KODE Launches Immersive Division To Expand Storytelling

KODE, the London-based production studio known for its emotionally-charged storytelling and craft-driven approach, has officially launched a dedicated Immersive Division – an ambitious move that signals where the future of brand engagement is headed.

Led by Jerome Botbol, former head of immersive at Happy Finish with over a decade in the field, alongside KODE’s co-founder and COO Elliott Williams, the new division aims to fuse cinematic storytelling with cutting-edge tech like VR, AR, and generative AI.

But this isn’t about jumping on the next ‘hype cycle’. As both Jerome and Elliott explain, the timing is intentional: tech has matured, audiences are more receptive, and brands are increasingly looking beyond traditional formats to build deeper emotional connections. “We’re not here to do tech for tech’s sake,” says Jerome. “It’s about using these tools to invite people into stories – not just to watch, but to feel and participate.”

Drawing on a vast roster of directors, VFX talent, and emerging tech partnerships, KODE’s Immersive Division is designed to be modular, scalable, and always story-first. Whether it's interactive installations, AI-driven content, or multi-touchpoint brand worlds, this marks a bold new era for one of London’s most creatively restless studios.

LBB’s Zoe Antonov sat down with Jerome and Elliott to find out more.

LBB> Let’s start with the obvious – why now? What made this the right moment for KODE to officially launch a dedicated Immersive Division?

Elliott> A couple of reasons. I’m a bit of a nerd and have been following developments in VR and AR headsets, the hyper-realism of game engines, and now the advent of generative AI. All these technologies are tools that can be used individually or combined to provide experiences and tell stories in ways that simply haven’t been possible before. As storytellers ourselves in the video and stills realm, it felt fitting to explore both the current and future ways audiences want to engage and connect with content.

Jerome> While I've been working with immersive technology since the early days, back when Palmer Luckey first released the MK1 VR headset, and have created hundreds of experiences across VR, AR, and content across various immersive mediums, the market itself wasn't always ready to fully embrace it.

Now, we’re starting to see a real and exciting convergence; traditional content creation and immersive storytelling are finally meeting at the same level. Software and hardware have matured, audience expectations have shifted, and the perception of what an experience can be has evolved. People no longer expect stories to live solely on a screen, they want to see them extend into the world around them, displayed across multiple touchpoints, and integrated into their everyday lives.

At KODE, storytelling is at the heart of everything we do. We've been blending cinematic craft with emerging technology behind the scenes for a while now. But, with these shifts in perception becoming even more apparent, we’re seeing a real hunger from brands willing to embrace this change, to create deeper, more memorable connections with their audiences. So naturally, the time felt right to make it official.

Launching the Immersive Division is our way of not just responding to where we believe the industry is going, but leading the charge. Offering brands the tools, creativity, and innovation they need to tell their stories in new, boundary-pushing ways.

LBB> KODE’s always been rooted in emotionally-driven storytelling; how does this DNA translate when you’re working with immersive formats like VR, AR, or AI experiences?

Elliott> It’s actually very similar, as these are effectively tools and deliverables; however, they do have their nuances. For example, with VR and AR experiences, you can use techniques such as audio cues to guide the end-user to look in a certain direction. VR experiences in particular can evoke such strong emotions in people that you often need to dial down the intensity compared to traditional 2D formats. For this reason, it’s an exceptionally effective format for applications like empathy training.

Jerome> For me, storytelling has always been about connecting with your audience. Making people feel something real. That’s what originally drew me to immersive technologies all those years ago. It wasn’t just the novelty of VR or AR… it was the potential to put someone inside a story and to make them an active participant rather than just a passive viewer.

Emotion is a core foundation of storytelling at KODE, regardless of medium, whether it's a cinematic film, interactive AR installation or even something AI-driven, we're constantly asking how do we move people or make this memorable. The context always stays the same, with immersive formats, we just have more tools at our disposal to work with, and only where suitable.

You can play with perspective, scale and surprise in ways that traditional formats sometimes can’t. But, the emotional thread always stays exactly the same. We see emerging tech as an invisible amplifier for storytelling, not a replacement for it. Helping to connect brands with audiences across multiple touch points.

LBB> Jerome, you’ve been a major figure in immersive for over a decade now. What’s changed in the space that excites you most both creatively or technologically right now?

Jerome> It’s crazy to think it’s been over a decade already. It just shows the lasting factor of this space. When I first started working with immersive technologies, things were extremely experimental. We failed fast, but learned faster. It was very exciting times, but tools were limited, hardware was clunky, and audiences were still getting used to the idea of stepping inside a digital world – they still are to some extent. But, it's much more approachable now, and you don’t need to strap someone into a headset or motion platform to create an ‘immersive experience’.

