You can probably surmise that someone is a bit of a creative visionary when they have a career that started in theater and moved to courting Gen Z and the exploding gaming culture. John Higgins has always had his finger on the pulse of what was cool, and now that insight is rewarding him and his company, OS Studios, with an impressive list of clients and wildly successful experiences for gamers.
Under Higgins’s guidance, OS Studios has evolved into a content marketing, strategy, and event company that has worked with some of the biggest game development companies and streaming platforms to target specific audiences and create a new generation of fans. As an entertainment superfan himself, Higgins has a particularly unique view of gaming and nerd culture.
“We have become audience experts and culture vultures,” says Higgins. “We know how to build worlds, grow communities, and turn audiences into fans.”
Indeed, this fan-first approach has led to accolades and the attention of some of the world’s top companies. As far as Higgins is concerned, he and his team at OS Studios are just getting started.
Theater beginnings
Higgins’s first company, Mayhem, was heavily involved in theater productions, creating everything from operas across Europe to live-action cinema shows. Higgins quickly learned that to succeed in the theater space, he had to sell tickets — and sell tickets he did! At one point, according to TimeOut Magazine, Mayhem had the two hottest ticketed shows in London.
However, Higgins soon realized he had a space problem. The issue with the theater was the limit on how many tickets could be sold per production. Some theaters only held 1,000 people, severely limiting his ability to scale.
“Once you sell out, revenue opportunities significantly diminish,” Higgins says. “But more importantly, it also limits the number of people who can experience all the hard work you have put into the work.”
Higgins knew he had to think outside the box to expand his company. At the same time, he also knew that if he could create a way to film these theater productions and then broadcast them to everyone with a cell phone, he could offer entertainment on an unlimited scale.
Busting through limitations
Exceeding limitations has been Higgins’s calling card ever since his time with Mayhem, allowing him to move seamlessly from theater to television and creative commercial work. His focus has always been on the art of the story. “I love live storytelling, and no matter if it’s theater or a television production or live event, I always want the sense of live storytelling to be the driving platform of communication. It just stands out more in a heavily post-produced world,” says Higgins.
Having an interest in gaming, Higgins knew that, eventually, he wanted to find a way to tap into the audience provided by the growing gaming culture. Gaming and esports have changed the way people interact, socialize, communicate, and compete. Today, global competitions run by big-name organizations such as the NBA have given traditional sports a run for their money in garnering not only consumer attention but also ad revenue. Streamers on popular streaming platforms such as Twitch garner millions of followers, and companies like OS Studios are helping prominent entertainment IPs plan immersive events that are heavily attended.
The days of gaming being considered child’s play are long over. Gaming as a form of entertainment is now a vibrant, thriving cultural juggernaut of an industry worth $250.5 billion — more than cinema, music, and publishing combined.
OS Studios works to deeply understand and cater to gaming culture by fostering community and building brands. They leverage live events, competitions, and collaborations to tap into what the gaming community truly wants to see in terms of content and engagement.
“We couldn’t just reinvent what we did with sports,” says Higgins. “What we’re doing is closer to a marketing model for fashion or music where you’re selling a feeling, a way of life.”
Higgins knows that gamer and nerd culture is extremely welcoming, with a come-as-you-are ethos that has garnered millions of fans worldwide. “Gaming and esports have their place in entertainment,” he says. “With whatever we do, I want everyone to be able to find it entertaining.”
For the future of gaming culture
Although some of the projects that they’re working on can’t be revealed just yet, Higgins and his team have more magic up their sleeves. For instance, OS Studios has recently become part of Project Worldwide, one of the world’s most prestigious networks of creative agencies, which has allowed OS Studios to expand to many time zones around the globe. By keeping its eye on what is the latest experiences and trends in gaming, OS Studios has been able to bring brands into the gaming space, create millions of hours of content and live events, and able to point towards billions of dollars in revenue for their clients.
In addition to growing gaming culture and widening community reach, OS Studios is also laser-focused on sustainable practices. “Gaming is a high-consumption activity,” Higgins explains Higgins, which is why he and his team are working on net zero gaming methods to help offset the inherent unsustainable nature of some gaming practices.
While Higgins admits that many people still believe gaming is a smaller niche market, he hopes that the work of OS Studios will bring gaming to an even wider audience that will embrace it with open arms.
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