What Lord Whitney does

Lord Whitney is a Leeds-based, artist-led creative studio founded in 2010 by co-artistic directors Amy Lord and Rebekah Whitney. The studio designs and delivers multi-sensory, immersive experiences that combine set design, art direction, sound design, prop styling, and narrative storytelling to build cinematic and theatrical environments for clients in entertainment, heritage, and luxury consumer sectors. Its work spans commercial commissions — including set and prop work for Netflix, ITV, Riot Games' League of Legends World Championship and Arcane, Nicki Minaj, and Corinne Bailey Rae — alongside site-specific immersive installations for heritage institutions such as Harewood House, Chatsworth House, and Leeds Town Hall.

The studio operates from Scott Hall Mills in Leeds, a converted three-floor mill that functions simultaneously as Lord Whitney's studio, a hireable creative venue for other artists and businesses, and a community hub hosting residencies, film nights, and the publicly funded 'Designers of the Future' training programme. Revenue is generated through bespoke project fees negotiated per commission, supplemented by space hire at Scott Hall Mills and grant funding from Arts Council England, Leeds Inspired, the European Social Fund, and the Education and Skills Funding Agency for heritage and educational work.

Go-to-market is relationship-driven and reputation-led: founders Amy and Bek lead business development through portfolio showcasing, industry events such as Birmingham Design Festival, earned media (The Guardian, Creative Lives, The State of the Arts), and an advisory board (the 'Haus of Lords') formed in 2022 to provide strategic support. The company has signaled a structural shift toward Community Interest Company (CIC) status, indicating a mission-led governance posture alongside its commercial work.

Name

Lord Whitney

Legal name

Lord Whitney

Website

https://lordwhitney.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lord Whitney is a Leeds-based, artist-led creative studio designing multi-sensory immersive experiences, set design, and art direction for entertainment brands, heritage institutions, and luxury clients including Netflix, Riot Games, and Chatsworth House.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immersive Experience Design

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Event Signage, Props & Custom Installations (HSACAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual Art Department (VAD) & Environment/Digital Matte Painting (MPADAHAG), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Immersive experience design
• Creative art direction
• Experiential installation design
• Set design production
• Multi-sensory world building

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Commercial Creative Commissions: Project-based creative services for commercial clients including set design, art direction, production design, and experiential installations for brands, music artists, and entertainment companies. Revenue is generated through bespoke project fees negotiated per commission.
2. Heritage & Cultural Institution Projects: Commissioned immersive installations and experiences for heritage sites, museums, and cultural institutions such as Harewood House, Chatsworth House, and Leeds City Council. Often funded partially by Arts Council England grants.
3. Brand Partnerships & Collaborations: Collaborative creative projects with brands such as Northern Monk (Patron's Project beer collaborations) and Chambord, generating revenue through creative fees and sometimes limited edition product partnerships.
4. Studio & Space Hire (Scott Hall Mills): Revenue from hiring out studio spaces, workshop facilities, and event venues at their dedicated Scott Hall Mills location to other creatives, artists, and organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lord Whitney is an artist-led creative studio that designs and produces immersive, multi-sensory experiences for brands, heritage institutions, entertainment companies, and artists. Their core work spans art direction, set design, prop styling, production, and experiential installations, with projects ranging from music video sets and promotional campaigns to large-scale heritage installations and brand activations. Additionally, they operate Scott Hall Mills as a creative venue offering studio hire, artist residencies, creative learning programmes, and community events.

Product overview

Lord Whitney is a UK-based immersive design studio offering a comprehensive suite of creative services rather than a software product. Their core offerings span creative consultancy, direction, immersive design, experiential design, art direction, set design, and production services. They work across theatre, film, TV, heritage, fashion, and commercial sectors. Additionally, they operate Scott Hall Mills as a dedicated creative venue offering studio hire, creative learning programs including the Designers of the Future initiative, artist residencies and mentoring, and community events. The company collaborates with artists, brands, and creative partners to build multi-sensory worlds that tell stories and engage audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Haus of Lords: The advisory board of Lord Whitney, established in 2022, comprising five creative professionals who provide strategic support and advice to the company.

