Kern Studios

What Kern Studios does

Kern Studios is a New Orleans-headquartered specialty fabrication and entertainment production company founded in 1932, currently led by third-generation CEO Barry Kern with fourth-generation family member Fitz Kern overseeing operations and strategic planning. The company designs, engineers, and builds custom parade floats, large-scale 3D props and sculptures, outdoor advertising installations, and themed environments for theme parks, national brands, sports teams, casinos, resorts, and Mardi Gras krewes. Its core technology stack combines traditional artisan craftsmanship (sculpting, painting, welding, carpentry) with a seven-axis Kuka robotic sculpting arm ("Pixie") programmed via 3D modeling software to cut styrofoam, wood, clay, or stone at 1mm accuracy, all housed within a 250,000 square foot Mississippi River facility.

Kern Studios operates a sales-led, project-based B2B model with quote-based pricing where individual floats range from tens of thousands to several million dollars depending on size, complexity, and customization. Revenue is generated through five primary streams: custom float production, prop and float rentals, themed environment construction, outdoor advertising prop production, and ticket sales from its wholly-owned Mardi Gras World tourist attraction (200,000+ visitors annually). The company provides full turnkey services including in-house concept design, 3D modeling, permits, insurance, transportation, and police escorts, and serves 18 Mardi Gras krewes, building roughly 70% of all floats in Orleans Parish. Long-duration anchor contracts include the Universal Studios Orlando Mardi Gras parade (running since 1995) and an exclusive national outdoor theming relationship with Chick-fil-A. Sister company River City Venues extends the platform into event hosting adjacent to the main facility.

Name

Kern Studios

Legal name

Kern Studios

Website

https://kernstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kern Studios is a New Orleans-based specialty fabricator (founded 1932) that designs and builds custom parade floats, 3D props, themed environments, and outdoor advertising installations for theme parks, national brands, sports teams, and Mardi Gras krewes, combining artisan craftsmanship with robotic sculpting technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Fabrication & Entertainment Production

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (71119), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Sign Manufacturing (339950)

akta.pro primary industry

Staging, Scenic & Set Fabrication (Stages, Backdrops, Scenic Builds) (THAHAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scenic Fabrication & Set/Stage Carpentry (MPAGAKAG), Decor Props & Themed Set Rentals (HSACAFAK), Event Signage, Props & Custom Installations (HSACAOAG)

Keywords

• Parade float production
• Specialty fabrication services
• Themed environment design
• Outdoor advertising props
• Custom prop fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Float Production: Design and build custom parade floats for Mardi Gras krewes, theme parks, corporate events, sports celebrations, and festivals. Floats range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars depending on complexity and scale. One-time project-based revenue.
2. Prop and Float Rentals: Rental of existing props and floats for special events, conferences, trade shows, birthday parties, and collegiate/professional sports celebrations. Rental floats can be customized for single events.
3. Themed Environments: Custom scenery building for themed environments at indoor and outdoor venues including theme parks, hotels, casinos, museums, zoos, aquariums, retail stores, stadiums, and arenas. Also includes temporary themed environments for special events, festivals, and corporate parties.
4. Outdoor Advertising Props: Production of 3D props for outdoor advertising and experiential marketing campaigns. Clients include national brands for billboard installations, stadium activations, and brand experiences.
5. Mardi Gras World Tours: Public tours of the working warehouse studio, attracting over 200,000 visitors annually. Revenue from ticket sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kern Studios is a specialty fabrication and entertainment production company that designs, builds, and delivers custom parade floats, 3D props, sculptures, themed environments, and outdoor advertising installations. The company combines traditional craftsmanship (sculpting, painting, welding, carpentry) with a seven-axis Kuka robotic sculpting arm named 'Pixie' that cuts materials within 1 millimeter of accuracy. Services include turnkey project management covering concept design, 3D modeling, fabrication, logistics, permits, insurance, and police escorts for parades and events worldwide.

