What Local Projects does

Local Projects is a New York-based experience design studio founded in 2003 that designs and fabricates custom museum exhibitions, memorials, cultural heritage installations, and immersive visitor experiences for institutional clients. The studio serves a primarily vertical-focused market of museums, cultural institutions, presidential libraries, civil rights memorials, and international organizations, with a project portfolio that includes Planet Word Museum, Greenwood Rising (Black Wall Street memorial in Tulsa), Hyde Park Barracks Museum, the Bloomberg London Mithraeum, the International Spy Museum's 'Camouflage' exhibition, Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library ($450M total project value), and the United Nations Portail des Nations visitor centre in Geneva. Recent work extends into commercial brand activation, exemplified by the Dassai Blue Hyde Park Brewery project.

The studio operates a project-based revenue model under which each engagement is a bespoke design and fabrication contract rather than a software or platform product; revenue is recognized on a one-time license basis tied to project deliverables. Its go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct institutional engagement, competitive bidding for museum and government projects, portfolio-based marketing via its website, and earned media in industry publications. Notable strategic partnerships on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library include architectural collaborators Snøhetta and JLG Architects. Local Projects is a subsidiary of MTM, a global network dedicated to dynamic brand activation, which provides cross-region distribution and pipeline access across North America (USA), Europe (UK, Switzerland), and beyond. The firm employs 51–100 people and is led by founder Jake Barton, with a creative leadership team that includes Director of Strategy Nathan Adkisson and Interaction Design Director Guillaume Marais.

Name

Local Projects

Legal name

Local Projects

Website

https://localprojects.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Local Projects is a New York-based experience design studio founded in 2003 that designs and fabricates custom museum exhibitions, memorials, and immersive cultural installations for institutional clients including museums, presidential libraries, and international organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experience Design Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Experience design services
• Museum exhibition design
• Immersive installation design
• Memorial design
• Cultural institution design

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Experience Design and Fabrication Services: Local Projects generates revenue through project-based engagements designing and fabricating experiences for museums, cultural institutions, and attractions. Revenue is derived from custom design contracts for exhibition spaces, immersive galleries, and interactive installations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Local Projects is an experience design studio that designs and fabricates bespoke exhibitions, immersive galleries, memorials, and cultural installations for museums, cultural institutions, presidential libraries, and visitor attractions. Engagements are project-based, delivered from concept through fabrication and installation, with notable work spanning Planet Word, Greenwood Rising, Hyde Park Barracks Museum, the Bloomberg London Mithraeum, the International Spy Museum, and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

Product overview

Local Projects is an experience design studio that creates custom museum exhibitions, attractions, memorials, and cultural installations for institutional clients. The studio offers project-based design services rather than standalone software products. Their portfolio includes major projects such as Planet Word Museum (language and word museum), Greenwood Rising (civil rights memorial), Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Bloomberg London Mithraeum, the International Spy Museum's Camouflage exhibition, Freedom Tower Miami, and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Each project is a custom creation tailored to specific client needs, involving immersive experience design, exhibition fabrication, and installation services. As a design studio, Local Projects does not operate a product-based or SaaS model with modules or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experience Design and Exhibition Fabrication Services Project-based design and fabrication of immersive exhibitions, galleries, memorials, and cultural installations for museums, cultural institutions, presidential libraries, and visitor attractions. Each engagement is a custom creation spanning concept, narrative design, fabrication, and installation, delivered to institutional clients such as Planet Word, Greenwood Rising, Hyde Park Barracks Museum, the Bloomberg London Mithraeum, the International Spy Museum, Miami's Freedom Tower, and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SnohettacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnohetta is the architectural firm collaborating on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library project. Local Projects is listed among the firms working on this project, suggesting collaboration with the architecture team for exhibition and experience design components.
• JLG ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLG Architects is collaborating with Snohetta and Local Projects on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library project in Medora, North Dakota.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Large, multi-disciplinary design consultancy with cultural-institution and museum exhibition work among its portfolio. Comparable as a broader incumbent that occasionally competes for the same institutional projects but with a much wider service scope.
• Snøhetta: Global architecture and design firm frequently collaborating with or competing against Local Projects on cultural and civic projects (e.g., co-collaborator on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library). Comparable through shared institutional client base.
• Rockwell Group: Architecture and design firm with an established practice in immersive cultural, hospitality, and entertainment environments. Adjacent to Local Projects as a larger incumbent capable of delivering comparable experience-design scopes for institutions.

Direct peers

• ESI Design: Experience design studio creating immersive, interactive environments for museums, brands, and cultural institutions. Comparable to Local Projects in narrative-driven, technology-enhanced exhibition and visitor experience design.
• C&G Partners: Design studio specializing in branded environments, museums, and visitor experiences for cultural and civic institutions. Directly comparable to Local Projects in delivering narrative-driven exhibition and wayfinding design.
• Thinc Design: Experience design firm specializing in museum, attraction, and cultural exhibitions including the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Direct peer in narrative-focused museum experience design with similar institutional client base.
• Frank Mayer Design: Custom museum, trade show, and retail experience design firm. Comparable to Local Projects in custom fabrication and immersive installation services for institutional clients.
• Gallagher & Associates: Specializes in interpretive and exhibition design for museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions worldwide. Closely comparable in customer base (museums, memorials, presidential libraries) and project-based delivery model.
• Land Design Studio: Design and fabrication studio focused on museum exhibitions, visitor centers, and interpretive environments. Comparable to Local Projects in custom fabrication, exhibit design, and institutional client base.
• Ralph Appelbaum Associates: One of the world's largest museum and cultural-institution exhibition design firms. Directly comparable to Local Projects in serving museums, memorials, and cultural institutions with narrative-driven exhibition design.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/localprojects
• Facebookfacebook.com/localprojects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/local-projects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Local Projects