Makeout

What Makeout does

Makeout was a Brooklyn-based creative production company founded in 2017 that combined the conceptual capabilities of a creative agency with the execution infrastructure of a production company. The firm delivered experiential events, brand activations, pop-ups, festivals, immersive installations, and launch events for enterprise clients across advertising, entertainment, media, food and beverage, travel/tourism, and fine-art sectors. Its service stack spanned five linked phases — concepting and ideation, scenic design, creative development, integrated production, and load-in/go-live/wrap — and was delivered by a small (1-10 employee) cross-disciplinary team with backgrounds in Disney, Broadway, architecture, retail, and hospitality.

The firm's underlying technology was production-led rather than software-led: rapid 3D design iteration, fabrication oversight, AV and lighting planning, creative tech integration, and interactive technology development (e.g., custom arcade games and responsive environments). It operated from an East Williamsburg, Brooklyn headquarters on a hybrid in-office/WFH schedule and was privately held with no disclosed institutional funding. Revenue was generated exclusively through custom-scoped, project-based professional services engagements with enterprise brand and entertainment clients — pricing was not publicly disclosed and inquiries were directed via dedicated email channels.

Over its seven years of operation, Makeout delivered projects for a roster that included Yuga Labs (ApeFest 2022), Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Lindt, eBay, TIME, Syfy, Peacock/Fever, Sports Illustrated, JetBlue, OkCupid, Gimlet, and Visit Carlsbad, and earned five Clio Awards, Cannes Lions, two D&AD awards, and an Adweek Fastest Growing Agency designation. In 2024, after seven years of operation, the company permanently ceased operations and its website displays a "Sorry, we're closed. (Forever.)" notice.

Name

Makeout

Legal name

Makeout

Website

https://makeout.nyc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Makeout was a Brooklyn-based, project-based creative production firm founded in 2017 that combined agency-level concepting with full event and experiential production, serving enterprise brand, entertainment, food-and-beverage, and tourism clients through custom-scoped engagements until ceasing operations in 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Event Production Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Production & Talent Services (Casting, Crew, Production Management) (MPAAAMAF), Content & Creative Studio for Creators (Concepting/Production) (MPAAAHAD)

Keywords

• Experiential event production
• Brand activation services
• Immersive experience design
• Scenic design production
• Creative agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Creative Production Services: Makeout generates revenue through project-based creative and production engagements. They are hired by brand clients and entertainment companies to design, produce, and execute experiential events, activations, pop-ups, festivals, immersive experiences, and branded installations. Revenue is earned through fees for creative development, scenic design, production management, fabrication, and event execution — typically scoped per project for enterprise clients. The company operated for 7 years before officially closing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Makeout is a creative production company that functions as both a creative agency and a production house, designing and executing one-of-a-kind experiential events, brand activations, pop-ups, festivals, immersive environments, and launch events for enterprise brand clients. The firm provides end-to-end service spanning concepting, scenic design, creative development, integrated production, and on-site load-in, go-live, and wrap. Their work combines conceptual storytelling with physical production craftsmanship across advertising, entertainment, real estate, and fine art sectors.

