What Idlewild Experiential does

Idlewild Experiential (legally Idlewild Ventures LLC) is a black-owned, female-founded experiential marketing agency founded in 2018 by Anika D. Grant and headquartered in New York with a registered office in Short Hills, New Jersey. The firm operates as a B2B professional services agency serving Fortune 100/500 brands across entertainment, financial services, technology, beverages, retail, and media, with 25+ named enterprise clients including Netflix, Disney, Coca-Cola, AWS, Prudential, FX, Bravo, Walmart, LinkedIn, and Shopify. It employs 11-50 staff organized around founder/CEO leadership plus VPs of client services and production, creative and design directors, and a producer/account team.

The core offering is a unified services portfolio centered on live event production and brand activations delivered on a project-based engagement model: event strategy, brand activations, sponsorship activation, experiential design and fabrication, and on-site production execution. The agency also operates a secondary segment serving HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) for student engagement, cultural programming, and recruitment events. A sub-brand called BEEM List, launched in 2020, functions as a vetted directory platform connecting brands and agencies with 100+ Black-owned businesses in the experiential industry. No proprietary technology platform, API, SDK, patents, or AI/ML assets back the business; infrastructure is limited to a Squarespace-hosted website. Revenue is generated through undisclosed project-based professional services fees.

Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supported by industry awards credibility (Event Marketer Top 100 IT List since 2020, BizBash 11th Annual Award in 2023) and earned media coverage of client campaigns. The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, M&A activity, or parent company. Operating geographies are primarily the United States, with documented international work limited to an Amsterdam stop on the AWS Open Source Tour.

Name

Idlewild Experiential

Legal name

Idlewild Ventures LLC

Website

https://welcometoidlewild.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Idlewild Experiential is a black-owned, female-founded experiential marketing agency that plans and produces brand activations, sponsorship events, and live experiences for Fortune 100/500 clients such as Netflix, Disney, AWS, and Coca-Cola, and also operates the BEEM List supplier-diversity platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Marketing Services

NAICS

Business Support Services (5614)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO)

Keywords

• Experiential marketing agency
• Brand activation services
• Event production services
• Sponsorship activation
• Multicultural marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Experiential Marketing Services: Project-based fees for brand strategy, event production, sponsorship activation, and experiential design services for enterprise clients. Revenue is generated through client engagements involving the creation and execution of live events, activations, and cultural experiences.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Idlewild Experiential is a Black-owned, female-founded experiential marketing agency that designs and produces live brand experiences, events, and cultural activations for enterprise clients. The firm provides end-to-end services including event strategy, creative direction, sponsorship activation, experiential design and fabrication, and on-site production execution. It also operates the BEEM List, a vetted directory connecting brands with Black-owned vendors in the live events industry.

Product overview

Idlewild Experiential is a black-owned, female-founded experiential marketing agency offering a single unified service portfolio centered on live event production and brand activations. The agency provides experiential marketing services including event strategy, creative direction, sponsorship activation, experiential design/fabrication, and production execution. The company also operates BEEM List, a vetted directory platform launched in 2020 that connects brands with Black-owned and diverse vendors in the live events industry. The services work together to deliver culturally-relevant events while promoting diversity in the supplier chain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BEEM: A vetted, open resource list of black event and experiential marketers supporting diverse partnerships and vendor procurement, launched in 2020.
• BEEM List

Products and services

• Experiential Marketing Services End-to-end experiential marketing services including event strategy, brand activations, sponsorship activation planning, experiential design and fabrication, and production and execution for live experiences for enterprise brand clients.
• BEEM List A vetted directory platform connecting brands and agencies with 100+ Black-owned and diverse businesses in the live events and experiential marketing industry, supporting inclusive supplier procurement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nitu Desai recognized by Event Marketer's Experiential in Color Pride in Events 2023 diversity recognition program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AWScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIdlewild partnered with AWS as the lead agency for the AWS Open Source Tour, a pilot activation that grew into a multi-year, multi-stop global tour across 6 US cities and Amsterdam. Idlewild delivered activation strategy, creative direction, and experience execution, including design-driven activations, tech demos, coding sessions, and content-led programming.
• NetflixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIdlewild has partnered with Netflix on multiple promotional activations including the Queen Charlotte Spring Waltz at Xavier University of Louisiana, creating cultural experiences tied to Netflix content releases.
• PrudentialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIdlewild partnered with Prudential Financial Inc. for the Brick City Classic HBCU football game event, providing creative direction on stadium design and promotional engagement.
• FXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIdlewild partnered with FX to bring the final season of FX Atlanta to Howard University and Atlanta University Center through HBCU campus activations.
• BravocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIdlewild produced an outdoor advanced screening 'Teatime on the Potomac' for the Season 6 premiere of Real Housewives of Potomac, which trended on social media and led to the biggest premiere audience in franchise history.
• SpritecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoca-Cola and Apollo partnered with Idlewild for the Sprite x Apollo Harlem Week activation celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop through music, food, and fellowship.
• ApollocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApollo partnered with Idlewild and Coca-Cola for the Sprite x Apollo Harlem Week activation at Harlem Day celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop.
• Various BEEM List VendorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BEEM List includes 100+ vetted black-owned businesses in the experiential industry including: Little House Big Ideas (graphic design), Natalie Archibald Coaching & Consulting, Snacks World Wide, RA Travel Agency, Helping Hands Logistics, Margo Graxeda, Printed Graphics, ASOAE, Amy Anaiz Photography, Production Rockstars, Luxe Booth Houston, Mama Foundation for the Arts, Harlem Chocolate Factory, BCakeNY, Dope Coffee Company, Blooms by Marie, Show Strategy, Atlanta Brand Central, DJ TRYFE, and By Dami Studios.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 160over90: 160over90 is a Stagwell-owned full-service creative and experiential agency serving major brands. Overlapping experiential offerings but operates within a broader portfolio and at larger scale.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: GPJ is one of the largest global experiential marketing agencies, executing large-scale brand experiences for Fortune 500 clients. Wider portfolio and global scale, but overlapping service offering to Idlewild Experiential.
• Jack Morton Worldwide: Jack Morton is a global brand experience agency within the IPG network, serving major enterprise brands with experiential campaigns. Comparable service line but operates at significantly larger scale and as part of a holding-company portfolio.
• GMR Marketing: GMR Marketing is a large sports and experiential marketing agency serving Fortune 500 brands globally. Overlapping service lines and target customers, but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• BMF: BMF is a multicultural-led, Black-founded creative and experiential agency working with major brands on culturally-rooted campaigns. Highly comparable in multicultural positioning and enterprise client mix.
• Optimist Inc. Optimist is a creative-led experiential and brand activation agency serving enterprise clients. Comparable in service mix (brand activations, events, cultural marketing) and B2B agency model.
• Mosaic Group: Mosaic is a North American experiential marketing agency focused on consumer engagement activations for large enterprise brands. Directly comparable in event/activation service line and enterprise client base.
• Hero Collective: Hero Collective is a minority-owned, independent creative and experiential agency serving enterprise brands. Closely comparable in identity-driven positioning and multicultural marketing expertise.
• MKG: MKG is a New York-based experiential marketing agency working with enterprise brands on events, activations, and brand experiences. Most direct comparable in scale, geography, and service offering to Idlewild Experiential.
• Sparks: Sparks is a global experiential and brand engagement agency producing events, exhibits, and sponsorships for large enterprise clients. Directly comparable in core service line and target customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/idlewild-experiential

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Idlewild Experiential