Wētā Workshop, a creative studio combining artistry and innovation, has shared insights into how it is a great place to work for people interested in showcasing their talents across location-based experiences.
At 8 am in the leafy suburb of Miramar, the gentle hum of Wacom tablets and buzz of 3D printers has already begun. In this former ice cream factory in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington, the dairy production line has long since been replaced with a different kind of magic. On any given day here, a passionate team of creatives will work on the vast corners of Middle-earth, the lush, bioluminescent forests of Pandora, and beyond.
Founded by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger, Wētā Workshop has made the imaginary a reality for more than 30 years with its multi-award-winning concept design and manufacturing facility.
Crafting intricate superhero suits, building futuristic vehicles, and developing terrifying ghouls — these are just a few of the extraordinary things the Wētā Workshop team has brought to life across everything from animatronics to prosthetics, armour and costume design and more for iconic films like The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
It’s this breadth of skills and boundless drive that has allowed Wētā Workshop to seamlessly diversify from screen work into immersive experiences, a field that requires a range of expertise from people at the top of their craft to help realise larger-than-life projects.
Wētā Workshop’s head of immersive experiences, Catherine Ormandy, says: “Wētā Workshop is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and visionary creativity. Our immersive projects are brought to life by harnessing the expertise of world-class talent across diverse fields, fostering an environment where innovation flourishes and boundaries are continually pushed.”
Since it started, Wētā Workshop’s team has expanded to include planners, designers, producers, and project managers. They now work on projects of almost any size and kind, bringing Wētā Workshop’s filmmaking ideas, new technologies, storytelling skills, and global connections into immersive experiences.
“It’s a place where professionals not only master their craft but also expand their horizons, working alongside global teams to deliver transformative experiences that are as meaningful as they are extraordinary,” Ormandy adds.
Creativity & culture
At Wētā Workshop, creativity and teamwork are essential. The team interacts with various cultures and fields globally. In the immersive experience space, it’s crucial for these projects to be closely tied to their context.
Locally, on New Zealand’s West Coast, the company partnered with Poutini Ngāi Tahu to create the Pounamu Pathway, a groundbreaking tourism initiative that weaves local heritage pūrākau (stories).
“Creating meaningful experiences is at the heart of what we do,” says Wētā Workshop designer Rehua Wilson, “and the most impactful way of doing that is allowing visitors to feel connectedness. When we incorporate the relevant context, place, and its people, you create something special and, most of all, meaningful.”
Elsewhere, for Alif: The Mobility Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Wētā Workshop worked alongside Los Angeles-based experience company Magnopus and the Expo 2020 Dubai team to create a feat of storytelling spanning both centuries and cultures.
“One memory that sticks with me to this day was when the giants for Alif: The Mobility Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai were compiled for final internal review,” says Wētā Workshop writer William Duignan.
“Walking inside the warehouse they were housed, my mind was boggled by the achievement of the giants. The detail and consistency with scale. The warmth and hospitality of the pose, of their eyes. The sheer magnitude, while being somehow so familiar. It was a very special moment.”
Award-winning retail experience
People seek inspiration in their daily lives, which is why the Wētā Workshop immersive experiences team is leading impressive work in the commercial field.
In 2022, it partnered with China Duty Free Group (CDF) and Dafeng to transform Haikou International Duty-Free City Shopping Complex, the world’s largest, into a retail experience like no other. To do this, they created The Forest at the Edge of the Sky, a multi-sensory, dream-like world sprawled across five storeys and a 50-metre-wide atrium.
“I can only imagine how visitors to this day feel, stumbling upon this fantastical thicket. The light, the music, the sculptures. Wētā Workshop has been telling cinematic stories since its inception,” says Duignan. “It’s the unique way that we see the world. For a commercial project, that can mean allowing visitors to have their hearts changed by the experience, which in this world of choice and noise can connect people to something bigger and true.”
The team were recognised with a Thea Award for The Forest at the Edge of the Sky in 2024.
As Wētā Workshop continues to grow in the realm of exhibitions, installations, themed attractions and beyond, Duignan adds: “I believe that when visitors enter an immersive experience, they are offered a promise: to experience something they’ve never experienced before.”