What excites me most right now is that technology is finally starting to catch up with ambition. VR and AR are even more accessible, faster and more intuitive. AI has also unlocked creative possibilities we couldn't have dreamed of five years ago, allowing for hyper-personalised experiences that can also adapt in real-time. Creatively, it feels like the barriers between story and audience are falling away. You’re no longer telling people a story but inviting them to live it.

What also excites me is the clear shift in the audience itself. Younger generations are growing up completely native to immersive technology – today, it's often cheaper to buy a VR headset offering 4k resolutions at your preferred ‘virtual’ screen sizes than to invest in a traditional 4k television. Combine that with the rise in streaming platforms, and it's easy to see that younger audiences are more inclined to experience content through alternative mediums.

This generation is tech-agnostic, experience-driven, and their expectations are only going to grow. That’s why it’s so important to future-proof the way we think about storytelling. We have to create in a way that’s ready for a world where audiences don’t just consume content, but expect to be a part of it. This evolution opens up a massive playground for creativity, and it's an incredibly exciting space to build within.

LBB> Was there a particular project, prototype or client brief that helped crystallise the vision for this division?

Jerome> There wasn’t just one project, it's more a series of moments that built over time. Over the years, I've had the pleasure of being involved in projects that pushed us beyond traditional storytelling. Whether it was crafting 360° VR films that put audiences right at the centre of the action or building interactive installations that extended a brand's story into the real world, I’ve seen this growing demand for richer, more immersive connections.

At the same time, client conversations have started shifting too. As technology evolves and audiences are more receptive so too is the appetite of brands to find ways of telling stories that move people in different ways. Using tech as an enabler to help tell emotional stories, rather than tech-first experiences is a big driver behind us formalising the Immersive Division at KODE.

LBB> How do you/will you balance creative storytelling with the complexity of new platforms and interfaces?

Elliott> In the same way that we balance traditional shoots by assembling the right people and expertise for the challenge, we bring our directing and photography talent together with developers, technologists, and AI artists.

Jerome> For me it always starts with that core idea or story, regardless of the medium. Of course when coming up with the idea it’s always good to have a vision for how translatable it could be with all the tools available to you. Having an idea of the technology landscape allows us to build stories without certain limitations. But it’s important to always remember, no matter how exciting a technology might be, if it doesn’t serve the story, it's just noise. It’s never tech for tech’s sake!

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years working in this space is that you have to make the technology invisible. The audience shouldn’t be thinking about the interface or the platform, they should be fully inside the experience, emotionally connected. That’s where the real magic happens. It’s about understanding the strengths and limitations of each technology, and designing experiences that feel intuitive, seamless, and above all, human.

At KODE, we’re in a really fortunate position because we have a roster of incredibly talented directors and photographers, true creative minds who bring original ideas and fresh thinking to the table. I think that's one of our biggest USPs. We have the creative prowess to think about narrative in its purest form, and then use technology as an enabler, finding smart, seamless ways to extend that story across different mediums.

LBB> What does collaboration actually look like between your immersive team, KODE’s directors, and your in-house VFX and production teams?

Jerome> I’m really keen on ensuring that collaboration at KODE is genuinely integrated between departments. We want to ensure we still tell the same stories, with the same craft and level of attention to detail, just with new tools and mediums to make stories work harder and reach a wider audience.

It’s about bringing the right creative minds together from the very beginning of a project and challenging client briefs when we feel there is a genuine benefit from thinking about a campaign or project with various lenses. Not all projects require tech input but when they do, I want to ensure our internal teams can recognise that opportunity and feel empowered to have the necessary conversations internally and externally.

LBB> You’ve mentioned using AI-driven tools in your workflow. Can you give us a peek behind the curtain on how you’re actually putting AI to work in a way that enhances, not replaces, creativity?

Jerome> Absolutely. For us, AI is a creative amplifier, not, and I must stress this point, a replacement for real human imagination. We’re using AI in a few exciting ways. On the visual side, it helps us rapidly prototype ideas, from concept art to visual treatments. It allows us to explore multiple creative directions early on and much faster than traditional methods. We’re also integrating AI tools into our VFX pipeline, using it as an additional tool set to expand our creative output beyond what traditional workflows might allow based on a number of factors (time, budget, fame, etc).

It’s not always cheaper or faster, but we’re finding that more and more briefs benefit from having AI as part of the process, offering another layer of exploration and enhancement when the project demands it.

What’s really important though, is that we never let AI dictate the story. The core creative idea and emotional thread always comes first. AI is simply another tool at our disposal, helping us bring those ideas to life in even more expansive ways.

LBB> What kind of brand challenges or briefs are best suited to immersive thinking? Where does it offer more value than a film or traditional campaign?

