Photo by Tomer Grassiany
TOMMY HONTON
I design interactive experiences that connect and entertain humans.
I’m an experience designer. What does that actually mean? I combine storytelling and game design to create experiences people can play. They're real-life adventures, games, plays, and worlds where the people and spaces around you are interactive.
I love collaborating with others while experimenting with formats, genres, and mediums to create accessible spaces for every type of audience.
Want to get in touch already? You can always email me.
What People Are Saying
Featured Projects
Photo by Tomer Grassiany
Created with Don DeLeon, Stash House is the award-winning escape experience that explores the dark underbelly of Los Angeles. Mixing the criminal worlds inspired by the Grand Theft Auto video game series with those of shows Breaking Bad and The Wire, Stash House has been called "'the gold-standard' of escape rooms" and was ranked #15 in the world in 2018.
Beyond the escape room, in-world pop-up events pull people deeper into the rich, interconnected story of Stash House. These events have been hailed as "[p]art Grand Theft Auto, part choose-your-own-adventure book, it nodded toward other genres while belonging to one all of its own. This is something new [...] it may be the birth of a new breed of experience."
Photo by E3W
A four-day immersive horror game that took place at the 2019 Overlook Film Festival, All of Them Witches thrust players into a frightening mystery of drained corpses, deadly curses, and the unintended consequences that arise when the old and new ways cross.
Created with writers Eva Anderson & Eric Hoff, directors E3W (Aaron Keeling, Austin Keeling, & Natalie Jones), and producer Mali Elfman, All of Them Witches served participants a dozen hours of content across multiple terrifying locations throughout New Orleans.
Photo by Zack Filkoff
In 2014, five people died in an illegal medical experiment in an underground facility. Before their families could learn what happened, the incident was covered up, buried under a mountain of legal procedures and a web of police tape. Years later, the court cases now resolved, you are about to be led into the sealed facility to find closure. What do you discover?
The Mortality Machine was a New-York-Times-recommended immersive theatre experience that was called "a mighty step into the world of NYC immersive theater." Produced with Ryan Hart and Lara Marcin, the show utilized interactive storytelling, live-action roleplay, and site-specific dance to allow the participants to become the protagonists of the story.
About Me
Photo by Stephen McClure
When I was a child, a fluttering piece of paper under a park bench caught my attention. I had stumbled onto a scavenger hunt hiding in plain sight. It showed me that magic can hide anywhere and it became my goal to create the same sense of surprise and wonder for others.
Since that fateful day in the park, I've designed and produced projects across the globe for audiences of all sizes, ranging from 1 to 100,000 and have worked with a wide range of brands and companies, including AEG, Alamo Drafthouse, Caesars Entertainment, Disney, Expo 2020, Footlocker, Google, Lionsgate, Magnopus, Redbull, Warner Brothers, and Wizards of the Coast, just to name a few.
I designed the award-winning escape room Stash House and co-created the interactive exhibition The Museum of Selfies. Recent highlights include the alternate-reality experience Arcana, the game at the Overlook Film Festival, All of Them Witches, and the immersive theater piece The Mortality Machine.
I've spoken about experience, game, and narrative design at conferences, conventions, and festivals including Code Conference, The Immersive Design Summit, IndieCade, LeVRage, and WonderCon, and have lectured at Art Center, SCI-Arc, UCLA, University of Chicago, and USC.
I'm also a founding member of LEIA (The League of Experiential and Immersive Artists) and have been actively involved in advocacy work on behalf of the immersive and interactive community.
Latest News & Appearances
Let's Talk
Whether it's to say hi, tell me a joke, or send a ransom note, I'd love to hear from you. I mean, you managed to get to the bottom of this page, so at least let me congratulate you for that. What are you waiting for? Do it now.
© 2023 Tommy Honton