, curiosity and emotional connection with subjects visitors might never encounter in person.

By combining innovation with science-led storytelling, he is helping demonstrate how immersive experiences can complement institutions’ core missions while engaging audiences in new ways.

Since founding L-Acoustics in 1984, Christian Heil has worked to demonstrate that sound does not merely support an experience; it makes it human.

Heil “approaches acoustics as both science and social design,” says one nominator.

“Sound travels through air, but its consequence travels through bodies. When it is coherent, thousands of strangers can become one temporary organism, connected by vibration, memory and emotion.”

A theoretical physicist, Heil was initially inspired to work in acoustics following a Pink Floyd concert, and has dedicated his work to improving the concert experience for audiences worldwide.

His groundbreaking V-DOSC and Wavefront Sculpture Technology (WST) set a new standard for live sound.

By shifting the focus from electronics to air as a sound medium, this line source array made it possible to distribute sound across large audiences with a consistency and precision the sector had not previously achieved.

“That legacy matters because Heil’s work has never been driven by volume for volume’s sake.

“His career also demonstrates that true innovation often looks wrong before it sounds inevitable, because every meaningful breakthrough begins by questioning an assumption the industry has learned to accept.

“The mission is creating the best shared sound experiences.”

Today, L-Acoustics technologies power more than 10,000 venues, with a presence at half of the world’s top 50 music festivals.

These innovations include L1, CS1, Source Intelligence, and L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound, which envelops the audience in spatial audio.

Mishawn Nolan and Wendy Heimann-Nunes are co-founders and co-managing partners of Nolan Heimann, a law firm specialising in location-based, experiential and immersive entertainment. The firm advises intellectual property owners and licensees, developers, operators, technology companies and designers on licensing, commercial agreements, intellectual property strategy and immersive projects.

Heimann-Nunes has more than 30 years of experience in entertainment law and business. She previously headed Business and Legal Affairs at Universal Creative, which oversees the concept, design and development of Universal's theme parks, resorts and attractions. She has been an active member and pro bono counsel to the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) for more than two decades, received its Peter Chernack Distinguished Service Award in 2020 and has served on its International Board of Directors since 2023. She holds a JD from the University of Chicago Law School and a degree in communications from Northwestern University.

Nolan advises clients on intellectual property, commercial partnerships and emerging technologies, including immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences. Before entering law, she worked as a dancer and choreographer. She holds a JD from Pepperdine Law School, a BA in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and studied international politics at the University of Oxford.

Damian Norman is the founder of Immerse LDN and director of immersive entertainment and events at Excel London.

He has helped establish immersive entertainment as a long-term destination within the UK attractions sector. He leads the strategy and development of Immerse LDN, a 160,000-square-foot waterfront entertainment district created as part of Excel London’s £350 million investment programme.

Since opening, Immerse LDN has welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors and hosted major experiences including Jurassic World: The Exhibition, The FRIENDS Experience: The One in London, The Formula 1 Exhibition and Squid Game: The Experience.

In 2026, Norman expanded the programme with House of Dreamers, featuring AI-powered elements and wearable technology, and TIMEWALK, an audiovisual journey through ancient civilisations.

His work also includes major entertainment projects such as Formula E and Disney100: The Exhibition. He joined Excel London to lead the successful bid for the ABB Formula E World Championship, then became a permanent member of its leadership team in 2019.

Through Immerse LDN, Norman brings together global intellectual property, original experiences, hospitality and tourism, helping to broaden Excel London’s entertainment offering and contribute to the regeneration of the Royal Docks.

After being included in the blooloop 50 Immersive Influencer List in 2025, Norman continues to develop a varied programme of immersive experiences, combining established international brands with innovative, technology-led attractions.

"One of the things we’re most excited about is the potential for Immerse LDN to become a hub for immersive creativity," Norman told blooloop in 2024.

"We want to work with the best in the industry to create experiences that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Whether through cutting-edge technology, innovative storytelling, or simply by offering a space where creators can experiment and collaborate, we want Immerse LDN to be at the forefront of the immersive entertainment movement."

Leigh Sachwitz, chief strategy officer of The Storytelling Company, is known for pioneering immersive storytelling, combined with a generous ethos which elevates both the individuals around her and the wider sector.

Drawing on her background in architecture, Sachwitz’s work also spans art and technology, to include interactive exhibitions, stage and opera productions, brand experiences, and original IP.

She founded the studio flora&faunavisions in 2005, after spending time in the 1990s crafting light, projection, and multimedia experiences in Berlin's underground club scene.

flora&faunavisions was later part of a merger forming The Storytelling Company, with Sachwitz appointed chief strategy officer in 2026.

“Thirty years in, having handed the company she built into something much bigger, she could easily be a figurehead,” says one nominator.

“Instead she took the harder job and is genuinely curious about parts of the business she had never touched before. Curiosity that survives that long is rare. Curiosity that survives success is rarer.”

Notable projects include INSIDEOUT, a 360 degree space where the glass ceiling appears to shatter and the walls fall away; the multiple-award-winning interactive exhibition Perspective Playground; and the biographical experience Becoming Marilyn Monroe.

Across this varied portfolio, Sachwitz has consistently argued that immersion begins with narrative, emotion, and human connection.

Speaking to bloloop on the immersive experience, Genius: Da Vinci, she said:

“With my studio, the technology has always been just a tool to tell a story. The point is the storytelling.

“If you're just using technology for technology's sake – if the experience isn’t beautiful, if you’re not touched, if it's not emotional - then I think you can pretty much pack up your bags and go do something else.”