How Magic Innovations Turns Big Ideas into Unforgettable Experiences

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_{Magic Innovations has established a reputation as a firm that combines creativity and technology to create places that are unforgettable in today's experience-driven world. Their team of more than 30 experts, which was founded in Kyiv in 2009 and currently has its headquarters in Dubai, has completed hundreds of projects in more than 24 countries.}

‍_{They are known for high-profile works like the award-winning projection mapping at Berlin’s Festival of Lights and permanent installations at Warner Brothers World in Abu Dhabi. Their portfolio also includes immersive 360° shows and holographic performances—most notably a 4D cube dance act on America’s Got Talent, created in collaboration with choreographer Oleksandr Leshchenko and viewed over 15 million times.}

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_{Magic Innovations brings a full-service approach to each project, offering concept development, technical engineering, content production, and live support. They combine licensed software, cutting-edge hardware, and a constantly evolving understanding of immersive trends—an approach that has earned them prestigious awards like the Berlin Festival’s top prize, a WOW Awards Gold in the Middle East, and multiple APEX Awards in Las Vegas.}

‍_{We spoke with their CEO Maryna Hrudko to get a closer look at the creative challenges behind their most ambitious collaborations, their approach to global storytelling, and where immersive media is headed next.}

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1. How do you approach the narrative design process when creating a projection mapping show on a landmark structure like the Burj Khalifa or Berlin TV Tower?

_{When you do a show on a building that the whole world knows, the stakes are very high. You have to consider many factors at the same time and speak the language of the architecture and culture of the country.}

‍_{Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world at 828 meters. When we did the show for New Year's Eve, the whole process took about three months for 16 designers to create a kilometer-long video for 200 unique scenes. It's a great honor to be part of a historic event. It's not every day you get to be part of an event that celebrates the country's 50th anniversary and put on a show in the year that the UAE hosted Expo. Very proud of our team. The content was tailored to the geometry of the building. It was also important to consider where the audience would be standing so that the image could be seen better. We had over 15 years of experience to accomplish this task.}

‍_{But what our team loves the most is the other show on Burj Khalifa—the one that has been shown every day for several years now. In it, we showed various cultural and visual effects related to Arab culture.}

_{And now the Berlin TV Tower. It's not just an architectural object. It's a symbol.}

_{We made a show about freedom. It's about connecting people. And we used the shape of the tower as a big beehive. Our team tells the story of a beehive from the point of view of a hard-working bee. Somewhere in the universe, the first atom is born, which changes into a honeycomb. The bee flies over moss, ivy, and flowers, which portrays the symbiosis of hardworking insects and plants—an example of all living creatures.}

‍_{And at some point, the bee in the content decided to take selfies in front of people. The audience was delighted; no one expected such a thing. A lot of people were taking pictures. And they stood there in silence.}

‍_{That's what we work for. Our team won the gold prize for the best 3D mapping show in Europe.}

‍_{For us, storytelling is the heart of the show. That's why we are called on for the most important projects for countries and brands. Because we don't “fill the facade with light.” We bring buildings to life and create emotions, telling stories that stay with people for a long time.}

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2. What’s the most technically demanding projection project you’ve done so far, and what did it teach your team about scale and precision?

_{One of the most complex yet interesting projects we have done was the presentation of Genesis cars. For this project, we used the effect of anamorphic illusion and, with the help of video content, created a 3D effect of driving through recognizable places of the country. The stage was built in the form of a book; the projection was on the floor and on the back wall, and three real cars stood on the stage. Opposite the stage, on a dais, sat the audience with a “sweet point of view.” Thanks to the specially created content and the perfect viewpoint, we created the illusion of real cars driving through different cities.}

‍_{This project is a unique experience of content creation - taking into account the point from which viewers perceive the picture and combining real and graphic objects into a single picture and story.}

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3. Can you walk us through your typical creative process—from brief to final delivery—for a large-scale immersive project like a museum installation or theme park attraction?

_{We have a system built up over the years and an approach similar to making a movie, like they do in Hollywood.}

_{Every project starts with a detailed brief and a study of the task. The team delves into the client's goal, the audience, and the atmosphere they want to immerse people in.}

_{Then we form a proposal and meet with the client, where we agree on the details of the project: stages, budget, and how everything will happen.}

_{After the confirmation—the creative stage:}

• _{We create moodboards with general style, textures, lighting, and references (this is a kind of “palette” of style, mood, and textures to convey the atmosphere).}
• _{We develop the creative idea and script of the show.}
• _{Our design department draws concepts and makes an animatic (a moving sketch of the project), then proceeds to 3D animation, adding effects, lighting, and movement.}
• _{Sound is written individually—we work with composers who create music for the project, like a movie soundtrack.}
• _{Rendering and collecting the final content is the artist’s final touch.}

_{In parallel with this is technical production: equipment selection, ordering, logistics, setup and installation at the site, and customization for the location.}

_{The final stage is the launch. We test everything once again, checking every second. And only when everything works perfectly and looks WOW, we launch it.}

_{As a result, the client receives a project that reflects the essence of their brand, leaves a strong emotional impression, and is actively circulated on social networks, creating a viral effect.}

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4. When developing custom content for cultural or educational experiences, how do you balance creative freedom with factual integrity?

