What THG Creative does

THG Creative (legally Themespace Hettema Group) is an independent, B2B professional services firm specializing in full-service themed entertainment design. Formed in April 2022 through the merger of The Hettema Group and Themespace, the company guides immersive experience projects from earliest concept through final installation, serving entertainment companies, cultural institutions, municipalities, and private developers. Its portfolio spans theme parks, museums, casinos, sporting venues, observation decks, water parks, and cultural landmarks globally. Named clients include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The National WWII Museum, Caesar's Entertainment, Triple Five/American Dream Mall, Tishman Speyer (Top of the Rock), Galaxy Entertainment (Galaxy Macau), the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mansion Entertainment Group (American Heartland Theme Park), Real Madrid, and Cedar Fair (Knott's Berry Farm).

The company's core offering is creative design, art direction, show design, ride design, and full production services for large-format immersive attractions. Its technology stack emphasizes proprietary physical and engineering solutions rather than software, including a novel rotating turntable seating system (Freedom Theater), a spokeless observation wheel architecture with integrated LED packages (High Roller), open-air elevated platforms with custom-programmed LED arrays (Skylift), and 4D theatrical systems combining multilayered projections, kinetic sets, immersive audio, and atmospheric effects (Beyond All Boundaries). Founder Phil Hettema and CEO Erik Neergaard hold patents in entertainment technology. The firm operates from Pasadena, California (headquarters) and Orlando, Florida (opened 2024), with a leadership team of roughly 11-50 employees including five directors and a VP of People.

THG generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements — pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by project scope and complexity. The firm does not sell to consumers; distribution occurs entirely through direct B2B enterprise field sales and long-cycle client partnerships with marquee brand owners, real estate developers, cultural institutions, and municipalities. Marketing relies on industry events (TEA Summit), press coverage, an award-winning portfolio website, and industry recognition (Thea Awards, IAAPA, MUSE Awards, IDEAS2 Awards, Guinness World Record). Geographic reach spans North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, with past or current projects in the USA, China, South Korea, Malaysia, UAE, Jordan, the UK, Spain, Russia, and Macau.

Name

THG Creative

Legal name

Themespace Hettema Group (THG)

Website

https://thgcreative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

THG Creative (Themespace Hettema Group) is an independent themed entertainment design firm serving entertainment companies, cultural institutions, municipalities, and developers with full-service creative design and production for immersive attractions, theme parks, museums, and observation decks globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Themed Entertainment Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Production Design & Art Department Services (Sets, Props, Scenic) (MPADAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA), Creative & Brand Campaign Development (BPAFAAAB)

Keywords

• Themed entertainment design
• Immersive experience design
• Creative design services
• Attraction design
• Exhibit design

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Design and Production: THG Creative provides full-service themed entertainment design services, guiding projects from earliest concept through final installation. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements with entertainment companies, cultural institutions, municipalities, and private developers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

THG Creative is an independent creative agency that designs and produces themed entertainment experiences, providing full-service design from earliest concept through final installation. The firm delivers immersive attractions, observation decks, water parks, theme parks, museums, cultural centers, casinos, and branded experiences for entertainment companies, cultural institutions, municipalities, and private developers globally. Their work spans creative design, art direction, show design, ride design, multimedia production, and on-site installation.

Product overview

THG Creative (Themespace Hettema Group) is an independent creative agency specializing in themed entertainment design. The company operates as a full-service themed entertainment design firm offering comprehensive services from concept through installation. Their portfolio consists of distinct project categories including immersive theatrical attractions (Beyond All Boundaries, Freedom Theater), observation decks (Top of the Rock, One World Observatory, High Roller), water parks (DreamWorks Water Park), cultural centers (Temple Square Visitors' Center, Crystal Lobby), theme park transformations (Fiesta Village), and interactive experiences (Dragons Wild Shooting). The company provides creative design, art direction, show design, ride design, and production services for clients spanning theme parks, museums, cultural landmarks, and entertainment destinations globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beyond All Boundaries A groundbreaking theatrical 4D experience at the National WWII Museum featuring panoramic media, kinetic sets, and special effects, produced in collaboration with Executive Producer Tom Hanks to bring the story of World War II to new audiences.
• Freedom Theater An intimate, story-driven theater experience exploring the Four Freedoms and America's role in the post-WWII world, featuring a 44-foot diameter turntable seating 64 guests per side with moving scenery and projection mapping.
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck Reimagined observation deck experience at 30 Rockefeller Plaza featuring renewed lobby, updated media presentation, new elevators, and two rooftop attractions: The Beam and Skylift.
• High Roller The world's tallest observation wheel in Las Vegas, rising to 550 feet with 28 custom-designed luxury cabins featuring hosted media and in-cabin entertainment during 30-minute rides.
• One World Observatory Award-winning attraction at One World Trade Center featuring time-traveling media elevator, gesture-driven media sculpture, and inspirational journey above New York City.
• DreamWorks Water Park The largest indoor water park in North America featuring immersive environments inspired by DreamWorks Animation characters including Madagascar Rain Forest, Shrek's Soggy Swamp, and How to Train Your Dragon hydrocoaster.
• Temple Square Visitors' Center First-of-its-kind immersive gateway at Temple Square featuring replicated architectural environments, large-scale media installations, interactive storytelling, and original content capturing stories from multiple countries.
• Crystal Lobby A dazzling three-story lobby show at Galaxy Macau featuring over 380,000 Bohemian crystals, 150,000 animated lights, kinetic ceiling with 24 crystal-clad petals, 32 dancing fountains, and 360-degree media presentation.
• American Heartland Theme Park

