Forward

What Forward does

Forward Studio is a Los Angeles-based B2B culture marketing agency founded in 2019 by three co-founders (Kevin McMahon, Rachel Noonan, Sam Schoonover) who originated from Coachella's in-house innovation team. The firm operates at the intersection of culture and technology, building transmedia marketing programs, immersive experiences, and brand partnerships for enterprise clients across entertainment, music festivals, film studios, and major technology platforms including Coachella, Universal Pictures, Google, Meta, Nike, The Weeknd, Epic Games/Fortnite, Discord, and Snapdragon.

The agency's core offerings span entertainment strategy, emerging technology consulting, and partnership management, executed through a stack of capabilities in AR/VR/XR (WebAR via 8th Wall, Meta Spark AR, broadcast AR for YouTube livestreams, Google Maps Geospatial Creator), gaming integrations (Fortnite Creative, Fortnite Festival, Unreal Engine), Web3/blockchain loyalty programs (Aptos, Avalanche, OpenSea), community platforms (Discord), and increasingly generative AI tooling for content production. Notable proprietary firsts include the first AR music discovery experience in Google Maps (Justice x Google, 2024 Webby nominee), broadcast AR on YouTube livestreams, and blockchain-powered Canvas Card fan passports.

Forward Studio is privately held with no disclosed external funding. It generates revenue through professional-services fees for strategy consulting, immersive content production, partnership management, and talent relations, with custom project-based pricing rather than productized SaaS. The company's go-to-market is sales-led and partner-driven: it leverages its Coachella origin and multi-year platform partnerships with Meta, Epic Games, Discord, and Google to acquire enterprise clients, supplemented by a content-marketing presence (case studies, research reports, newsletter). The agency runs on a lean full-time core supplemented by an extended bench of creative professionals and contractors.

Name

Forward

Legal name

Forward Studio

Website

https://forward.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forward Studio is a Los Angeles-based B2B culture marketing agency, founded in 2019 out of Coachella's innovation team, that builds transmedia AR, gaming, Web3, and generative AI experiences for enterprise entertainment, film, and technology clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culture Marketing Services

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Culture marketing agency
• Immersive brand experiences
• Transmedia marketing campaigns
• Augmented reality activations
• Entertainment marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing Strategy & Consulting: Agency fees for marketing strategy, audience strategy, content strategy, brand experience strategy, and innovation consulting services for entertainment and technology brands
2. Immersive Content Production: Project-based fees for creating AR/VR/XR experiences, broadcast content, live event digital integrations, and transmedia campaigns
3. Partnership Management Services: Fees for recommending, negotiating, and managing relationships between brands, media platforms, artists, and creators. Includes sponsorship strategy and experiential activations
4. Talent & Artist Relations: Services for artist collaborations, negotiations, publicity, licensing, and rights usage in music and film contexts

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Forward Studio is a culture marketing agency that designs and produces integrated marketing programs at the intersection of entertainment and emerging technology. It sells B2B services including entertainment strategy, emerging-technology and innovation consulting, and partnership management, delivered through immersive executions such as Broadcast AR, mobile/WebAR experiences, Fortnite gaming activations, Web3 loyalty programs, and Discord community builds.