_{We always go deep. Before creating content for events, we study everything about each client, brand, or location individually. Preferences, history, facts, values, we are inspired by their dreams. We collect materials in great detail, like archaeologists: layer by layer, detail by detail.}

_{For example, when we made a show on the Statue of Motherland for Eurovision, before creating the content, we communicated with historians and museums from different cities across the country. Our team was sent samples of vintage clothes from different regions—everything needed to accurately reflect it in the show.}

_{Each fact, for us, is like a fragment of a mosaic. Only after collecting everything do we begin to understand the real essence—and how to display it and emphasize its uniqueness.}

_{And then comes the most important part: synchronizing the client's knowledge and feelings with our content. We hold as many meetings as needed to get feedback like:}

_{“The show shows us even better than we wanted to say.”}

_{The project is then released to the world. We create a visual identity that speaks for the brand—and makes it come alive.}

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5. You've collaborated with artists like Oleksandr Leshchenko and major brands like Nissan and Warner Bros. How do you adapt your workflows and creative approach for such diverse collaborators?

_{We don't have a one-size-fits-all approach because each client is like a separate universe for us. It's always about synergy and co-authorship.}

_{When working with artists, such as Alexander Leshchenko, we work with emotional choreography and plasticity, where every fraction of a second, every millimeter of movement is important. We create content that interacts with the artist in real time, reveals the artist more deeply, and enhances their story. This requires not just technical skill and experience, but a deep empathic engagement with the artist. And that's where our strength lies.}

_{With global brands like Nissan or Warner Bros., we work with big meanings: mission, brand identity, and story. What matters here is purity of form, simplicity of perception, and, at the same time, a wow effect that is memorable. It's always an interesting challenge for us. We help brands speak the language of emotions through visual metaphors, light, architecture, and technology, so that the viewer does not just see, but feels.}

_{What all our clients have in common is the desire to create not just a show, but a moment that will go down in history.}

_{We turn ideas into experiences that touch and stay in memory. We know how to work with the senses and create experiences that make a brand come alive. We take an idea and turn it into a multimedia experience that is felt with every cell.}

_{This is why we are valued by artists and multinational corporations alike—because when technology works for meaning, something exceptional is born.}

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6. What makes a collaboration truly successful for you—creative synergy, audience impact, or technological innovation?

_{You know, I've seen thousands of projects in my career. But only a few of them have really made a difference. Success is when the viewer freezes. When everything stops for a second, when there is delight and surprise in the eyes, when you discover something new, new meanings, and a multimedia experience.}

_{When grown-up people who seemed to have seen everything in their lives take out their phones, make a video, and share it on social networks, celebrating the delight and our company, that is the best indicator of a successful show for us.}

_{Success is when a client trusts us not just to make something beautiful, but to say something important through visual experience, through light, sound, space, and feelings.}

_{Of course, we use the most advanced technology. Sure, we know how to surprise. But technology without meaning is just special effects. The real wow happens when a project has a soul.}

_{A truly successful collaboration starts with a question we ask every partner:}

_{"What do you want the viewer to feel and remember?"}

_{When we get an answer, we turn it into an immersive experience.}

_{But there's another secret to a truly successful collaboration. It's people. The team. The energy within the team.}

_{At Magic Innovations, we don't just have professionals working with us. These are people who have been with us for over 10 years. They were with us when we first started doing 3D mapping in countries where people didn’t yet know how to pronounce the word "immersive" or what a QR code was. They’ve been with us through thousands of projects, dozens of countries, and hundreds of sleepless nights. Each of them is a fanatic about what they do.}

_{Most of all, we love doing the impossible and being pioneers. We were one of the first to do 3D mapping in the Middle East, back when such projects were almost non-existent. When other companies give up and say, "It’s impossible," or "It’s too complicated," or "It won’t work," you know what we do in those cases? We do it. And we do it even better than the client imagined.}

_{We’ve done projection mapping on two buildings in four days, a hologram on water, in the sea, using divers, projection into the sky using lasers and a smoke machine, a Tesla hologram, and much more.}

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7. How do you stay ahead in the fast-changing field of immersive technology, particularly with the rise of AR/VR, real-time engines, and AI-enhanced graphics?

_{We use Artificial Intelligence in our work and are constantly learning new things to keep up to date. Unfortunately, no AI can keep up with the resolutions in which we work in projection mapping shows.}

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8. What technologies are currently exciting your team the most when it comes to storytelling in physical spaces?

_{Today we are most inspired by our own immersive shows and launches.}

_{The shows “Alice in Wonderland” and “Laplandia” are our designer’s 360° format show, where the viewer is completely immersed in a fairy tale. These projects are already going around the world – in Dubai, Miami, London, Europe – and we are expanding the lineup.}

_{The other thing is brand new technology launches like, holograms, 3D mapping, and AI.}

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9. How do you tailor immersive content for different regional audiences, especially when working across locations like Dubai, Kyiv, and New York?

_{Each project is unique and is crafted specifically for a client or brand. In immersive shows, we take into account the cultural nuances of different countries and audiences, analyze their needs, and consider what will touch the hearts of the people in that particular city. We pay attention to the local love for certain colors, materials, and objects in the country where the show takes place.}

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10. Have you found any regional creative trends or expectations that challenge or enrich your storytelling approach?

_{Modern regional creative trends evolve so quickly that every few months we study new developments and implement them in upcoming projects.}

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