Centerstage

What Centerstage does

Centerstage Productions of Illinois, Inc. is a privately held, full-service live experience company founded in 1996 and headquartered in a 100,000 sq ft facility in South Holland, Illinois (south of Chicago), with additional operational presence in Chicago, New York, and Paris. The firm serves enterprise clients across automotive, technology, telecommunications, sports, financial services, and consumer goods through three integrated service offerings: Creative Design (concept visualization and planning), Live Event Production (turn-key global event execution), and Custom Fabrication (in-house scenic, exhibit, and experiential build work by skilled artisans). Notable technical capabilities include video mapping across multi-block LED installations (e.g., 44 LED screens spanning 6 city blocks for the Kia EV6 World Premiere in Times Square), eco-friendly fabrication using recyclable materials (MuleSoft CONNECT), and remote broadcast production for Nasdaq IPO ceremonies on four continents.

Centerstage generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements, with customized quote-based pricing tied to scope, complexity, materials, and production requirements. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales (relationship-driven account management with major corporations) with channel partnerships through marketing agencies such as GMR Marketing, which drives recurring NFL House VIP activations at the Super Bowl and Xfinity brand activations at major sporting and entertainment events. The client roster spans more than 25 named logos including NFL, Nasdaq, Kia, Ford, Audi, Volkswagen, MuleSoft, Amazon, Xfinity, Mondelez, Kraft Heinz, Ripple, Bumble, Peloton, Lyft, Instacart, Ferrari, and CBRE. Founded by Bruce Holland and led by a senior team including Troy Fujimura (Head of Design and Technology), the company has operated for three decades without any disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or leadership changes.

Name

Centerstage

Legal name

Centerstage Productions of Illinois, Inc.

Website

https://centerstageglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centerstage is a privately held live event production company founded in 1996, serving enterprise clients across automotive, technology, sports, and consumer goods with creative design, live event production, and custom fabrication services from its 100,000 sq ft facility near Chicago and offices in New York and Paris.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Event Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Video/IMAG & LED Wall Production (MPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Live event production
• Custom fabrication services
• Creative event design
• Experiential marketing production
• Brand activation services

Headquarters

HQ city

South Holland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Live Event Production Services: Project-based professional services for live event production including planning, execution, and technical production for product launches, corporate events, and large-scale public activations.
2. Creative Design Services: Creative design services transforming client concepts into reality through visualization, planning, and drafting for live experience environments.
3. Custom Fabrication: Custom fabrication of scenic elements, exhibits, stages, and experiential installations by skilled artisans for immersive audience experiences.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Centerstage is a full-service live experience company that delivers end-to-end creative design, live event production, and custom fabrication for enterprise clients. The company conceives, designs, fabricates, and executes large-scale product launches, brand activations, IPO celebrations, auto show reveals, corporate conferences, and VIP experiences for brands such as Kia, NFL, Nasdaq, MuleSoft, and Audi. All production is supported by an in-house 100,000 sq ft fabrication facility and technical capabilities including LED video mapping and integrated AV.

Product overview

Centerstage is a full-service live experience company offering three core service offerings: Creative Design, Live Event Production, and Custom Fabrication. These services work together to deliver fully realized audience experiences—Creative Design transforms concepts through visualization and planning, Live Event Production provides global turn-key event execution, and Custom Fabrication creates immersive experiential elements. The company has delivered major projects including Kia EV6 World Premiere (Times Square with 44 LED screens), NFL House VIP Experience (Super Bowl activations), MuleSoft CONNECT (eco-friendly annual showcase), Xfinity Brand Activations (multi-venue events), and Bumble IPO (remote broadcast production). The company operates from headquarters south of Chicago with 100,000 sq ft of mixed-use space.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Design Creative Design transforms client concepts into reality through visualization, planning, and drafting, producing designs for live experiences and custom-built environments. It is targeted at enterprise brand and event teams seeking creative direction for large-scale productions.
• Live Event Production Live Event Production delivers turn-key, end-to-end execution of corporate and brand events worldwide, drawing on three decades of global experience. It is targeted at enterprises running high-profile product launches, IPO ceremonies, brand activations, and corporate conferences.
• Custom Fabrication Custom Fabrication produces scenic elements, exhibits, stages, and experiential installations built by skilled artisans, often using recyclable materials to meet strict carbon footprint requirements. It is targeted at clients who need bespoke physical builds integrated with live event production.

Quantifiable outcome

• NFL House VIP experience partnership since 2018 with continued expansion and bigger, bolder activations annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers33 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 2LK DesignminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaborated with 2LK Design on MuleSoft CONNECT annual product showcase featuring woodland world design with eco-friendly fabrication.
• Gail & RiceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Production partner for Kia EV6 World Premiere in Times Square, collaborating on the nighttime reveal event with video-mapped custom content.
• GMR MarketingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Longstanding partnership with GMR Marketing to produce the NFL House VIP experience at Super Bowl since 2018. Centerstage and GMR Marketing continue to create bigger, bolder activations every year, producing exclusive environments for players, partners, and VIP guests across the country.
• GMR Marketing (Xfinity)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCenterstage partners with GMR Marketing to bring Xfinity brand activations to life at major events across the country, including WrestleMania, ComplexCon, CMA Fest, and the Xfinity Mobile Arena unveiling in Philadelphia.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MKG: Experiential marketing agency producing brand experiences, live events, and immersive environments. Overlaps with Centerstage's creative-design-plus-fabrication live event model for enterprise clients.
• MKTG: Dentsu-owned live experience agency serving enterprise brands with events, sponsorships, and brand activations. Directly comparable in targeting Fortune 500 experiential budgets alongside Centerstage.
• BeCore: Experiential agency producing brand activations, corporate events, and immersive experiences for enterprise clients. Overlaps Centerstage's product launch and brand activation capabilities.
• MAS Event Design: Event design and fabrication firm producing custom scenic environments, exhibits, and live experiences. Comparable to Centerstage in custom fabrication, scenic builds, and integrated AV design for high-profile clients.
• Sparks: Cheil-owned experiential agency delivering brand experiences, pop-ups, and live events globally. Competes with Centerstage for enterprise experiential mandates with comparable technology integration and creative fabrication.
• Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency producing events, exhibits, and brand activations for major enterprise clients. Closely overlaps Centerstage's product launch, IPO, and corporate event capabilities, including integrated creative and fabrication.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Large-scale brand experience agency producing product launches, conferences, and immersive activations for enterprise clients. Directly comparable to Centerstage's full-service live event production and custom fabrication model, with similar automotive and tech marquee clients.
• Optimist: Creative production agency delivering large-scale immersive brand experiences, particularly for tech and entertainment clients. Comparable to Centerstage's work with MuleSoft, Nasdaq IPOs, and tech-forward enterprise events.

Broad incumbents

• Freeman: Largest live event and brand experience services company globally, with broad audiovisual, exhibit, and event production capabilities. Competes with Centerstage on large enterprise trade shows, conferences, and corporate events, though at significantly greater scale.
• Hub International (Brand Experience agencies under IPG/Omnicom): Large holding-company brand experience networks (e.g., IPG, Omnicom Experience divisions) that offer experiential services as part of broader marketing portfolios. Indirect competitor via agency-of-record relationships with the same enterprise brands Centerstage targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/centerstagegl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDFPR3rkXBt_SaUuQvCjv-Q?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/centerstagegl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centerstageglobal
• Instagraminstagram.com/centerstagegl

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 Centerstage