Product overview

Kern Studios operates as a specialty fabrication and entertainment production company offering a portfolio of interconnected physical products and services. The core offerings include custom parade floats (Parades and Custom Floats), 3D props and sculptures (Props and Sculptures), outdoor advertising installations, themed environments, and prop/float rentals. The company also operates Mardi Gras World as a tourist attraction and its sister company River City Venues manages event spaces. All offerings are supported by a 250,000 square foot New Orleans facility combining traditional craftsmanship with technology including a seven-axis Kuka sculpting robot.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parades Turnkey parade production services for theme parks, holiday celebrations, sports celebrations, state fairs, and musical festivals worldwide. Services include in-house concept design, 3D models, original sketches, maquettes, logistics, permits, insurance, and police escorts. Targets enterprise clients such as Universal Studios Orlando and Six Flags operating across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and South Korea.
• Custom Floats Bespoke parade floats built to client specifications using traditional craftsmanship combined with robotic sculpting technology. Floats range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars and can accommodate 5 to 250 riders, with add-ons including live streaming cameras, TV screens, custom fiber optics, and LED lighting systems. For Mardi Gras krewes, theme parks, corporate events, sports celebrations, and festivals.
• Props and Sculptures Custom 3D props, sculptures, retail displays, and public art installations for brands and events. Clients include Mars Candy, Harley Davidson, PEEPS, NFL, NBA, and universities. The company's robotic sculpting arm 'Pixie' enables precise replication of brand icons at large scale.
• Rentals Rental floats and props available for special events, conferences, trade shows, and parties. Inventory includes photo-op props, Mardi Gras masks, jester heads, royalty figures, and NOLA letters. Rental floats can be customized for single events. Available across the Southeast United States.
• Outdoor Advertising 3D props for outdoor advertising and experiential marketing campaigns, including billboards, water tower decorations, and brand activations. Kern Studios produces large-scale outdoor advertising installations for clients such as Chick-fil-A (exclusive provider), Disney, Walmart, and Dodge. Combines 3D scanning and robotic sculpting to replicate brand icons for outdoor installations.
• Themed Environments Custom scenery and themed environments for theme parks, hotels, casinos, museums, zoos, aquariums, retail stores, stadiums, and arenas. Also includes temporary themed environments for special events, festivals, and corporate parties. Clients include Harrah's Casino New Orleans, Luxor Casino Las Vegas, and Disney.
• Mardi Gras World Public tours of Kern Studios' working warehouses showcasing the float and prop building process. Attracts over 200,000 visitors annually since 1984. Located along the Mississippi River in New Orleans. Operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kern Studios.
• River City Venues Sister company offering event venues along the Mississippi River. Includes five indoor venues (Ballroom, Iberville, Bienville, Riverview Rooms, Float Den, Grand Oaks Mansion), outdoor spaces (Mardi Gras World Plaza, River City Plaza, River City Square), and turnkey event services including catering, valet parking, music, performances, and professional videography.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mardi Gras parade for Universal Studios responsible for record season pass sales and largest single-day attendance in February 2016
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• River City VenuescoreOthersSister company located adjacent to Kern Studios along the Mississippi River. Offers event venues for weddings, corporate events, and music festivals. Provides turnkey event services including catering, valet parking, music, performances, and professional videography. Works with Kern Studios on themed environments for events hosted by BUKU Fest, NFL, DIRECTV, and Microsoft.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Atomic Design: Pennsylvania-based fabricator of themed environments, custom props, and scenic elements for theme parks, casinos, museums, and retail experiences. Direct peer to Kern's themed environments and prop fabrication work for entertainment and retail venues.
• Sally Corporation: Jacksonville-based designer and fabricator of dark rides, animatronics, and themed environments. Comparable to Kern in combining scenic fabrication, sculpture, and turnkey themed attraction delivery for theme park and family entertainment clients.
• Royal Artists: New York-based custom float, prop, and costume maker serving Macy's Parade, Broadway, theme parks, and corporate clients. Direct peer to Kern's float and prop fabrication capabilities, with comparable enterprise clientele.
• Nassal Company: Orlando-based specialty fabricator of themed environments, rockwork, sculptures, and scenic elements for theme parks, zoos, and attractions. Direct competitor to Kern's themed environments and props business serving the same enterprise theme park client base.
• Macy's Parade Studio: The in-house studio that designs and builds the floats and giant character balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is the most direct comparable to Kern's core custom float and prop production capability at marquee scale.

Broad incumbents

• FORREC: Toronto-based master planner and designer of theme parks, waterparks, and entertainment destinations. Comparable end-client overlap (theme park operators) and adjacent scope in themed environment design, though oriented to design/consulting rather than fabrication.
• TAIT Towers: Global provider of staging, rigging, scenery, and automation for live events, concerts, and themed attractions. Comparable to Kern at the intersection of scenic fabrication and live entertainment, but at substantially larger scale and broader service mix.
• ITEC Entertainment: Orlando-based turnkey entertainment design and production company covering theme park design, media, and fabrication. Broader portfolio than Kern, but overlapping in themed environment and live entertainment production for large enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• Landmark Creations: Custom inflatable and large-format 3D prop manufacturer for brand activations, parades, and events. Adjacent peer to Kern's outdoor advertising and prop business, focused on a narrower inflatable-led product set.

Others

• CORT Events: National provider of event furniture, décor, and rental props for corporate, trade show, and special events. Comparable to Kern's rental business line monetizing a physical inventory of props and themed items to event customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KernStudiosNola
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/kernstudiosnola
• Facebookfacebook.com/kernstudiosnola
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blaine-kern-artists-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/kernstudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Kern Studios