Quantifiable outcome

• Doubled initial guest estimates at Top of the Rock after reimagined experience reopened
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHG Creative partnered with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to deliver the Temple Square Visitors' Center in Salt Lake City, UT. THG led creative design and full production from concept through opening, creating a first-of-its-kind immersive experience combining architecture, media, and global storytelling.
• Mansion Entertainment GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHG collaborates with Mansion Entertainment Group to develop American Heartland Theme Park in Vinita, Oklahoma. THG provides attraction design, art direction, and overall creative development, working with additional expert design firms FORREC and Cuningham.
• Cedar Fair / Knott's Berry FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHG collaborated with Cedar Fair's Experience Design Studio and Knott's Berry Farm teams to transform Fiesta Village. THG served as creative directors, developing creative intent and design across all land elements including rides, retail, food and beverage.
• Tishman SpeyercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHG Creative partnered with Tishman Speyer to reimagine Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center in New York City over a five-year project. The partnership transformed multiple guest touchpoints including Skylift, The Beam, and multimedia experiences.
• Galaxy Entertainment GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHG designed and produced the Crystal Lobby Show at Galaxy Macau five-star casino resort. The project featured over 380,000 Bohemian crystals, 150,000 animated lights, and kinetic elements in a three-story pavilion.
• FORRECminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTHG works alongside FORREC design firm as part of the American Heartland Theme Park development team, providing comprehensive design services.
• CuninghamminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTHG works alongside Cuningham design firm as part of the American Heartland Theme Park development team.
• LegendscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHG partnered with Legends to participate in an international design competition and was selected to design and produce the One World Observatory experience at One World Trade Center.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Stoke Group: Stoke Group is a themed entertainment and experience design firm focused on immersive attractions, narrative environments, and branded experiences. It is an emerging creative agency with partial overlap to THG's narrative-driven attraction work, particularly for museums and cultural venues.
• Meow Wolf: Meow Wolf designs and operates large-scale immersive art installations and experiential entertainment venues. While vertically integrated as an operator, its creative approach to immersive, narrative-driven environments overlaps with THG's thematic experience design capabilities.

Direct peers

• Legacy Entertainment: Legacy Entertainment is a themed entertainment design and production company delivering master planning, attraction design, and IP-driven experiences globally. It is a direct competitor to THG on projects like theme park design and immersive IP-based attractions.
• FORREC: FORREC is a global entertainment design firm providing master planning, attraction design, and theming for theme parks, water parks, and resorts. FORREC is already a co-development partner with THG on American Heartland Theme Park and competes for the same large resort and theme park RFPs.
• BRC Imagination Arts: BRC is a long-established themed entertainment and brand experience design agency producing museums, visitor centers, and immersive attractions. It overlaps directly with THG on narrative-driven cultural and institutional projects like Beyond All Boundaries and Temple Square Visitors' Center.
• Jack Rouse Associates (JRA): Jack Rouse Associates is a long-standing themed entertainment consulting and design firm working on theme parks, museums, and visitor attractions globally. It is comparable to THG on strategic advisory, master planning, and attraction design for major cultural and entertainment clients.
• Thinkwell Group: Thinkwell is an independent experience design and production firm specializing in theme parks, museums, branded attractions, and destination experiences. It directly competes with THG Creative on master planning, attraction design, and show production for similar enterprise clients.
• The Producers Group: The Producers Group provides owner-side representation, creative direction, and production management for themed entertainment and resort projects. It is comparable to THG on the creative and production oversight of major theme park and destination attraction builds.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Creative: Universal Creative is Universal Destinations & Experiences' in-house design, engineering, and project management organization. It competes with THG on major attraction and theme park design RFPs and previously employed Phil Hettema in a senior role.
• Walt Disney Imagineering: Walt Disney Imagineering is Disney's in-house creative and engineering arm for theme park design, attraction development, and immersive experiences. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities to THG but operates at much greater scale and with privileged IP access across Disney's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/experiencethg
• Xx.com/ExperienceTHG
• Facebookfacebook.com/ExperienceTHG

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 THG Creative