Immersive
Nola

IMMERSIVE:
THE FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT

The next evolution of storytelling is happening within the immersive experience economy—where audience engagement goes beyond mere screens and into shared spaces of interaction and connection. From escape rooms and interactive theatre to cutting-edge VR and transmedia adventures, this booming sector redefines entertainment by placing people at the center of the action. Whether they're solving mysteries, stepping into the worlds of their favorite films, or exploring breathtaking art installations, immersive experiences offer a thrilling blend of technology, creativity, and game mechanics.

London, Paris, Berlin, Montreal, NYC, even Vegas

Cities Leading the Immersive Revolution

Across the world, major cities are transforming into hubs for immersive entertainment. London leads with groundbreaking productions from Punchdrunk, Secret Cinema, and other immersive theatre pioneers. New York pushes boundaries with interactive art, escape experiences, and mixed-reality performances. Los Angeles blends Hollywood storytelling with large-scale themed attractions, while Tokyo stuns with tech-driven experiences like teamLab Borderless and next-gen VR arcades. Paris and Berlin are emerging as avant-garde hotspots for immersive art and interactive cultural exhibitions.
Meanwhile, our tourism rivals VEGAS and Orlando are investing billions into next-generation immersive theme parks, which directly challenges our cultural economy. As cities race to lead this transformation, New Orleans risks falling behind—despite being built for immersion.

Great stories drive immersive experiences and we have...

300 Years of History, Mythology & Mystery

New Orleans isn’t just a city—it’s a living, breathing cinematic universe waiting to be unleashed in all its immersive power. For generations outsiders have tried to capture its magic, but Hollywood and far too many writers reduced it to clichés, missing the deeper truths...the real legends, the untold myths, the hidden histories. So it's up to us. No one else can bring them to life the way we can. Now, with new technologies and stories rooted in authenticity, we can reclaim the past and articulate bold new narratives!

And we are already leading in many ways

New Orleans' Immersive Pioneers & Visionaries Who Set the Stage

NOLA has always been a city of immersive experience, where art, theater, music, and storytelling blur the lines between performer and audience. Long before the term "experience economy" was coined, this city was pioneering it in ways the rest of the world is only beginning to understand.
From Music Box Village & Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus to generations of tradition within Carnival culture, where every Mardi Gras krewe (from the deeply esoteric to the wildly satirical) is participating in a centuries-old form of live-action roleplay on a city-wide scale...We have the "infrastructure" to create new experiences on a scale that's unimaginable in any other city.

Your Hosts from NOAI
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Joseph Makkos
& Beau Ross

Joseph Makkos is the man behind NOLA DNA, one of the greatest rescues and curations of historic treasure in New Orleans history.
He has dedicated his life to bringing this amazing archive to life through technology.Beau Ross was co-creator of the immersive dining experience known as Bacchanal Wine and has dedicated his life to the New Orleans cinematic universe. He has always been a tech-geek hiding in Bohemia.

NOAI Proud to partner again with...

The New Orleans Jazz Museum

There’s no better place to explore the future of immersive experiences than the New Orleans Jazz Museum—a space dedicated to the city’s most powerful living art form. Jazz was the original immersive experience, a cultural revolution born from collaboration, improvisation, and raw creative energy. Just as jazz reshaped music, this new wave of technology—AI, AR, 3D projection mapping, web3 and interactive storytelling—will reshape how we experience our history, art, and culture. By hosting this series at the Jazz Museum (in the amazing Upper Theatre) we honor the past while pointing to the future, ensuring that New Orleans remains a city where innovation and tradition collab in groundbreaking ways.

• The New Orleans Jazz Museum Experience.