Point Park University Partners With HXOUSE, TAIT to Bring Live Experience Production Program to Downtown Pittsburgh Friday, November 1, 2024
“We are excited to work with HXOUSE and TAIT and be the Pittsburgh home for this innovative incubator. The fit is a natural one, as Point Park is already a nationally recognized leader in developing the next generation of talent for the live entertainment industry.”
Point Park University announces a groundbreaking partnership with TAIT, a global leader in culture-defining experiences, and HXOUSE, a Toronto-based, globally focused think center, to bring the first-of-its-kind HXOUSE x TAIT Live Experience Production Program to Pittsburgh. The initiative underscores Point Park’s commitment to driving Downtown Pittsburgh's cultural and creative renaissance.
The HXOUSE x TAIT American tour will stop in four cities — Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, New York and Austin to find emerging talent in creative direction, production design, visual arts and mechanical engineering. Through a series of one-day workshops — to be held November 23 in Point Park’s Pittsburgh Playhouse — participants will hear from industry experts to learn what it takes to succeed at creating epic, impactful, large-scale experiences and events.
“We are excited to work with HXOUSE and TAIT and be the Pittsburgh home for this innovative incubator,” said Dr. Chris W. Brussalis, president of Point Park. “The fit is a natural one, as Point Park is already a nationally recognized leader in developing the next generation of talent for the live entertainment industry.”
The expertise of La Mar Taylor, co-founder of XO Records and creative director for the Weeknd, has steered the world’s biggest artists into superstardom. Impassioned by his experience as a creative growing up in Toronto, La Mar co-founded HXOUSE in 2018.
“We have always recognized Pittsburgh as a location rich in exceptional young and innovative talent, so it makes perfect sense for it to be a stop on this tour,” Taylor said. “Point Park has demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit and has its own ambitions to make advancements within the live entertainment incubator space. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner to help make this tour a huge success.”
Point Park launched its Center for Experiential Narrative Technologies (CENT) this fall, with Dr. Donald Marinelli as its director. Marinelli comes to Point Park after more than 30 years at Carnegie Mellon University, where he co-founded the world-renowned Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center.
TAIT’s global team works with clients to develop unforgettable events and live experiences worldwide, including Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII halftime show and other artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Elton John, Coldplay, Taylor Swift and more.
“TAIT is driven to innovate live experiences and creatively evolve our projects for the future of entertainment,” said Brian Levine, president of projects, TAIT. “We’re always looking to fuel the next generation of industry professionals and partnering with HXOUSE on these workshops will allow us to inspire and directly connect with up-and-coming creatives.”
Working in multidisciplinary teams, participants will be challenged to build out a live experience concept based on a brief designed by HXOUSE x TAIT. Each team will present their experience concepts to industry professionals for the chance to win a spot in the HXOUSE x TAIT master class. The winning team in each city will attend the five-day master class at TAIT’s global headquarters in Lititz, Pa. Participants will be immersed in a hands-on learning environment with state-of-the-art technology and equipment, mentors, and facilitators from the HXOUSE and TAIT networks.
Interested participants can find out more information and apply for the incubator by November 10 at the HXOUSE x TAIT website.
