Swear Studio

What Swear Studio does

Swear Studio is a London-based creative services studio founded in 2021 by Stephen Thomas Gallagher, who is also the co-founder of Block9. The studio provides end-to-end creative direction and production design for large-scale live music performances, televised events, immersive exhibitions, and audio-visual art installations, integrating set design, video design, lighting design, and digital storytelling into single deliverables. Its core technology is creative direction and production design, delivered through a small internal senior team (Creative Director, Studio Director, Lead Designer, Executive Producers) working with a recurring bench of specialist partners including Pixelmappers, SHOP, Luke Halls Studio, Scruff Cat Sets, Scena, Phoenix, and Four-Square Productions.

Name

Swear Studio

Legal name

Swear Studio

Website

https://swear.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swear Studio is a London-based creative services studio founded in 2021 by Stephen Thomas Gallagher, providing end-to-end creative direction, set design, video design, and lighting design for high-profile live music performances, awards shows, and immersive exhibitions for global artists and entertainment IP holders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Event Creative Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Content & Creative Studio for Creators (Concepting/Production) (MPAAAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Music Producers & Production Teams (MPAIAHAB)

Keywords

• Live event production
• Immersive experience design
• Creative direction services
• Stage set design
• Exhibition design

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Services and Production: SWEAR Studio generates revenue through providing creative direction, design, and production services for live events, exhibitions, and immersive experiences. Projects are commissioned by artists, festivals, event organizers, and entertainment companies. Revenue is project-based, typically involving multi-month creative and production engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Swear Studio is a creative services studio that delivers end-to-end creative direction, set design, video design, and lighting design for large-scale live music performances, televised award ceremonies, immersive exhibitions, and audio-visual art installations. It provides these bespoke creative production services on a project basis to artists, their management, festivals, and entertainment companies globally.

Product overview

Swear Studio is a creative studio operated by artist and creative director Stephen Thomas Gallagher (co-founder of Block9) that creates physical and digital interventions across multiple creative disciplines. The studio offers a portfolio of services including world-class live music show production (Gorillaz live shows, Blur performances, Stormzy shows), immersive exhibitions (House of Kong celebrating 25 years of Gorillaz), genre-defying immersive experiences (Arcane with Punchdrunk), and audio-visual art films (Sunset: The Jubilation of the Baboons). The offerings span from deeply immersive art installations and theatrical productions to large-scale live events and TV broadcast visuals, serving major artists and brands globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Show Production (Music Artists & Bands) End-to-end creative production for large-scale live music performances, including creative direction, set design, video design, and lighting design for world tours, festival appearances, album launches, and televised performances.
• Awards Show & Televised Event Production Production design for major broadcast awards ceremonies and live television events, including elaborate stage sets, lighting rigs, and immersive theatrical design optimised for both live broadcast and in-venue audiences.
• Immersive Exhibition Design Creative direction, concept design, production design, video design, and curation for immersive exhibitions that translate artist IP or cultural themes into physical, multimedia visitor experiences.
• Immersive IP Adaptation Experiences Genre-defying immersive adaptations of existing intellectual properties into fully immersive audience experiences with custom environments, musical performances, and narrative integration.
• Immersive Art Installations Creation of deeply immersive and provocative physical and digital art installations that blend sculptural, video, and lighting elements across various venues and contexts.
• Audio-Visual Art Films Original audio-visual art film productions, including works such as 'Sunset: The Jubilation of the Baboons' featuring aerial footage with thematic visual compositions.

Quantifiable outcome

• MTV EMA Best Alternative Award 2022 won by Gorillaz following SWEAR-designed performance

Named customers8 records

Segments3 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

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, key, core and regular.

• PunchdrunkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023World-renowned immersive theatre company. SWEAR provided production design for Immersive Arcane in Shanghai, a collaboration with Punchdrunk, SMG Live, Riot Games, and Tencent.
• SMG LivemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Chinese live entertainment production company. Lead producer for Immersive Arcane Shanghai collaboration.
• Riot GamesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Video game developer and publisher of League of Legends/Arcane IP. IP holder for Arcane immersive experience collaboration.
• TencentmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Chinese multinational conglomerate and media partner for Arcane immersive experience in Shanghai.
• Fulwell 73keyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Production company for Stormzy's 'This Is What I Mean' show at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
• Block9coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWEAR Studio founder Stephen Thomas Gallagher is co-founder of Block9, a renowned creative studio known for immersive Glastonbury installations. Swear Studio emerged from this lineage and maintains close creative and operational ties to Block9, sharing creative director Stephen Gallagher and continuing similar creative approaches.
• Eleven ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGorillaz's management company. SWEAR Studio has a long-standing creative relationship with Eleven Management, serving as creative director for Gorillaz live shows since 2016.
• LARMACkeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExhibition producer for House of Kong Gorillaz 25th anniversary exhibition.
• KilimanjarokeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExhibition promoter and operator for House of Kong Gorillaz 25th anniversary exhibition.
• PixelmappersregularTechnology or IntegrationLighting design and technology partner. Provides lighting design services for Gorillaz, Blur, and House of Kong exhibitions.
• SHOPregularTechnology or IntegrationVideo design collaborator on multiple projects including Gorillaz world tours, MTV EMAs, and other major productions.
• Luke Halls StudioregularTechnology or IntegrationVideo design partner for Arcane immersive experience in Shanghai.
• Scruff Cat SetsregularImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSet fabrication partner for House of Kong exhibition.
• PhoenixregularImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSet fabrication partner for House of Kong exhibition.
• ScenaregularImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSet build partner for Nia Archives 'Up Ya Archives' tour.
• Four-Square ProductionsregularImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSet construction partner for BRIT Awards 2022.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Moment Factory: Montreal-based multimedia entertainment studio specializing in immersive experiences, live events, and large-scale installations for global brands and artists. Comparable to Swear in combining live show production with immersive IP-based experiences.
• teamLab: Tokyo-based interdisciplinary art collective producing large-scale immersive digital art installations worldwide. Comparable to Swear in the immersive art installations segment, particularly given Swear's Arcane Shanghai work in the Asian market.
• Es Devlin Studio: London-based creative studio renowned for large-scale set and stage design for music artists (Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Kanye West), awards shows, and immersive installations. Most direct peer to Swear in creative direction for premium live performance and immersive work.
• Punchdrunk: London-based pioneering immersive theatre company known for 'Sleep No More'. Strategic partner of Swear on the Arcane Shanghai immersive experience; comparable in immersive storytelling and physical environment design.
• Stufish Entertainment Architects: London-based architecture firm specializing in entertainment architecture for live shows, concerts, and theatrical productions worldwide. Comparable to Swear in delivering set and stage design for major music tours and live events.
• Block9: London-based immersive creative studio founded by Stephen Thomas Gallagher and Gideon de Villiers, known for Glastonbury installations. Directly comparable to Swear — same founder lineage, same creative discipline (immersive, music-adjacent experiences), same target market of festival and live event audiences.

Emerging players

• Obscura Digital: San Francisco-based creative studio (now largely defunct) historically producing projection mapping and immersive installations for music artists and brands. Adjacent comparable to Swear's projection/video integration in live shows.
• Hot Chip: London-based creative production company working in music, fashion, and advertising film. Comparable to Swear in serving music artists with creative direction, though more film-led than live-show-led.
• Atelier D'este: Paris-based creative studio specializing in set design and creative direction for live performances, fashion shows, and immersive installations. Comparable to Swear in cross-discipline creative direction for premium live productions.

Regional players

• UVL (Universal Voice Ltd): UK-based creative production studio serving music and entertainment clients with lighting and visual design. Comparable as a regional competitor in the live event creative services space serving UK and European music clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swear-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Swear Studio