Talking Heads Studio

What Talking Heads Studio does

Talking Heads Studio is a privately held qualitative market research firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 2010 by Tracey Howard. The company provides project-based research services spanning participant recruiting, multi-city project management, facility coordination, and reporting/transcription for corporate clients. Its service portfolio covers focus groups, in-depth interviews, online bulletin boards, telephone interviews, ethnographies, usability testing, jury research, shop chats, and dining groups, serving consumer, B2B/professional, and medical/healthcare research buyers.

The firm operates a participant management platform branded as THS PMP (at register.talkingheadsstudio.com) that allows consumers and professionals to register for paid studies, with participant honoraria ranging from $80 to $150+ per study. Core technology consists of standard market research tooling — participant databases, screener systems, A/V recording equipment, and online survey platforms — rather than proprietary AI or analytics infrastructure. The company extends its geographic reach beyond Atlanta through a network of trusted local recruiting and facility partners across the Southeast, East, Midwest, and West U.S., enabling multi-market qualitative research engagements.

Talking Heads Studio generates revenue on a project-based professional services model, with pricing quoted per engagement based on methodology, markets, sample size, and facility requirements; client pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm employs 11-50 people, is structured as a Georgia LLC with no external funding or parent company, and is owned and operated by the founder. Distribution is direct — single project manager relationship per client — with no disclosed intermediaries or resellers, and customer acquisition relies on direct outreach and relationship development rather than broad marketing channels.

Name

Talking Heads Studio

Legal name

Talking Heads Studio, LLC

Website

https://talkingheadsstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Talking Heads Studio is an Atlanta-based qualitative market research firm providing participant recruiting, multi-city project management, and facility services for focus groups, interviews, and online studies across consumer, B2B, and medical sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey/Panel-Based Lead Capture & Co-Registration Services (BPAFAKAN)

Keywords

• Qualitative market research
• Focus group recruitment
• Consumer research services
• Project management research
• Usability lab testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Services: The company generates revenue by providing qualitative market research services to corporate clients. This includes recruiting participants, managing projects across multiple cities, providing facility space for focus groups and interviews, conducting various methodologies (focus groups, in-depth interviews, online studies, ethnographies, usability testing), and offering reporting/transcription services. Revenue is project-based, varying by scope, methodology, and market reach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Talking Heads Studio is a qualitative market research firm that provides recruiting, project management, and interviewing services for client-led research engagements. The company delivers traditional in-person methodologies such as focus groups and shop chats alongside remote approaches including online bulletin boards and telephone interviews, supported by an in-house participant management platform (THS PMP).

Product overview

Talking Heads Studio operates a unified research services platform centered on its THS PMP (Participant Management Platform), which serves as the primary interface for recruiting and managing research participants. The company offers a comprehensive suite of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies including focus groups, in-depth interviews, online surveys, telephone interviews, ethnographies, and usability testing. Supporting services include multi-city project management, participant recruiting with national reach, and reporting/transcription services. The platform is designed for both consumer and B2B research, with particular expertise in medical/healthcare research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Focus Group Research In-person focus group research studies designed and fielded on behalf of corporate clients to explore consumer attitudes, product reactions, advertising response, and other qualitative insights.
• Home User Tests (HUT) Home use testing engagements in which consumers use client products in their own environments over a defined period, with feedback captured by the Talking Heads Studio team.
• Online Bulletin Board Research Multi-day online bulletin board studies in which participants respond to moderator prompts and exercises over an extended window, suited to longitudinal qualitative exploration.
• Traditional Bulletin Board Research Bulletin board research delivered through conventional channels where participants respond to structured moderator materials over the course of an engagement.
• In-Depth Interviews One-on-one, in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with carefully screened participants to uncover detailed individual perspectives on client research questions.
• Telephone Interviews Telephone-based qualitative interviews used as a remote or telephone-only research methodology for client studies that do not require in-person contact.
• Ethnographic Research Ethnographic qualitative research engagements designed to observe and document consumer behavior in natural contexts for client insights work.
• Jury Research Jury-style research engagements in which participants deliberate on client research topics, often applied to legal or persuasive-communication research questions.
• Shop Chats and Dining Groups In-context qualitative research formats including shop chats and dining groups, designed to capture consumer behavior and feedback in retail or food-service environments.
• Online Surveys Online survey design and fielding services delivered to corporate clients as part of broader research engagements or as standalone quantitative data collection.
• Usability Lab Testing Usability testing delivered through a dedicated lab facility, observing participants as they interact with client products, websites, prototypes, or other experiences.
• Recruiting Services Screening and recruitment of qualified research participants for client-led studies, supported by the firm's in-house participant management platform.
• Project Management and Reporting End-to-end project management of qualitative research engagements including design coordination, moderator staffing, logistics, and final reporting for client stakeholders.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Local recruiting and facility partners (U.S.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrusted local recruiting and facility partners across the U.S. representing primary and secondary markets in the Southeast, East, Midwest, and West. Partners provide local market access, facility space (checking availability, A/V, food), and recruiting support for national projects requiring multiple markets.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Toluna: Global online consumer panel and survey research provider with technology-enabled panel management at massive scale. Comparable to Talking Heads Studio on the participant recruitment and panel management dimensions, but with a much broader product portfolio and technology stack.
• Dynata: Large-scale first-party data and research operations platform with owned panels for B2B and consumer research. Overlaps with Talking Heads Studio on panel-based participant recruitment but operates at materially greater scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• Schlesinger Group: One of the largest qualitative market research field-services firms in the U.S., operating focus group facilities, recruiting, and project management across multiple markets. Directly comparable to Talking Heads Studio in core service mix (focus groups, in-depth interviews, recruiting, project management) with a far larger geographic footprint.
• Focus Forward: Qualitative research firm offering focus group recruiting, project management, and facility services for consumer and B2B research. Comparable to Talking Heads Studio in methodology breadth and customer profile.
• Plaza Research: Qualitative market research firm specializing in focus group recruitment and facility services across U.S. markets. Closely comparable in service mix and customer base to Talking Heads Studio.
• Fieldwork Network: National network of owned focus group facilities and qualitative field services. Competes with Talking Heads Studio on multi-market focus group recruitment, facility services, and project management, though with broader owned-infrastructure coverage.

Emerging players

• Discuss.io: Online qualitative research platform supporting virtual focus groups, in-depth interviews, and bulletin boards. Competes with Talking Heads Studio for online methodology budgets and represents the digital-first delivery model that the traditional field agency must defend against.
• CivicScience: Consumer-research and analytics firm using proprietary online polling and panels to deliver consumer insights. Adjacent competitor to Talking Heads Studio for consumer insight budgets that increasingly favor real-time digital panels over in-person fieldwork.
• UserTesting: On-demand usability and user experience research platform with a built-in participant panel. Overlaps with Talking Heads Studio's usability lab/web surfing methodology but delivers it through a self-serve technology platform rather than field-services staff.
• Respondent.io: Marketplace connecting researchers with professional and consumer participants for qualitative studies and interviews. Comparable to Talking Heads Studio on participant recruitment and screening, but operates digitally without owned facilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/talkingheadsstu
• Facebookfacebook.com/talkingheadsstudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sinclair-law-office

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Talking Heads Studio