Hololabs Studio, a company specialising in creative technology for interactive attractions and immersive experiences, has strengthened its presence in Orlando by appointing Marissa Whitehill as senior producer, building on its established relationships and project experience in the region.
The move gives the immersive experience and technology company a local presence in one of the world's leading themed entertainment hubs. Whitehill will draw on her experience across themed entertainment and experiential projects to support Hololabs' growth and develop relationships within the Orlando industry.
Hololabs Studio has worked in the region for several years, including on Universal projects such as Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge and the Epic Universe Preview Center, alongside other projects that remain under NDA.
"What's new is having me here in Orlando and helping build on that presence more intentionally," says Whitehill.
"There is just so much talent here. Creative, technical, fabrication, show production, software, artists, designers, engineers – basically every weirdly specific skill set you need to build an attraction exists somewhere in the greater Orlando area."
Building on Orlando connections
Whitehill brings extensive experience working across the creative and technical sides of themed entertainment and experiential projects. Her role focuses on connecting teams, clients and suppliers, helping take projects from initial ideas through to delivery.
She has also known and worked alongside the Hololabs Studio team for several years, making the move a natural progression.
"Joining Hololabs didn't really feel like joining a completely new company or starting over with a brand-new group of people," she says. "It felt much more like joining up with old friends and getting to work with people I already knew and respected."
Whitehill believes Hololabs is well positioned in Orlando because its capabilities extend beyond those of a traditional theme park supplier or technology company. The business brings together game development, real-time technology, content creation, immersive experiences and attraction systems, alongside the backend software and tools needed to support them.
In a market where attractions must accommodate thousands of visitors while maintaining reliability, integration and long-term maintainability, this combination is particularly relevant.
"You can have amazing technology, but it also has to work reliably with thousands of guests, integrate with the show, be maintainable, and actually function in the real world," says Whitehill. "Hololabs understands that distinction really well."
Developing new opportunities with Atrium
The appointment also comes as Hololabs Studio continues to develop its Atrium platform, which Whitehill sees as a natural extension of the company's experience across games, immersive technology, free-roam experiences, physical environments and storytelling.
Attendees at IAAPA Expo Europe explore the Atrium demo at the Hololabs booth
Atrium combines physical movement through an environment with digitally created and manipulated worlds, bringing together elements of traditional attractions and fully digital experiences.
"What I find really interesting about Atrium is that it sits somewhere between a traditional physical attraction and a completely digital experience," she says. "You're physically moving through an environment, but the world around you is being created and manipulated digitally."
Whitehill sees particular potential for this approach in Orlando, where the industry has decades of experience creating physical, story-driven attractions.
See also: Next-gen LBE VR: inside Hololabs Studio’s new attraction format
Hololabs Studio seeks new project partners
As team members attend IAAPA Expo in Orlando next week, Hololabs Studio is also looking to expand its project pipeline, with opportunities across attraction development and location-based entertainment (LBE).
The company has delivered work-for-hire development for attractions that combine real-time game engines with practical sets, effects, and show control systems. Its growing creative team means it can now take on more projects from concept and design through development, commissioning and launch.
It is also seeking partners interested in developing premium mixed reality attractions using the Atrium platform.
"We've done a lot of work-for-hire development on attractions that combine real-time game engines with practical sets, effects, and show control systems, and we're looking for the next big thing," says Whitehill.
"We're also very bullish on premium mixed reality attractions in the LBE space, so we're looking for partners to help realise our Atrium platform."
Hololabs Studio debuted Atrium at IAAPA Expo Europe in London earlier this year, and founder Mike Wozniewski explained the philosophy behind this new format.