Product overview

Forward Studio is a culture marketing agency (not a traditional SaaS product company) offering integrated marketing services at the intersection of entertainment and technology. The company's offerings center on Culture Marketing Agency Services as its core offering, supported by specialized services in Entertainment Strategy, Emerging Technology/Innovation Consulting, and Partnership Services. Technical executions include Mobile AR Experiences, Broadcast AR, Fortnite Gaming Activations, and Discord Community Building. The agency also publishes Industry Research Reports on digital trends. All offerings are service-based rather than standalone software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Culture Marketing Agency Services Full-service culture marketing agency operating at the intersection of culture and technology. Creates innovative marketing programs through experiences, products, and stories that drive relevance, engagement, and long-term brand affinity for enterprise clients including entertainment brands, festivals, film studios, and technology companies.
• Entertainment Strategy Defines and deploys entertainment strategies alongside partners leveraging unique relationships in entertainment and culture. Covers live event strategy, content production, distribution, marketing, and monetization for entertainment brands and partners.
• Discord Community Building Initiated and managed Coachella's Discord community including artist AMAs, AI image programs, YouTube livestream integration, and year-round community engagement. Built and scaled a community of 26,000+ members with 200% server growth from 2022 to 2023.
• Broadcast AR Pioneered AR livestream performances on YouTube in collaboration with Epic Games and Unreal Engine. Artists break out from video screens and expand visuals into 3D space. Collaborated with artists including Anyma, DJ Snake, Grimes, and Doja Cat.
• Mobile AR Experiences Mobile AR effects created with Meta Spark AR artists for Coachella. Includes persistence, multi-plane tracking, audio reactivity, and art installation virtual extensions. Generated 1M+ mobile AR impressions and 940K AR experience opens.
• Fortnite Gaming Activations Festival-themed musical experiences in Fortnite Creative, Fortnite Festival, and Unreal Engine. Includes virtual Sahara tent modular music venues, Festival game mode takeovers, virtual Coca-Cola activations, virtual stages, minigames, cosmetics, and digital twins.
• Web3 Loyalty Programs Builds NFT-based loyalty programs and blockchain-powered fan engagement platforms. Coachella Quests on Avalanche achieved 50K+ quests completed, 14% conversion rate, and 35% referral rate, using Canvas Card passport to track fan activity.
• Google Maps AR Music Discovery First-ever AR music discovery experience in Google Maps using Google's Geospatial Creator. Built AR overlays showcasing Paris music venues and cultural landmarks for Justice's Hyperdrama tour finale. Nominated for a 2024 Webby Award.
• Partnership Services Recommends, negotiates, and manages relationships between brands, media platforms, artists, and creators. Includes strategic partnerships, sales implementation, sponsorship strategy, partner negotiations, and experiential activations.
• Emerging Technology / Innovation Consulting Plans, prototypes, and designs new ways of engaging audiences. Includes sprints, audits, workshops, creative ideation, digital product strategy, and future customer needs mapping for brands entering emerging-technology spaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19.8% ticket purchase intent conversion rate from AR experience
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• DiscordcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022In 2022, Forward initiated and managed Coachella's first Discord community. In 2023, secured a formal partnership with Discord, hosted 15 AMAs with festival artists, introduced AI image program, and integrated YouTube livestream. Built community of 26K+ members.
• Coachella/AEG Global PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForward was born from Coachella's in-house innovation team. They work closely with AEG Global Partnerships to transform Coachella's innovation from a cost center to a revenue center, managing strategy, design, production, and marketing for digital and physical activations. This is the company's founding relationship and primary showcase for capabilities.
• MetacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership to bring mobile AR to millions of Coachella fans globally. Forward led collaboration with 21 top Spark AR artists to create 13 different effects, setting new standards for social AR including persistence, multi-plane tracking, and audio reactivity. Generated 1M+ mobile AR impressions.
• GoogleflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated first-ever AR music discovery experience in Google Maps using Google's new Geospatial Creator for Justice's Hyperdrama tour finale. The experience immersed fans in Paris' vibrant music scene, spotlighting venues and cultural institutions.
• Epic Games/FortnitecoreTechnology or IntegrationMulti-year partnership building Coachella experiences across Fortnite Creative, Fortnite Festival, and Unreal Engine. Includes virtual Sahara tent stages, minigames, and cosmetics. Collaborated with Grimes, DJ Snake, and Coca-Cola on activations.
• PixelynxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStealth team creating emergent digital fan experiences. Forward worked with Pixelynx to build the first-ever Black Mirror Quest experience called SMILE CLUB, advising on quest cadence, communication design, and influencer strategy.
• W-rldsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital innovation agency collaborator on Justice x Google AR experience in Google Maps, working together on this first-of-its-kind AR music discovery application.
• Coca-ColaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partner for Coachella in Fortnite activation featuring Coca-Cola remix room where players could create tunes using Patchwork music tools.
• NikeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partner for Nike Air Max Dn AR activation at Coachella, transforming Spectra installation into surreal Air Max experience with AR filter and sweepstakes.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Untold Studios: Untold Studios is a creative studio producing immersive, mixed-reality, and storytelling-led campaigns for entertainment and tech clients, overlapping with Forward's transmedia and AR execution capabilities.
• Deeplocal: Deeplocal is an innovation studio that designs and builds immersive brand experiences, AR campaigns, and connected products — directly comparable to Forward's emerging-technology marketing services.
• Active Theory: Active Theory is a Los Angeles-based creative studio specializing in immersive web, AR/VR, and interactive installations for major brands and entertainment IP — closely aligned with Forward's culture-meets-technology agency positioning.
• Unit9: Unit9 is a global production studio producing interactive, AR/VR, and immersive content for major entertainment and brand clients, mirroring Forward's mix of bespoke creative production and emerging technology execution.
• Tool of North America: Tool of North America is a creative production agency known for end-to-end campaign production for entertainment and consumer brands, with comparable emphasis on emerging tech and immersive storytelling.
• Team Epiphany: Team Epiphany is a cultural marketing and experiential agency working with brands on cultural moments, talent-driven campaigns, and partnerships — a direct comparator in culture-first B2B marketing services.

Broad incumbents

• Wieden+Kennedy: Wieden+Kennedy is a leading independent creative agency known for culture-led brand work and entertainment partnerships (including entertainment franchise collaborations), making it a comparable broad incumbent.
• MediaMonks: MediaMonks (now Monks) is a global content and production powerhouse with deep capabilities in immersive, AR, and entertainment marketing, making it a broader incumbent competing for the same enterprise clients.
• R/GA: R/GA is a large, established digital and innovation agency that operates across brand strategy, product, and emerging-tech marketing — a broader incumbent competing for the same enterprise immersive-marketing budgets Forward targets.

Emerging players

• HUSH: HUSH is a creative studio building experiential, AR, and immersive brand activations for major brands, representing an emerging player in the same boutique immersive-marketing niche as Forward.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forwardstudio

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 Forward