Jonathan St-Onge, executive director of Moment Factory Originals, discusses how the company balances artistic integrity with operational strategy to deliver immersive experiences worldwide – and shares four lessons that will enable others to do the same.
At Moment Factory, scaling our immersive experiences globally has meant more than just exporting creative ideas – it’s been about building a smart, sustainable network of partnerships that allow us to grow without losing sight of our creative DNA.
We started out in live events and concerts 20+ years ago. But it was in 2014, when we began developing our own ticketed experiences, that we truly stepped into a new phase. Creating original IPs allowed us to build a more direct relationship with audiences – but to expand internationally, we needed a new kind of distribution model. That meant rethinking not just how we create but how we collaborate.
Focus on your strengths & find partners who complement them
At our core, we’re creators. We specialise in combining storytelling, design, and technology to create emotionally resonant experiences that bring people together in the real world. What we needed were partners who understood their local markets – promoters, operators, and venue leaders who could bring operational expertise and cultural insight. By aligning with the right collaborators, we’ve been able to focus on pushing creative boundaries while ensuring our experiences are delivered at the highest standard.
Our touring model reflects that philosophy. For example, Mirror Mirror, our first black-box immersive experience, launched in Montreal in 2023, then travelled to Adelaide and Calgary in 2024 and opened in Singapore in 2025. Each iteration is adapted to its venue and audience, but the core vision remains intact, thanks to strong operational partnerships on the ground.
Design for scale from the start
To make touring viable, we had to rethink our creative process. We began designing experiences with portability,
adaptability, and replicability in mind. It’s like producing a musical or a show intended for a global tour – the idea must be modular enough to fit different venues while retaining artistic coherence. Astra Lumina is a perfect example. Created as a scalable night-walk series, it has toured the US, and most recently, the Gold Coast in Australia. Each version draws on the same creative and technological platform but is adapted to its local setting.
“In markets that are less familiar, or where we’re building new relationships, licensing helps mitigate risk”
Offer flexible partnership models that fit the context
Not every market is the same. Depending on the territory and the partner, we may use licensing, profit sharing, minimum guarantee models, or a combination of these. In markets that are less familiar, or where we’re building new relationships, licensing helps mitigate risk. In more established markets, we’re more open to shared investment. This flexibility has been crucial to our growth.
We also invest in ensuring quality across every location. For productions like Mirror Mirror or Astra Lumina, we often participate in setup and training and conduct ongoing artistic validations. It’s not just about brand protection – it’s about making sure audiences everywhere get the full depth of the experience.
Diversify your offer but stay focused on your purpose
One of the strengths of our model is that we can offer different types of experiences across a spectrum of formats. From site-specific signature commissioned work to touring installations and seasonal outdoor events, we can adapt the right experience to the right audience and setting. Our Augmented Games series is a great example – close to a dozen have been deployed across Canada, the US, and Europe, often as bespoke segments within larger installations. These allow us to showcase playful, tech-driven interactivity in formats that are both scalable and adaptable.
Final thought: Grow through relationships, not just reach
The immersive genre is still in its early days. A recent study showed that while 80% of consumers are interested in immersive experiences, only 15% have attended one.
If you want to scale your creative business, define your core strengths, design your process for replication, invest in meaningful partnerships, and build models that let you stay creatively ambitious while being operationally smart. That’s one of the ways we’re growing – and we believe it’s a model others can make their own.
A creative blueprint for global growth
Moment Factory Originals' Jonathan St-Onge offers his top tips in this excerpt from IQ's Touring Entertainment Report 2025
16 Jun 2025
Jonathan St-Onge, executive director of Moment Factory Originals, discusses how the company balances artistic integrity with operational strategy to deliver immersive experiences worldwide – and shares four lessons that will enable others to do the same.
At Moment Factory, scaling our immersive experiences globally has meant more than just exporting creative ideas – it’s been about building a smart, sustainable network of partnerships that allow us to grow without losing sight of our creative DNA.
We started out in live events and concerts 20+ years ago. But it was in 2014, when we began developing our own ticketed experiences, that we truly stepped into a new phase. Creating original IPs allowed us to build a more direct relationship with audiences – but to expand internationally, we needed a new kind of distribution model. That meant rethinking not just how we create but how we collaborate.
Focus on your strengths & find partners who complement them
At our core, we’re creators. We specialise in combining storytelling, design, and technology to create emotionally resonant experiences that bring people together in the real world. What we needed were partners who understood their local markets – promoters, operators, and venue leaders who could bring operational expertise and cultural insight. By aligning with the right collaborators, we’ve been able to focus on pushing creative boundaries while ensuring our experiences are delivered at the highest standard.
Our touring model reflects that philosophy. For example, Mirror Mirror, our first black-box immersive experience, launched in Montreal in 2023, then travelled to Adelaide and Calgary in 2024 and opened in Singapore in 2025. Each iteration is adapted to its venue and audience, but the core vision remains intact, thanks to strong operational partnerships on the ground.
Design for scale from the start
To make touring viable, we had to rethink our creative process. We began designing experiences with portability,
adaptability, and replicability in mind. It’s like producing a musical or a show intended for a global tour – the idea must be modular enough to fit different venues while retaining artistic coherence. Astra Lumina is a perfect example. Created as a scalable night-walk series, it has toured the US, and most recently, the Gold Coast in Australia. Each version draws on the same creative and technological platform but is adapted to its local setting.
Offer flexible partnership models that fit the context
Not every market is the same. Depending on the territory and the partner, we may use licensing, profit sharing, minimum guarantee models, or a combination of these. In markets that are less familiar, or where we’re building new relationships, licensing helps mitigate risk. In more established markets, we’re more open to shared investment. This flexibility has been crucial to our growth.
We also invest in ensuring quality across every location. For productions like Mirror Mirror or Astra Lumina, we often participate in setup and training and conduct ongoing artistic validations. It’s not just about brand protection – it’s about making sure audiences everywhere get the full depth of the experience.
Diversify your offer but stay focused on your purpose
One of the strengths of our model is that we can offer different types of experiences across a spectrum of formats. From site-specific signature commissioned work to touring installations and seasonal outdoor events, we can adapt the right experience to the right audience and setting. Our Augmented Games series is a great example – close to a dozen have been deployed across Canada, the US, and Europe, often as bespoke segments within larger installations. These allow us to showcase playful, tech-driven interactivity in formats that are both scalable and adaptable.
Final thought: Grow through relationships, not just reach
The immersive genre is still in its early days. A recent study showed that while 80% of consumers are interested in immersive experiences, only 15% have attended one.
If you want to scale your creative business, define your core strengths, design your process for replication, invest in meaningful partnerships, and build models that let you stay creatively ambitious while being operationally smart. That’s one of the ways we’re growing – and we believe it’s a model others can make their own.