Secret Location
Secret Location is a Toronto-based immersive entertainment studio that designs and operates 360° location-based experiences using proprietary laser projection, spatial audio, LIDAR interactivity, and Unreal Engine. It serves consumers at its Illuminarium Toronto venue, licenses original IP to global venue operators, and rents LED equipment to production companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Secret Location does
Secret Location is an immersive entertainment studio founded in 2008 in Toronto, Canada, that designs and operates 360° location-based experiences using proprietary laser projection mapping, spatial audio (108+ speakers), LIDAR-based motion tracking, and real-time rendering with Unreal Engine. The company owns four original IP productions — Waking Wonderland, Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder, Journey to Oz, and Mythos — which it operates at Canada's first permanent immersive venue, Illuminarium Toronto, a 13,500-square-foot facility in the Distillery District featuring 26 RGB pure laser projectors. Its technology stack supports full-room interactivity where guests interact with floors and walls without headsets or controllers, and the studio holds multiple patents and awards including two Emmys, a Peabody, two Webbys, Cannes Lions, and 12 Canadian Screen Awards.
The company generates revenue through four streams: permanent venue ticket sales at Illuminarium Toronto, IP licensing of its four original productions to venue operators worldwide, LED equipment rental (Gloshine panels, Panasonic projectors, Dell servers, Q-SYS audio) to AV companies and production houses, and custom private event production for enterprise clients (past clients include EY, Intel, Tim Hortons, and Morocco Tourism). Its productions have reached hundreds of thousands of guests across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Following a 2022 management buyback from Hasbro/eOne — under which it had operated as a subsidiary since 2016 — Secret Location repositioned around owned original content. Distribution is hybrid: consumer ticket sales at the permanent venue, enterprise field sales for corporate activations, IP licensing as a global channel, and direct rental for the LED business. Marketing relies on earned media coverage and organic social channels rather than paid acquisition.
Secret Location firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Secret Location
- Legal name
- Secret Location Inc.
- Website
- https://secretlocation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Secret Location is a Toronto-based immersive entertainment studio that designs and operates 360° location-based experiences using proprietary laser projection, spatial audio, LIDAR interactivity, and Unreal Engine. It serves consumers at its Illuminarium Toronto venue, licenses original IP to global venue operators, and rents LED equipment to production companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Secret Location industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Immersive Entertainment Production
- NAICS
- Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family Entertainment Centers (Indoor развлечения: Arcade, Soft Play, Party Centers) (THAJAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- VR & Immersive Esports/LBE Venues (VR Arenas, Sim Racing Pods) (MPAFALAE)
Keywords
Where Secret Location is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Secret Location business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Permanent Venue Operations: Operating Canada's first permanent immersive entertainment venue (Illuminarium) in Toronto's Distillery District. Generates revenue through ticket sales for original productions.
- IP Licensing: Four original productions (Mythos, Journey to Oz, Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder, Waking Wonderland) available for licensing to venues worldwide. Enables global expansion without capital-intensive venue buildouts.
- LED Equipment Rental: Rental of LED panels, walls, projectors, audio equipment, servers, and trussing to AV companies, production houses, and touring shows. Cross-rental business model with multi-day discounts.
- Private Events & Corporate Activations: Custom immersive content production and full event production for corporate galas, product launches, brand activations, and VIP experiences. Targets enterprise clients directly.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | LED Wall 5×3m - $4,500/day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cross-Rental - $100/panel/day |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Configuration - Contact for pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Secret Location product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Secret Location is an immersive entertainment studio that creates 360-degree, fully enveloping experience productions using projection mapping, spatial audio, and LIDAR interactivity. The company operates Canada's first permanent immersive venue (Illuminarium) in Toronto's Distillery District, creates four original IP shows (Mythos, Journey to Oz, Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder, Waking Wonderland) for worldwide licensing, produces custom immersive content for corporate events and brand activations, and rents LED equipment to AV companies.
Product overview
Secret Location is an immersive entertainment studio that creates unforgettable experiences through a portfolio of four original IP shows available for licensing worldwide: Mythos, Journey to Oz, Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder, and Waking Wonderland. These productions use projection mapping, spatial audio, LIDAR interactivity, and real-time rendering technologies. The company also provides production services including immersive show creation, private events and activations, venue development and operations, interactive motion gaming, and VR/AR experiences. Their permanent venue, Illuminarium, operates in Toronto's Distillery District. Additionally, the company offers LED equipment rental for events. Founded in 2008 and acquired by Hasbro/eOne in 2016, they bought back their name in 2022. The studio has won multiple awards including Emmys, a Peabody, Webbys, and Cannes Lions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mythos An immersive interactive exhibition weaving six cultural creation stories from China, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and Nigeria into a one-hour experience using LiDAR-based interactivity and Unreal Engine-powered projection. Designed for venue operators, theme parks, museums, and entertainment destinations.
- Journey to Oz An immersive animated musical following Dorothy and Toto on their journey to the magical realm of Oz through six projection-mapped scenes with vibrant painterly aesthetics, featuring 360-degree projection and spatial audio over a 60-minute runtime. Designed for venue operators, theme parks, and family entertainment destinations.
- Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder An immersive experience featuring thousands of interactive colored lights across three unique worlds (Ocean World, Dino World, Future World), using LIDAR sensors for guest interaction with floors and walls and including 12 playable games over 60 minutes. Built around the Lite-Brite brand IP and designed for family audiences at venue operators and entertainment destinations.
- Waking Wonderland A deeply interactive journey through a reimagined Wonderland featuring motion-tracked mushroom forests, a Mad Hatter's tea factory, hedge maze, and 30+ unique interactions using interactive props and spatial audio. Designed for family audiences at venue operators and entertainment destinations.