Product overview

Makeout is a creative production company that functions as both a creative agency and production company. They offer a unified portfolio of experiential event services including concepting and ideation, scenic design, creative development, integrated production, and full event execution. Their service offerings span experiential events and activations, multi-city tours, pop-up shops, festival production, and launch events. The company is built on combining creative conceptual strength with production craftsmanship, serving clients across advertising, entertainment, real estate, and fine art sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experiential Events & Activations Full-service experiential marketing and event production for brand activations, including concepting, scenic design, creative development, integrated production, and on-site execution for enterprise brand and entertainment clients.
• Concepting & Ideation Vision cultivation, guest journey development, rapid 3D design iteration, experiential touchpoints, and preliminary budget and production planning for brands.
• Scenic Design Environmental design combining experience from Disney, Broadway, architecture, retail, and hospitality to create strikingly unique and deeply compelling immersive experiences.
• Creative Development Brand and graphic development, programming and content development, story development and copywriting, creative tech integration, and website development for branded experiences.
• Integrated Production
• Load-In, Go-Live & Wrap Load-in logistics and oversight, BA staffing and management, sponsor and talent management, stage management and show calling, and wrap logistics for live events.
• Multi-City Activations Tour-based brand activations across multiple cities, including mobile units, custom vehicles, and traveling experiences for brand clients such as Burger King and Pizza Hut.
• Pop-Up Shops Design, fabrication, and execution of temporary retail experiences and branded pop-up activations in strategic locations for clients such as eBay, KFC, Lindt, and Visit Utah.
• Festival Production Large-scale music and cultural festival design and production, including immersive environments and programming, exemplified by ApeFest 2022 and GimletFest.
• Launch Events Product launch events and launch party production for entertainment and brand clients, including livestreamed and multi-format launches.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hall of Magic: 225M+ media impressions, 21M+ social media impressions; Syfy Season 2 premiere saw 76% growth in 18-34 target demo and biggest ever 18-49 viewer increase for any Syfy original scripted series.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• EdelmanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakeout collaborated with Edelman on the eBay Hard to Find Gift Shops project — a multi-city pop-up campaign featuring hidden entrance shops in Detroit, Miami, and Houston.
• GSD&MminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakeout partnered with GSD&M on Pizza Hut's Struggle Bus activation during March Madness in New Orleans, and on the Pizza Hut Underground Delivery subway activation tied to the TMNT movie release.
• MullenLoweminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakeout collaborated with MullenLowe on Burger King's Impossible Whopper Tour (Airstream trailer tour) and the Flame Your Ex burn box activation in Times Square.
• Hill & KnowltonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakeout worked with Hill & Knowlton on the Lindt Love Language Valentine's Day outdoor activation in New York.
• J/PRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakeout collaborated with J/PR on the Visit Utah Valentine's Day pop-up shops and the Visit Carlsbad Dallas in Bloom installation, acting as a PR and communications partner facilitating the engagement.
• MischiefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakeout partnered with Mischief on the OkCupid VILF street promotion campaign in Washington D.C. supporting voter registration.
• FeverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakeout partnered with Fever (the experience discovery platform) on Welcome to The Continental — an immersive cocktail experience for Peacock inspired by The Continental: From the World of John Wick. Fever served as the co-producer and platform for the ticketed experience.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Jack Morton Worldwide: Jack Morton is a global brand experience agency within Havas producing events, experiential campaigns, and immersive environments for Fortune 500 brands. It is broader and far larger than Makeout but operates in the same integrated-experiential-services space.
• Sparks: Sparks is a global experiential marketing agency within Omnicom that designs and executes brand experiences, pop-ups, and live events for major consumer brands. It overlaps directly with Makeout's enterprise experiential offering but at significantly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Meow Wolf: Meow Wolf is an immersive arts and entertainment company producing permanent and traveling themed environments with narrative and interactive technology. It overlaps with Makeout's immersive experience design craft, though its model is more art-driven than agency-driven.

Others

• Fever: Fever is a global experience-discovery platform that co-produced Makeout's 'Welcome to The Continental' with Peacock. It operates adjacent to Makeout as a distribution and ticketing infrastructure layer for immersive IP, rather than as a direct creative competitor.

Direct peers

• MKG Experience: MKG is a New York-based experiential creative agency that designs and produces brand activations, pop-ups, and immersive events for enterprise clients. It is the closest comparable to Makeout in size, geography, and integrated creative-plus-production model.
• Superfly: Superfly is a New York-based experiential production company known for Bonnaroo and Outlier Fest, and for producing custom brand activations and festivals at scale. It is a direct competitor in festival and large-scale immersive event production.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/makeoutnyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/makeoutnyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Makeout