Award winning firms SP-I and Pixomondo form partnership to create immersive and interactive attractions in China
By News Release | July 16, 2019
NEW YORK — New York Entertainment developers SP Immersive Entertainment (SP-I) and international visual effects company Pixomondo have formed a partnership to create experiential, interactive media attractions in China, the companies jointly announced today.
The deal comes on the heels of the duo’s successful collaboration on the stunning Times Square, New York City attraction, National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey. The award-winning, walk-through digital aquarium allows visitors to experience rare encounters with creatures of the deep, bringing them up close and personal with life-size whales, interacting with playful sea lions, and witnessing rare, unseen moments of nature.
With this new alliance, to be represented by CAA China, SP-I and Pixomondo will develop immersive, interactive attractions and experiences in China, encompassing a wide range of applications such as location based attractions, theme parks, museums and retail mall installations.
As David Garber, Senior VP Themed Entertainment for Pixomondo relates, “Collaborating with SP-I founders, Alexander Svezia and William Pennell, has been immensely rewarding, and together, we continue to push the boundaries of interactive, immersive moments that lift the participants into new realms of experience.”
Pixomondo, known for its Oscar winning work on Martin Scorsese Hugo and for its multiple Emmys for Game of Thrones – provided the visual media for National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey, creating photo-real, underwater environments populated by 330,00 digital fish. Under the new CAA-led collaboration, Pixomondo will continue to provide concept design, media and original IP for projects.
SP-I was formed by Alexander Svezia and William after the successful launch of National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey, aLIMA Global Award Winner: Best Location Based or Experiential Initiative. The company is currently developing immersive, media based attractions in Las Vegas and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Alexander Svezia says, “SP-I is approached everyday by groups worldwide looking to create immersive experiences as a way to showcase their brands and/or create stand-alone location based entertainment properties. This partnership with Pixomondo along with CAA China’s representation is a natural way for SPI-I to expand its award-winning services and deliver premium experiences.”
The deal also continues Pixomondo’s stronghold in the themed entertainment arena. Currently, the company is providing all visual media for rock band Aerosmith’s Las Vegas residency at the Park MGM, including the 20-minute pre-show and the 90-minute main show. Up next is the media for Jurassic World Live Tour, which kicks off in North America this fall, as well as a series of immersive attractions for the Paramount-branded theme park in Doha, Qatar, slated to open in 2020. Pixomondo is also a few weeks away from celebrating the one-year anniversary of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabipark,whereit created the media for several immersive rides including the venue’s star attraction, the 4D flying theater experience Green Lantern Galactic Odyssey.
Pixomondo is currently in its fifth year of collaborating with its clients in China. This includes a long-running relationship with the Wanda Group, for whom it created flying theaters and motion platform simulators at Wanda Wuhan Movie Park, Wanda Nanchang Movie Park, and Wanda Harbin Movie Park. Pixomondo is also currently working on a series of attractions, which include Ocean Flower Island in Danzhou, China with one of the country’s largest property developers, The Evergrande Group, and a new venue for Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, China.