Gather Events + Experiences · Experience Design Portfolio
Turkey
Trouble: A
Feast of Fear
Trouble: A
Feast of Fear
"A baby shower is usually about what's coming. This one was about what just happened -- and nobody saw it coming."
Hero photo
Guests at dinner table
candlelight · string lights
Guests at dinner table
candlelight · string lights
The Dinner
Hands on police report
detective desk · clue reading
detective desk · clue reading
The Evidence
Three guests
hunched over documents
hunched over documents
The Investigation
Guest with mystery clipboard
floral dress · in character
floral dress · in character
In Character
The detective room
dark grey · desk · clothing rack
dark grey · desk · clothing rack
The Detail
Man laughing at dinner · plaid jacket · candlelight · full energy
Personal Touches
Custom $50 bills
family member's face
family member's face
The Actor
The world
A town, a millionaire, and a murder -- built from nothing
Cranberry Grove didn't exist before this event. Gideon Gobbler, the eccentric vineyard millionaire, was written, cast, and brought to life by a hired actor so every guest could play. The entire mystery -- 18 characters, layered motives, red herrings, hidden clues, and a full lore system was designed from scratch. No template. No kit. A world invented specifically for two parents and their people.
The clues
Every piece of evidence was handmade
The police report. The USPS delivery slip. Gideon's handwritten book notes with the wine stain. The Certificate of Sobriety for Lila Spotlight. Character dossiers with full backstories and planted alibis. Custom bills with family members' faces printed on them. Each clue was physically crafted, hidden in the space, and designed to feel real enough to make guests genuinely suspicious of each other.
The design
Every character was tailored to the room
Each guest received a custom character card with a name, a role, a personality, a secret, and a clue that only they held. Characters were assigned with intention -- shy guests got quiet roles with devastating secrets to reveal at exactly the right moment. The drama-loving ones got the gossips and the schemers. No one was lost in the game. Everyone had a reason to be exactly who they were.
Director's note
"The best immersive experiences make people forget they're playing a game. When guests are genuinely suspicious of each other, protecting their character's secrets, and arguing over evidence they're holding in their hands -- that's when you know the world worked."
World palette -- deep autumn, Cranberry Grove
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What Gather built
Two friends wanted their baby shower to be an experience. So we built them an entire world.
01
Original Story + Lore
Wrote the complete murder mystery from scratch -- the town of Cranberry Grove, the victim, the crime, the motive, and the world logic that made every clue feel earned.
02
18 Custom Characters
Each guest received a fully written character: name, role, personality, secret, and a planted clue only they held. Assigned with intention based on each person's personality.
03
Actor Direction
Hired and directed a live actor to play Gideon Gobbler so every guest could fully inhabit their character, no one had to play the millionaire, everyone got to play against him.
04
Handmade Clue Design
Designed and physically produced every clue: police report, USPS delivery slip, handwritten journal notes, character dossiers, sobriety certificate, recipes with hidden annotations, and custom currency.
05
Personal Touches
Custom bills printed with family members' faces. Character assignments designed around specific guests. The kind of detail that makes someone feel like the whole world was made for them.
06
Space Design + Clue Hiding
Decorated the full event space for a Thanksgiving-themed murder mystery -- then strategically hid physical clues throughout, designed to be found at the right pace to keep tension building.
07
Game Mechanics + Pacing
Designed the full gameplay arc: dinner, the murder moment, investigation, the final diary clue, accusations, and reveal -- with a built-in pacing system so no one ever felt lost or bored.
08
Documentation
The experience was documented into a full kit -- Host Guide, character breakdowns, clue release strategy, decor guide, menu suggestions, and gameplay mechanics -- for future hosts.
09
Full Event Production
Day-of setup, clue placement, character handoff, actor coordination, and live game management from first arrival through the final reveal.
01 · Arrive
Character Assignment
Guests received their character dossier prior to the event so they could jump into character upon arrival
02 · Settle
The Feast
Dinner at Gobbler's estate -- the actor in character, alliances forming, suspicion beginning to stir
03 · The Crime
Gideon Falls
The lights flicker. The millianaire is dead. The room is sealed by a storm. The mystery begins
04 · Investigate
Find the Truth
Guests scatter through the space, examining handmade clues, interrogating each other, and protecting their own secrets
05 · Accuse
The Reveal
Formal accusations, dramatic theories, and the final truth -- Mayor Rebecca Cranberry, and the diary that sealed her fate
This is a Gather service
Your celebration
deserves a world.
deserves a world.
If you want an experience that people are still talking about years later -- one where every detail was made for your specific people, in your specific room -- Gather builds immersive experiences from the ground up. Custom story, custom characters, custom world. No templates. Just yours.