- Immersive Show Creation Full-service development of original 360-degree immersive shows from concept, script, and art direction through animation, projection mapping, spatial audio, and LIDAR interactivity. Designed for venue operators and brand owners seeking custom immersive entertainment.
- Private Events & Brand Activations Custom immersive content creation and full event production for corporate galas, product launches, brand activations, and VIP experiences. Past clients include EY, Intel, Tim Hortons, and Morocco Tourism.
- Venue Development & Operations End-to-end venue build services including site selection, permits, AV procurement, technical installation, staffing, and launch. Designed for venue partners and entertainment operators launching immersive attractions.
- VR & AR Experiences
Quantifiable outcome
- 73,000+ guests experienced Mythos at CNE 2025
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Secret Location
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Secret Location technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Secret Location partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- IlluminariumflagshipIlluminarium operates as Secret Location's flagship venue partner for permanent immersive entertainment. Secret Location's original productions (Waking Wonderland, Lite-Brite, Journey to Oz, Mythos) run exclusively at Illuminarium venues, creating a vertically integrated entertainment experience.
- HasbrocoreHasbro provides IP licensing for Lite-Brite and Transformers brands used in Secret Location's immersive productions. Previously acquired eOne (where Secret Location was embedded) in 2020. Secret Location bought back their name from Hasbro/eOne in 2022.
- Ontario CreatescoreOntario Creates is a provincial cultural media fund that supports Ontario's entertainment industry. Partnered with Secret Location on original productions and venue development.
- Canada Media FundcoreCanada Media Fund supports Canadian digital media and television content production. Partnered with Secret Location on original immersive productions.
- eOne (Entertainment One)minorSecret Location joined eOne in 2016, enabling collaboration with entertainment industry makers. eOne was subsequently acquired by Hasbro. Secret Location bought back their name and some IP from Hasbro/eOne in 2022.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Secret Location competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Moment Factory: Montreal-based immersive entertainment studio creating multimedia experiences combining projection mapping, lighting, and sound for permanent venues and touring shows. Most directly comparable peer given shared Canadian origin, projection-mapping heritage, and venue-based delivery model.
- Meow Wolf: Operates permanent immersive art exhibition venues with original narrative IP and interactive installations, complemented by licensing/franchise partnerships. Comparable as a peer in permanent immersive venue operation, original IP development, and franchise-style expansion.
- teamLab: Japan-based interdisciplinary art collective producing large-scale immersive digital art installations using projection, sensors, and real-time rendering. Comparable as a peer in permanent immersive venue operation and 360° projection-based interactive experiences.
- Punchdrunk: UK-based immersive theatre company producing site-specific, narrative-driven immersive experiences with strong original IP. Comparable as a peer in creating original immersive narrative productions for venue-based audiences.
- Illuminarium Experiences: Operates a global network of immersive entertainment venues featuring large-format projection and spatial audio. Closely comparable as both a venue operator using similar technology (and also Secret Location's flagship venue partner) and a permanent immersive venue chain.
Others
- Fever: Global experience-discovery and ticketing platform for immersive events and experiences. Comparable as an adjacent partner/distributor that could amplify Secret Location's reach through immersive experience marketplaces.
Emerging players
- Atlas V: Independent VR/immersive content studio producing narrative VR experiences with theatrical and venue distribution. Comparable as a peer in award-winning immersive content production with original IP and venue-based exhibition.
- Dreamscape Immersive: Operates VR-based location-based entertainment venues with multi-person interactive narratives. Comparable as a peer in immersive LBE venues with original IP-driven content, though focuses on headset-based VR versus Secret Location's projection-only approach.
Broad incumbents
- Disney (Walt Disney Imagineering): The largest themed entertainment operator globally with theme parks, themed experiences, and immersive attractions. Comparable as a peer in IP-driven immersive venue experiences, though orders of magnitude larger and broader in scope.
- Framestore: Global VFX and immersive content studio with location-based entertainment and VR experience production capabilities. Comparable as a peer in VR/immersive content creation at scale, though much broader in offerings across film, advertising, and themed entertainment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Secret Location social profiles
Digital presenceSecret Location financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Secret Location leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Secret Location funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Secret Location M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Secret Location
What does Secret Location do?
Secret Location is an immersive entertainment studio that creates 360-degree, fully enveloping experience productions using projection mapping, spatial audio, and LIDAR interactivity. The company operates Canada's first permanent immersive venue (Illuminarium) in Toronto's Distillery District, creates four original IP shows (Mythos, Journey to Oz, Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder, Waking Wonderland) for worldwide licensing, produces custom immersive content for corporate events and brand activations, and rents LED equipment to AV companies.
Is Secret Location a public or private company?
Secret Location is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Secret Location founded?
Secret Location was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Secret Location based?
Secret Location is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Secret Location make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Permanent Venue Operations are the primary driver. The others are IP Licensing, LED Equipment Rental and private Events & Corporate Activations.
Who are Secret Location's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Moment Factory, Meow Wolf, teamLab, Punchdrunk and Illuminarium Experiences. Fever is listed as an others. Emerging players are Atlas V and Dreamscape Immersive. Broad incumbents are Disney (Walt Disney Imagineering) and Framestore.
Does Secret Location have an API?
No public API is recorded for Secret Location.
What industry is Secret Location in?
Secret Location's product category is Immersive Entertainment Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAEAC, Family Entertainment Centers (Indoor развлечения: Arcade, Soft Play, Party Centers), with a secondary code of MPAFALAE, VR & Immersive Esports/LBE Venues (VR Arenas, Sim Racing Pods). Its NAICS code is 7131 and its SIC code is 7990.