Interview by Martin Palicki, Editor in Chief

Edward Hodge has spent more than two decades shaping immersive experiences and live events for some of the world’s biggest brands and entertainment companies. His career has included leadership roles at BRC and Disney, among others. After years of leading creative and production efforts, he saw an industry gap widening. The pandemic accelerated reorganization within creative companies, and the professional layer of producers, creative directors, and integrators who ensure strategy and execution are top of mind was shrinking. Hodge saw an opportunity. He founded ImagineLab Studios to bridge creative vision with business reality – creating experiences that thrill guests while meeting client goals.

Hodge and his team are what he calls “creative middleware,” a flexible network of experienced talent focused on story- driven craft, entertainment strategy, and production execution.

What is ImagineLab Studios?

ImagineLab Studios is built on a simple premise: the best projects happen when the right people are in the room at the right time. We’re a group of experienced producers, creative directors, designers, and show directors devoted to helping clients shape and deliver immersive experiences. We work fractionally and collaboratively, advocating for the project and the guest – from that first spark of an idea through to opening day. Most importantly, we bring a strong point of view, protect the creative, and never lose sight of business goals.

What marketplace realities are you addressing?

What our industry has slowly forgotten is, frankly, the art of executive producing.

Themed entertainment’s roots are in theater, but the business was born from a film studio. As projects have scaled to cost potentially billions of dollars, the process has become dominated by design and construction. We’re often missing the strong executive producing team whose job it is to execute the vision, both fiscally and creatively. We should be building business models that match a creative brief before we even think about Blue-Sky or Concept development. A strong EP team can help you strategically plan the project from all sides before too much has been spent.

Beyond that, we’ve seen three shifts. First, there’s the middleware gap. After the pandemic, a lot of the doers who make these projects happen either moved up into leadership roles or left the industry altogether. That expertise is needed from design to opening day. We’re devoted to providing it.

Second, clients need flexible ways of working. Not every project justifies hiring a large studio, but teams still need senior creative leadership. We meet them where they are, whether that’s early concept development, production support, or turning around a project that’s lost its way.

Third, many companies can’t add headcount or a full team, but we can solve that. We’re experienced, story-driven professionals who provide services as needed, without the overhead.

You have said that ImagineLab Studios is focused on “story- driven craft, strategy, and collaboration.” What does that mean?

Story and execution are never separate. Every decision serves both the guest’s emotional journey and the project’s business goals. The best experiences happen when a great story drives every element, from design to operations to the smallest details. When producers, designers, and contractors are all laser-focused on creating memorable emotional moments, that’s when projects succeed.

What does fractional working look like in practice?

It might start with me embedded with a client team a few days a week. It might be a high powered pod – creative, producer, and technical leads – that plugs into an existing organization. We can line produce, show doctor, innovate, or lead creative direction. The throughline is our passionate advocacy for the project and protecting the original creative intent.

Clients appreciate the thought partnership on the front end. In times of economic uncertainty, they can take on leaner, more strategic steps rather than diving all in with one large firm. We cast based on the creative and operational needs, so clients get low overhead tailored specifically for them.

Are you a studio or a network?

We are both! I know it sounds like the easy answer but think of ImagineLab as the front door. Inside is a group of trusted individuals and small companies. We keep agreed rate cards with partners so we can scale quickly. We’re designed to be nimble – we can serve as a single umbrella when that simplifies procurement, but we remain transparent about who’s doing the work.

When one firm tries to do everything in-house, it can drift toward a “house style.” We match the right people to each project and put them directly with the client. That keeps things fresh and innovative. And we’re flexible enough to recommend outside specialists when that’s the right call. It’s all about advocating for the project and the guest experience.

What types of projects does ImagineLab Studios work on?

We’re focused on three core areas: shows and attractions, immersive brand and sports experiences, and immersive destinations. We’re at our best when clients want to do things differently – when they’re ready to innovate, take on unprecedented projects, or enhance existing offerings. If you’re an executive looking for “in-house” style creative firepower without adding full-time staff, that’s what we’re built for.

How do you approach partnerships?

We love partnerships. Maybe we’re leading, maybe we’re supporting, but at our core we love collaborating with architects, feasibility consultants, media producers, technologists, fabricators and operations. Our job is to advocate for the experience and client goals, not dominate the process.

What is your philosophy and where did it come from?

It came from doing the work, period. The people I collaborate with have one thing in common – we are all doers and we all want to create profitable, emotional experiences. Every successful project has clear communication, deep trust between teams, and someone who can translate between creative vision and operational reality.

Story and strategy are inseparable. Creating a memorable guest experience is everything. Protecting a project’s emotional center requires creative conviction, the ability to navigate complex organizations, understanding company culture, speaking their language, and revealing possibilities they didn’t know existed. That’s what we’re good at.

In the dichotomy of left-brain and right-brain thinking, where are you?

I live in the middle. My heroes are people like Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, or Bob Iger and Ed Catmull – astonishing creative dynamos and brilliant business people who never lose sight of the “Why.” I believe the ability to toggle between creative and technical is key to successful projects.

Guests want experiences that feel personal, emotional, and shareable. They want the big thrill and the grace notes – the humor, the hidden surprises – that elevate a fun experience to something memorable. Operators want sustainable, smart operations. The best projects balance emotional storytelling with practical execution that leaves room for the little details. I build teams who get both sides. The creative heart and the nuts-and- bolts reality. Those are the people who turn good ideas into something magical.

Look, we’re all kids at heart. We all remember the first time we felt the thrill of a great experience. By age ten, I was already ‘backward engineering’ those moments to figure out how they were done!

Sure, today’s challenges are greater than ever, the stakes are higher and the technology is more advanced. But it’s still simply about that rush of physical and psychological elation, that endorphin surge, that wave of pleasure and exhilaration. That’s the feeling we’re after. That rush of pure joy. And honestly, I can’t think of a better job.