The experiential entertainment industry is on the rise (expected to reach $419.5 billion by 2030), but as it grows, the question remains: how do we balance creative ambition with commercial success? Enter Mikhael Tara Garver and her team at Culture House Immersive (CHI), who are answering that question with an innovative incubator model that could change the game for how these experiences are created, scaled and monetized. With a fresh $1M in financing for its inaugural incubator, CHI is paving the way for a new era of immersive experiences — one where creativity and business come together seamlessly.
BUILDING AN INCUBATOR FOR THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY
Mikhael’s vision for CHI’s incubator began taking shape in 2016, when she was a fellow at the Pop Culture Collaborative. She saw the entertainment industry fully embracing the experience economy, yet creators were often sidelined and treated as products rather than innovators. This sparked her desire to put immersive entertainment at the center of the industry — where the stories and voices of the new majority (women, people of color and LGBTQ+ folks) would drive the creative process and benefit financially.
At CHI, she introduced the idea of a slate model — like the old Hollywood studios — which allows multiple projects to be developed together, sharing resources and reducing risks for everyone involved. “We didn’t want to rely on one hit project to carry everything,” Mikhael says. “Instead, we created a portfolio of immersive ventures, all with near, far and infinite potential.” The incubator is currently packaging over 20 projects that have been selected based on their ability to tell multidimensional stories that reflect the diversity of modern society. Creators are chosen through CHI’s extensive network, emphasizing elevating marginalized voices focused on alignment and long-term growth, from XR and video games to physical design and music.
Each project undergoes a thorough development process, which includes a creative brief, business model and prototype budget to test both creative viability and financial sustainability. Projects typically incubate until they are ready for market, with CHI retaining partial ownership and generating revenue through diversified streams, including ticket sales, merchandise and apps. The incubator also emphasizes both B2B and B2C potential, ensuring the projects appeal to consumers and provide value to brands through strategic partnerships.
CREATIVITY MEETS COMMERCIAL SAVVY
One of the most exciting things about CHI’s incubator is how it balances creative freedom with real business know-how. “We package each project with a creative brief, business model and prototype budget,” Mikhael explains. This way, we can prove its viability before going all in.”
Two upcoming incubator projects exemplify CHI’s vision for scalable, participatory experiences that can evolve across multiple platforms, offering long-term creative and commercial potential. By diversifying how each project generates revenue, CHI lowers financial risk while increasing the chances of long-term success.
During Taste, a dining experience that uses augmented reality to enhance the story behind a chef’s menu, guests are taken on a journey through the chef’s creative process, brought to life through AR visuals on their plates. By enhancing such an intimate experience through technology, Taste has the potential to scale into numerous restaurants nationwide.
Another project, Sherlock Holmes Multiverse, transports audiences into a jazz club where every performance is a mystery waiting to unfold. Depending on the choices made by the audience, they follow different narrative threads, creating a dynamic, evolving story that can be replenished with new mysteries over time. Like Taste, the Sherlock Holmes Multiverse can pop up at jazz clubs or transform into a digital app where users unlock new mysteries on their own time.
“The immersive world has so many stories to tell and it doesn’t need to be limited to one perspective,” she says. “Our business model reflects that. It’s built to include everyone because that’s where the world is heading.”
TACKLING LONELINESS, ACCESS AND SCALE
Beyond the business side, CHI’s incubator is addressing some of the broader challenges of the experiential industry. For one, Mikhael is keenly aware of the loneliness epidemic sweeping across the country. “People are spending more time alone and the Surgeon General has even called it a crisis,” she notes. “We need more places where people can connect with others they don’t know. Immersive experiences can create those spaces.”
CHI is also democratizing access to these experiences by partnering with regional venues across the US. Instead of keeping everything in entertainment hubs like New York or LA, CHI’s projects are heading to Midland, MI, and Schenectady, NY. This brings new audiences into the fold and offers a proving ground for creative ideas in areas hungry for fresh entertainment.
And with location-based entertainment expected to hit $73.5 billion by 2034, CHI’s focus on scalable experiences is right on trend. “We’re designing projects that can adapt and grow differently,” Mikhael explains. Whether it’s Taste or the Sherlock Holmes Multiverse, CHI’s projects are made to go beyond a single space and embrace the challenges that come with unconventional venues. Whether it’s a theater, mall, rock club or even a payphone on the corner, every space demands a unique approach. Each venue has different needs, expectations, and opportunities — from operational concerns to ROI. The key, Mikhael believes, is creating partnerships with these venues, making them an integral part of the larger ecosystem CHI is building. Navigating these complexities requires flexibility, creativity and a deep understanding of the business side of entertainment.
IN THE FUTURE OF IMMERSIVE, COLLABORATION IS KEY
Mikhael’s vision goes far beyond creating a few cool projects — she’s looking to build a sustainable ecosystem where creators and investors work together for long-term success. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years and this is the moment where I’m putting it all on the line to build something bigger — not just for myself, but for the entire industry,” she says.
This collaborative approach, where creativity and business go hand in hand, sets CHI apart. As they raise their next round of financing, it’s clear that the groundwork they’ve laid is not just for individual success but for the future of experiential entertainment.
Mikhael Tara Garver, Founder & Executive Producer: Mikhael Tara Garver has blazed the immersive trail internationally for over 20 years in creating, directing and developing transformative live experiences across the globe. Her award-winning work has been with Walt Disney Imagineering, A.R.T./Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, Facebook; IDEO, Amazon, United Nations and Disney’s THEA award-winning Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. She is a founding board member of the Immersive Experience Institute; has the first ever immersive commissions from The Kennedy Center, Goodman Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland; is a multi-year grantee of Pop Culture Collaborative — identified as a foremost Pop Culture Leader, making culture change; and is an International Sacatar Fellow in Bahia, Brazil. She was a featured speaker at the inaugural XP Fronts in May 2024.
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