Products and services

• Immersive Design & Creative Production Services Bespoke end-to-end creative services spanning creative consultancy, creative direction, immersive design, experiential design, art direction, set design, set and prop styling, and full-service production. Delivered to brands, heritage institutions, entertainment companies, and artists for commercial and cultural projects.
• Studio & Space Hire at Scott Hall Mills Creative studio, workshop, and collaborative spaces available for hire at Scott Hall Mills, Lord Whitney's dedicated venue outside Leeds city centre, suitable for shoots, residencies, and events for other creatives, artists, and organizations.
• Creative Learning Programmes Educational programmes including workshops, lectures, and the Designers of the Future initiative supporting underrepresented and emerging creatives to develop skills and kickstart creative careers.
• Artist Engagement & Mentoring Supporting artists through residencies at Scott Hall Mills, mentoring creative businesses, and advocating for the creative community in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region.
• Community Events Programme Curated events programme at Scott Hall Mills including film nights, live performances, and community gatherings open to the public and local creative community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 visitors experienced Tales of Old Japan at Chatsworth House
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Haus of Lords Advisory BoardminorOthers · 10 August 2022Lord Whitney established their first advisory board in 2022, titled 'Haus of Lords', comprising five diverse individuals including musician Corrine Bailey-Rae, Creative Director Stephanie Griggs, Executive Creative Director Lizi Hamer, Production Manager Hazel Plummer, and Business Owner James Abbot-Donnelly. The advisory board provides strategic support and advice to help guide Lord Whitney's future direction.
• Buffalo (Sound Design)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing creative partnership with sound design studio Buffalo for immersive installations. Buffalo provided bespoke music composition and sound design for projects including Tales of Old Japan, Seeds of Hope, and Upon a Christmas Wish, creating multi-sensory experiences alongside Lord Whitney's visual design.
• Creative EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLord Whitney provided mentoring for Creative England's Advance programme, a support initiative for creative practitioners, freelancers and SMEs based in Wakefield and the wider Yorkshire Humber region. Supported by Wakefield Council and funded by DCMS's Cultural Development Fund.
• Passport (Branding & Design)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partnership with design studio Passport for branding and graphic design on Seeds of Hope immersive installation project at Harewood House.
• Proud Fox CreativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScott Hall Mills resident photography studio that collaborated on multiple projects including Northern Monk Lord of Misrule imagery and Designers of the Future graduation photography. Ongoing creative relationship for visual content creation.
• Toby ThompsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPoet and performer who collaborated with Lord Whitney on Upon a Christmas Wish at Harewood House, providing spoken word narration and storytelling elements as writer and narrator.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Punchdrunk: London-based immersive theatre company (Sleep No More) producing site-specific, multi-sensory narrative environments. Closest UK analogue to Lord Whitney's model of creating worlds audiences physically inhabit, with comparable reliance on theatre and storytelling craft.
• Random International: London-based studio producing large-scale immersive art installations (e.g. Rain Room). Comparable bespoke, narrative-driven immersive work for museums, galleries, and brands, with overlapping high-end institutional client base.
• The Imaginarium Studios: UK performance-capture and immersive content studio founded by Andy Serkis, working across film, TV, and experiential. Comparable UK boutique scale, mixed media/reality craft, and entertainment/IP client set including Hollywood productions.
• teamLab: International digital art collective producing large-scale immersive installations in museums and galleries globally. Comparable immersive world-building output and cultural-institution client base, though more digital-led than Lord Whitney's craft-based approach.
• Moment Factory: Montreal-based independent studio creating large-scale immersive multimedia environments across public spaces, museums, and brand projects. Comparable business model of multi-sensory world-building for cultural and commercial clients globally.
• Meow Wolf: US-based immersive art experience company building permanent narrative-driven installations audiences walk through. Comparable fusion of theatrical set design, narrative, and visitor economy revenue model.
• Weta Workshop: New Zealand prop, costume, and immersive experience studio with film/TV (Lord of the Rings) and themed entertainment work. Comparable set/prop production capabilities and pivot into immersive, mixed-reality visitor experiences.
• Hide & Seek: London-based immersive games and experience designer producing participatory narrative installations and events. Comparable UK-anchored boutique studio making immersive experiences that blend storytelling, design, and audience participation.
• Bompas & Parr: UK multi-sensory experiential design studio producing immersive installations and brand activations. Directly comparable in scale, craft (set/prop/cocktail work), and client mix of cultural institutions and premium consumer brands.

Broad incumbents

• Fever: Global experiences marketplace and operator (Candlelight, Stranger Things experiences) producing and distributing immersive events at scale. Comparable immersive-experiences end market but very different model as platform/operator rather than boutique studio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lordwhitney
• Facebookfacebook.com/lordwhitneysadventures
• Instagraminstagram.com/lordwhitney
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lord-whitney

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 Lord Whitney