MARK MURPHY, FOUNDER / DIRECTOR, EXPERIENCE STUDIOS

Firstly, can you introduce yourselves and give us some background to your careers?

Like many others, I began my journey as an amateur musician during my teenage years. However, I didn’t actually study music and my options were limited, so I discovered a degree called Electro Acoustics, which focused on audio systems, venues, and the science behind them. It was a brilliant degree that fascinated me, really. From there, I met someone who was involved in designing recording studios. That really interested me, so I made a few calls and managed to secure some work with a company in London and actually went on to work with them after I graduated. As a result of that work, I met a few more people in the industry and found myself, in 1999, working on the audio system for the Millennium Dome that was due to open the following year. I spent a year on that project, which was an incredible, exciting experience that gave me a real taste of a deadline-driven project and how they work.

And how did you first get into the stadium industry?

Again, through meeting people – I met somebody who was working at Wembley Stadium and managed to get a role there as a designer when the venue was going to be demolished and rebuilt. And that’s how I got into the large venue work. Funnily enough, after the Millennium Dome closed, I also worked on the design of O2 Arena, so that was two amazing projects to be part of. Shortly after, I worked on the Wimbledon Centre Court project, which was done by the architectural practice that is now Populous.

I was a designer of audiovisual systems and acoustics – and, rolling forwards, that led to working on the

London Olympic Stadium and right across the Olympic Park’s permanent venues. One of the key aspects of that role was bridging the gap between the systems designed and installed by contractors and the specific needs of the venue teams for running events. Often, there was a disconnect between what was installed and what the venue teams actually required. It was about facilitating the coordination and integration of these systems to ensure they aligned with the demands of the events. It was obviously great to be part of making a huge event such as that a success.

We actually supported the venues on site for the 2012 Olympics, with a team of 20 people operating on shifts for both the Olympics and Paralympics. It was a great first-hand user experience to help you understand the unique requirements for venues and events.

I have always been driven by a passion for understanding the creative intent behind the systems, aligning them with the events taking place and working closely with construction and design teams to ensure the seamless integration of permanent installations. The intertwining of these aspects has pretty much defined my working life.

You were a big part of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium project – can you tell us more about that?

I was approached to join the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium project – it was actually a secondment, so I served at the club for three years as the Audiovisual Project Manager for the stadium development. I was responsible for the LED Displays, IPTV, audio systems, presentation systems, and matchday production throughout the stadium. It was an amazing project to work on and, of course, another Populous project, which goes to show how much I’ve worked with them over the years! It was the same kind of narrative of effectively helping to get hardware in construction projects and dealing with audiovisual systems and matchday production. However, it became apparent that the club as a whole was undergoing significant transformation. The construction was not solely about the new stadium; it entailed a comprehensive shift in the way the organisation operated and functioned and brought forth a renewed drive and aspiration. As part of Tottenham Hotspur, we aimed to establish a fresh approach and tried to shape a new vision ahead of the move. You just cannot fault the aspiration in terms of what Spurs wanted to achieve with that new stadium. It is absolutely the benchmark and that was down to Daniel Levy’s desire to make it the best in the world. We had a lot of meetings and he really understood the value of investing in the technology. We did a lot of reviewing and upgrading to change the customer experience, but that, interestingly, really led us to start to consider what we were going to actually do with all this hardware. What’s going to run on this? Who is going to make the content? How are we going to operate it? And that’s where I found my role. It grew from there and really developed the creative strategy. It helped with recruitment for production, creative and support to help build the look and feel of the stadium. It really tied the technical and creative element together.

How did Experience Studios begin – and what is it that excites you about this new venture?

Everything in my working life has culminated towards Experience Studios. I was working at a small company and was presented with an unexpected opportunity. It felt like an incredible chance to be part of a family that shared the same passion for building world-class venues and creating exceptional experiences. I also reconnected with Kevin Luckhurst (Director / Founder of Experience Studios), with whom I had previously worked with in years gone by. He had a history in music production and DJing, which translated into his previous role and involvement in creative and arts projects. One notable project he had worked on was Outernet London, that emphasised immersive video and spatial audio experiences. So, we joined forces at Experience Studios and aimed to leverage our combined 40 years of experience and align it with the current landscape. The most exciting aspect for me was witnessing the dramatic changes in the tools we use for our work. Technology has been evolving rapidly, particularly in the realms of video, AI, production tools, immersive environments, and VR. This ongoing shift in the technological