Independent Creative Strategy, Branding and Experience Design Agency Hyperquake Acquires Award-Winning Design and Technology Studio Potion

New Relationship Strengthens Both Entities While Expanding Storybuilding® Group Creative and Digital Expertise

CINCINNATI and NEW YORK, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hyperquake, the independent creative strategy, branding and experience design agency, is very proud to announce its immediate acquisition of Brooklyn-based Potion.

Launched in 2005, under the leadership of Founder Phillip R. Tiongson, Potion has built a far-reaching reputation and track-record for innovation in inclusive digital storytelling and immersive content creation. Championing universal design values through its groundbreaking work for clients spanning leading brands, agencies and cultural institutions, Potion’s awards recognition includes a Webby Award; several top MUSE, Core77 Design and APEX Awards; multiple finalist honors in the National Design Awards; as well as inclusion in Communications Arts Interactive Annuals and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, among many other prestigious accolades.

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Potion will retain its identity, its full staff and its headquarters in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard. Of vital importance to all parties are the heightened opportunities to collaborate in bringing expanded offerings to their clients, especially through Hyperquake’s Storybuilding® group, which is dedicated to innovation in experience design.

According to Hyperquake’s CEO Colin Crotty, this strategic acquisition provides his company with its first presence in New York City, the media capital of the world. The development also reflects Hyperquake’s commitment to expanding digital offerings and enhancing creative capabilities to better serve clients in a world that is increasingly digital-first.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Potion’s ultra-talented team to the Hyperquake family,” Crotty began. “This win-win development allows us to offer our clients an unlimited range of digital solutions through our Storybuilding expertise, where Potion pairs seamlessly. Across the board, our dedication to delivering ROI for our clients by making their businesses more accessible, competitive and agile has just taken another giant leap forward.”

For further background, since launching in Cincinnati in 1986, Hyperquake quickly rose to national prominence in the field of branding. With Crotty and Chief Creative Officer and Partner Dan Barczak purchasing the firm in 2016, two years later, Hyperquake acquired Cincinnati’s The Brand Experience. That deal added global reach and premier talents in world-class experience design, including Melissa Wheat Kelly, who is now Hyperquake’s President and Chief Operating Officer. While also establishing a formal alliance with Portland-based Verify Venture Studio at that time, Hyperquake expanded to Salt Lake City in 2021 as part of its strategic partnership with marketing strategy firm MarCore Group. Since 2022, the Hyperquake family of companies has also included the business management consultancy Several Thousand Alliance.

Arriving here in 2024, with the addition of Potion, the Hyperquake family’s combined specializations in strategic innovation, branded experiences and scaling organizations for prosperity and growth represent a tightly integrated collective of business-changing superpowers.

“To bring stories to life, we depend on amazing partners across the country with very exciting and unique skills,” Kelly explained. “As our Storybuilding team grew and clients demanded more dynamic immersive experiences, we began working with Potion more, and discovered the value of combining our strengths to help our clients turn their stories into momentous immersive experiences.”

“To say we are excited to join forces with Hyperquake is a gross understatement,” said Tiongson. “Combining our expertise to deliver even more value to our clients is where we will collectively excel. Our values and mission align. Together, we will be able to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation in the digital space – and beyond.”

About Hyperquake

Hyperquake is an independent creative strategy, branding and experience design marketing agency founded in 1986. With locations in Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and Brooklyn, Hyperquake builds ambitious brands and experiences for those eager to activate a vision. Hyperquake specializes in strategic innovation, branded experiences and scaling organizations for growth, working with companies ranging from small startups to global enterprise. For more information, visit https://www.hyperquake.com.

About Potion

Potion is an interactive design firm based in New York City that is widely heralded for championing inclusive and universal design values. Specializing in transforming spaces with digital technology from personal mobile devices to architectural-scale attractions and galleries, Potion has developed interactive experiences for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Cleveland Museum of Art, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, M+ Museum in Hong Kong, Rubin Museum of Art, The Singapore National Science Center, the National Constitution Center, and, back home in New York, in the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, among many others. For more information, visit https://www.potiondesign.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Image to accompany this story here: https://darnellworks.com/hq/media/hq-p.png Embeddable video reel for Potion here: https://vimeo.com/939600804

SOURCE Hyperquake