Theory Studios
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2013
- Employees
- 11-50
- Offices
- 3
About Theory Studios
Theory Studios is an interactive development, animation and real-time CGI studio founded in April 2013 by David Andrade and Mark Olson. Based in Orlando with a technical production hub in Calgary and a satellite presence in Glendale, the company creates media and interactive experiences for themed entertainment, games, simulation, television and film.
Its attraction work combines cinematic animation, projection mapping and real-time graphics with physical environments and live performance. Projects range from dark-ride media and flying-theater imagery to large-scale stage visuals, interactive welcome centers and museum installations. The studio contributed introductory media and projection effects to Universal Creative’s The Bourne Stuntacular, produced attraction media for Chimelong and Vinpearl Resort, and supplied real-time research and development technical art for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Interactive experiences and simulation
The studio develops games and immersive applications for PC, consoles and XR devices, including Meta Quest. Its capabilities cover concept art, storyboarding, environment creation, character modeling and rigging, animation, technical art and software engineering. Consumer projects include Blobkin Blaster, Buster Bots and the mixed-reality gardening game Tend with Friends, also identified as Garden Tend.
Beyond entertainment, Theory Studios builds military and industrial training experiences. Its work includes Wave Warrior, a virtual-reality driver training system for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle. These projects combine interactive environments, real-time visualization and simulation infrastructure to support practical training applications.
Animation and visual effects
The company also produces commercial animation, broadcast shorts, original animated content and visual effects for television and film. Its television work includes The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, Sesame Street and Strange Angel, while Ray & Clovis represents its original CGI comedy production.
Across these areas, Theory Studios combines visual development and animation with real-time production and engineering. Its broader capabilities include synthetic imagery for machine-learning datasets, supporting work that connects entertainment production techniques with technical visualization and computer vision.
More about Theory Studios
Leadership
- David Andrade serves as CEO and leads executive creative operations.
- Mark Olson serves as CTO and leads technical production and engineering.
Production methods and operating model
The studio describes a remote-first, distributed production model built around Amazon Web Services and Blender. Its cloud-rendered approach enables contributors in multiple countries to collaborate on cinematic and interactive production. Its technical toolkit also includes Unity 3D, Maya and proprietary C++ tools.
Internal production groups
Brave Lunch is the internal game-development and VR production label. Theory Animation is the specialized animation division, while Theory Render focuses on synthetic computer-vision datasets generated through the studio’s CGI pipeline. These are described as internal labels or divisions rather than separate subsidiaries.
Recognition and collaboration
- The Bourne Stuntacular, to which the studio contributed media and projection effects, received a THEA Award in 2021 and a VES nomination. These honors concern the attraction and its effects work.
- The report identifies The Man in the High Castle as an Emmy and VES nominee in 2017, and StayHealthy ColorQuest as a nominee for Best Kid’s Educational App of 2019.
- The studio’s military simulation work involves a consortium partnership with XR Training, combining its interactive production capabilities with a specialist training collaborator.
Notable credits
29 creditsOffices
Where Theory Studios is based
- 13815 Hawk Lake Drive, Orlando, FL 32837, USAOrlando, Florida, United States
Orlando office
HeadquartersAbout this office
Global headquarters and executive creative studio supporting executive production, themed entertainment client relations, creative direction and administration.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary office
About this office
Canadian production hub and technical engineering office supporting Unreal Engine architecture, pipeline development, cloud simulation infrastructure and software engineering.
- Glendale, California, United States
Glendale office
West Coast satellite office supporting regional production and partner coordination.
Open roles
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