LEO DOULTON

​My goal is to turn your guests into a community of repeat visitors, who love the big ideas behind your work, using high-quality experiences.

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Most of my clients are cultural institutions - publishers, heritage sites, universities, museums, and traditional venues. Up to 30% of audiences end up being repeat visitors. This year, I've doubled off-peak attendance for a London arts festival in a pilot project.

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You can read about my philosophy of work elsewhere on this site. In brief, I design for a lonely 21st century, creating experiences that nurture community between guests and show guests respect.

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That makes them feel connected, and want to return. Which makes marketing cheaper.

Because I always start from the theme, drawing from the client's core mission, critics love it too, with praise from The Express to The Guardian to The Wall Street Journal.

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It's what I call beautiful entertainment - high quality work designed to ensure guests have a good time.

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My offer to you comes in four tiers:

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• Consultancy: A session to identify whether an immersive experience is the solution to boosting your visitor numbers and retention, and what option(s) might be suitable to explore. Full disclosure: sometimes the outcome is you walking away with a better-informed "no".
   

• Consultancy: An in-person session, looking at your current interactive experience with live performers, and offering advice, training, and support to improve it, and find ways to improve guest retention. This is especially designed for heritage sites with live interpretation, commercial immersive experiences, and other long-running projects.
   

• Concept development: Initial concept development to develop 2-3 pitches for high-quality interactive immersive experience designed for boosting visitor retention, allowing you to consider options with internal and external stakeholders, or review existing experiences' structures.
   

• Field To Fork: Taking a concept from an initial pitch to a fully-fledged experience, designed to keep guests coming back, rooted in the values and mission of your organisation, and gain prestige with audiences and critics.

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As a maker, I'm deeply proud of my work transforming literature, history, science and more into experiences my clients can be proud of.

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As a collaborator, I pride myself on understanding the client's needs, discretion about their projects, and always being straightforward about whether I'm the right person for the job.

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If you'd like to discuss your needs and whether I can help, book a free call now.

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Testimonials

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Some clients have been kind enough to permit me to share their feedback publicly:

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""Leo Doulton's original production Shh! At the Old College Library: Open Access Day, specifically commissioned for Pleasing Terrors: The M R James Festival, combined a deep dive into Montague Rhodes James's classic ghost stories with an investigative interactive structure which kept the audience - novices and Jamesian enthusiasts alike - engaged right through to the end of the performance. His conception amply fulfilled the brief of immersing the audience in the atmosphere and tropes of an M R James short story, bringing the Festival to an entertaining and stimulating conclusion, with the Jamesian note struck to the very end. Ticket sales exceeded expectations, and hit the optimal number for managing an interactive event of this kind. By the end, the show had succeeded in being fun, funny, and all the same, genuinely scary, with Leo Doulton's own performance central to the experience. I enjoyed it immensely, and the applause confirmed that the audience did so too. I'd love to see this put on elsewhere, as I feel it very much deserves it." - Paul StJohn Mackintosh, commissioner/producer

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"I asked Leo for a consultation on an interdisciplinary theatre project for a client I was working with. Leo was not only able to help cohere disparate threads and provide new thematic avenues with a short turnaround, but did so in a charming, affable, and enthusiastic way. In particular, Leo gave the team a framework and tools for understanding and tracking the complex relationships inherent in the work, which we continued to use as the project grew and morphed. As somebody working with clients, it reflects back on me the people I bring in for a project and I cannot thank Leo enough for his guidance, clarity, and humour, but also for the respect he showed me and my clients." - Jon Mayse, producer

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"If you are a creative trying to make your artistic ideas into a real event, Leo is by far the best person to come to for advice. His experience in the industry helps you realistically sift through what is necessary to your project and raises financial details that I never considered as a new organiser. Having a consultation with Leo was such a safe space to be honest about what I want achieve while getting constructive, honest feedback about feasibility and the next steps." - Lydia Walquist, producer

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"Consulting Leo for our micro-opera 'On Being Vocal' was a truly enlightening and rewarding experience. His unique approach of asking questions from multiple perspectives (director, audience member, performer, creator) not only helped him grasp our new direction but also provided us with valuable insights. Under his guidance, we were encouraged to delve deeper into our ideas and explore solutions, ultimately leading to the most effective outcomes. Leo's holistic and supportive approach made him feel like an crucial part of our team, and we're incredibly grateful for his contributions." - Rania Chrysostomou, composer/producer

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“Working with Leo was such a positive experience. He helped bring clarity and structure to my ideas. His approach was thoughtful and practical, and it helped me see things from a fresh perspective and move forward with confidence.” - Margarida Goncalves, composer/producer​