Exploring Acquires NeoPangea as Studio Celebrates 21 Years
Exploring, a leading platform of companies delivering immersive environments and fabrication solutions, announced the acquisition of NeoPangea, an award-winning experience design studio known for blending storytelling, media, and technology into unforgettable physical spaces and digital worlds. The acquisition marks a significant milestone as NeoPangea celebrates 21 years of creative evolution across experiential design, immersive technology, and entertainment marketing.
The deal was executed during IAAPA Expo, the global gathering for themed entertainment and experience design professionals, underscoring the strategic alignment between the companies and their shared focus on the future of immersive environments.
A Partnership Years in the Making
NeoPangea and Exploring's custom fabrication arm, ID3 Group, have collaborated for years on complex experiential projects across museums, themed environments, brand activations, and corporate facilities. The acquisition formalizes that relationship and allows NeoPangea's concept development, media, and interactive design capabilities to be integrated at the earliest stages of project planning.
"I've seen too many projects wrangled by multiple external vendors become harder than they needed to be," says NeoPangea founder Brett Bagenstose. "Decisions get separated, timing gets delayed, and before you know it, you are fixing issues instead of building something great. Being part of Exploring changes that. The work and process will be smarter, and the end result is stronger for clients. That's the difference. And I am grateful to Matt Kelly and the team at Exploring for setting up these distinct but collaborative units for success. Very excited for what's on the horizon!"
Two Decades of Creative Innovation
Founded in early 2005 by Bagenstose in his spare bedroom, NeoPangea has grown into a trusted creative and production partner for brands, cultural institutions, and entertainment platforms looking to engage audiences through story-driven experiences at scale. For more than 21 years, the studio has operated at the intersection of content and environment, building work that lives across physical spaces, digital platforms, and emerging technologies.
NeoPangea's experiential portfolio spans large-scale installations and traveling exhibitions including Imagine’s Harry Potter™: The Exhibition (which was also fabricated by ID3), as well as narrative-driven environments such as National Geographic’s Becoming Jane, which explored the legacy of Jane Goodall through interactive storytelling. The studio's work consistently blends design, technology, and narrative to invite audiences into participatory worlds rather than passive viewing.
In parallel, NeoPangea has built a significant body of award-winning entertainment marketing work, partnering with studios and streaming platforms to translate beloved intellectual property into experiences that activate fandom and deepen cultural connection. As a long-time creative partner to Paramount+, NeoPangea has collaborated with the platform across its evolution, supporting campaigns that span experiential activations, digital storytelling, and large-scale public installations. Notably, the Star Trek: Picard Times Square takeover combined cinematic execution with fan engagement at an urban scale and earned industry recognition including Clio Awards.
Across its entertainment work, the studio has contributed to campaigns tied to franchises such as Star Trek across multiple series, the Sheridanverse including Yellowstone, 1883, and Mayor of Kingstown, as well as other entertainment IP brands like Transformers, PAW Patrol, Archer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Curse of Oak Island, and Brain Games.
More recently, NeoPangea has returned to worldbuilding as a core creative focus, developing expansive narrative systems that allow stories to unfold across platforms and time. The studio's work on Mars for National Geographic reflects this emphasis, creating cohesive narrative environments that reward exploration and sustained audience interaction.
Positioned for the Future
NeoPangea will continue to operate as an independent brand and studio, alongside ID3 Group, Brumark, and the broader Exploring family of companies. While each entity maintains its own leadership and identity, teams will collaborate through shared planning and coordinated project leadership to better serve clients across the full lifecycle of an experience.
"In everyone's life there are moments of profound impact that shape the direction of what comes next. For me, one of those moments was meeting Brett Bagenstose. His talent, confidence, and creative vision were immediately evident. What stood out most, however, was his openness to collaboration and shared success," says Matt Kelly, CEO of Exploring, LLC. "He invited our team to explore what we could build together, and we recognized the opportunity immediately. I am grateful for the trust, generosity, and partnership that followed."
In conjunction with the acquisition, NeoPangea has continued to invest in leadership and organizational growth, including the appointment of longtime collaborator Aaron Beaucher as partner, the addition of Jen Wallace from National Geographic to lead sales and marketing, the advancement of Emily Rhinehart to further strengthen accounting and client management operations, and the promotions of Teresa Van Wagner to VP Creative, and Laura Rush to VP Creative Strategy. The company has also restructured its organization to support focused departmental growth, integrated logistics and backend operations, and launched leadership development initiatives in collaboration with Exploring.
Reflecting on this next chapter, Bagenstose added, "We started with a belief that technology and storytelling could do more together than either could alone. Twenty-one years later, that belief still drives how we work. We are fortunate to collaborate with partners who trust us to build ambitious experiences and to grow alongside them as the industry changes."
Together, Exploring and NeoPangea are positioned to deliver fully integrated experiences that combine imagination, technology, and craftsmanship at scale. As audience expectations continue to evolve, the combined entity is preparing new work that expands how stories are experienced across physical and digital spaces.
About Exploring
Exploring, a portfolio company of Invision Capital, is a fully integrated fabrication and experiential solutions partner, bringing together a collection of specialized companies to serve events, exhibits, environments, and beyond. Through expertise spanning fabrication, flooring, printing, scenic design, biophilic installations, and manufacturing, Exploring delivers seamless execution from concept to completion. With in-house control across disciplines and a commitment to innovation, collaboration, and craftsmanship, Exploring helps clients build immersive, memorable experiences across industries.
About NeoPangea
NeoPangea is a full-service experiential media design and production studio that delivers tailor-made, interactive experiences for real spaces and digital worlds. For more than 21 years, NeoPangea has tackled the toughest creative challenges through storytelling by designing museum installations, out-of-home advertising, AR & VR, video games, entertainment marketing, and digital content for the world's boldest brands and cultural institutions. As a member of the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA), NeoPangea is recognized among its peers as a leader within the creative and production community.
Media Contacts:
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