Elliott> It really depends on the output. For VR, it’s particularly effective for any scenario where a brand wants to evoke an emotional response from the end-user. The same applies to sports, music videos, and experiences where the user can feel closer to the action or enjoy a front-row perspective, even if they’re on the other side of the globe. With AR, it’s ideal whenever a brand wishes to blend digital elements into the real world – there’s plenty of scope for creativity and play here.

Jerome> Completely agree with Elliott here. It’s very much project dependent. Not all briefs require immersive thinking and it’s best suited to briefs where brands want to build deeper emotional connections, drive active participation, or create memorable, shareable experiences.

LBB> Immersive experiences often rely on physical environments or tech activations. How are you approaching scalability and accessibility, especially for global campaigns or digital-only rollouts?

Elliott> With VR and AR headsets, and soon glasses, becoming increasingly cheaper, we’ll see more of these experiences being rolled out across app stores and websites. For example, I really enjoyed what Balenciaga recently did with the Apple Vision Pro: filming its Summer 2025 runway show in 180-degree VR, allowing end-users to select camera angles and interact with 3D models of products featured on the catwalk. We’re seeing many high-end fashion brands truly embrace this technology, especially where quality is paramount to the brand experience.

Jerome> For us, the term immersive experience isn’t just about headsets. It’s about any experience that invites audiences to step beyond passive viewing and become active participants. That could mean interactive digital out-of-home campaigns, holographic displays, interactive installations, AR experiences on mobile devices, or cloud-based platforms that deliver global reach without heavy hardware requirements.

When we approach scalability and accessibility, we try to think modular, designing experience from high-end physical activations through to lightweight, digital-only versions that still carry the same emotional weight. Technologies like WebAR, interactive displays, and holographic projections allow us to bring immersive ideas to life in ways that are accessible, shareable, and scalable across regions.

It’s about keeping the core story strong and ensuring that no matter where or how the audience experiences it, whether headset, their phone, or an interactive public space, they feel truly connected.

LBB> Immersive has had hype cycles in the past, so I wonder, what’s different this time? Why is this more than just a trend for KODE?

Elliott> There are a few things. Hardware cost and accessibility are major factors.There have also been significant advances in AI, VR and AR glasses, camera technology, internet speeds, and audio. For example, a small thing, but as I’m typing this, I’m listening to a Jamie XX live gig recorded in Dolby Atmos through my AirPods; if I close my eyes, the quality is so impressive and immersive that it genuinely feels like I’m there in the nightclub.

I believe the ongoing and future trajectory of these various technological pillars, becoming continuously improved, refined, and crucially more cost-effective and accessible to the masses, is already creating, and will rapidly expand into, a huge market. At KODE, we hope to position ourselves as one of the major players within it.

Jerome> I also want to add that, now we’re starting to see that both the technology and the audience have matured. The tools finally feel accessible and flexible enough to create genuinely meaningful experiences, and audiences today aren’t just ready for it but expect it. Immersive technologies are not a novelty anymore, it’s becoming a natural part of how people experience stories, brands, and culture.

LBB> What’s on the dream list? Any kinds of briefs, industries, or collaborators you'd love to work with as this division grows?

Elliott> Education is definitely something I’d love to get involved with. Being dyslexic, I really struggled at school with endless textbooks, sitting at my desk and being told to memorise information. With today’s technology, you could, for instance, blend AI systems to enable conversations with historical figures in history lessons, or in science, allow students to experience first-hand what it might feel like to fall into a black hole in outer space.

Healthcare is another area, using immersive technology to guide someone through meditation and calming the mind during emotionally intense moments.

I feel that in virtually any industry, this technology could be used in truly exciting and impactful ways.

Jerome> Honestly, the dream is to work with brands and collaborators who are genuinely open to pushing creative boundaries. People who see immersive technologies not just as a tech play, but as a way to tell meaningful stories.

I’d love to create large-scale immersive campaigns that blend physical and digital worlds seamlessly to enhance the way we interact with and consume life, which is becoming increasingly more possible with hardware advancements.

For me, it’s less about chasing the big names and more about finding the right chemistry to make the work we want!

LBB> What is the future of storytelling?

Elliott> The same as it’s always been, just with new tools and through new mediums. The ability to tell stories which put the end user in the driving seat and/or in situations that feel so real is here.

Jerome> The future of storytelling is still, at its core, exactly what it’s always been, story-first. It’s about creating emotional connections that move people. What’s changing is how we deliver those stories. New tools and mediums are helping remove the barriers between audience and experience, allowing people to enhance and share their realities in ways that feel more personal, more meaningful, and more integrated into their lives. It’s not about replacing storytelling, but expanding it.