What I’ve Been Doing

Mikhael Tara Garver

Mikhael Tara Garver has been a pioneer in leading the experiential field. She has worked across brands, arts organizations, social justice organizations, and civic organizations. She has created some of the first original experiential commissions by national arts organizations like the American Repertory Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Goodman Theater, Montclair New Work Initiative, and The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. 

Garver was the Head of Experiential Entertainment at Category41; the Managing Artistic Director of Woodshed Collective; and the Founder and Artistic Director of lauded Chicago Uma Productions. She was a director on American Repertory Theater’s Production of Sleep No More, an associate producer for Anne Bogart and SITI Company, and is currently an advisor for Starfish Accelerator. She most recently founded experiential studio 13Exp; is the experiential architect/designer behind God Bless the Promise Land, and is directing Covid-safe experiences along the L.A. River, Rio Reveals.

Mikhael is a grantee of Pop Culture Collaborative’s Becoming America Fund and an International Sacatar Fellow. Her speaking and thought leadership around Innovative Experiential Content - where digital and live platforms work in concert - has been a keynote at the Immersive Design Summit, Switchpoint, and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. Garver began her career making experiential marketing campaigns for Chicago Athletic Clubs - tripling their income and growth strategy over 3 years.

She has built award-winning experiences for AMCTelevision, The National Park Service, Bloomberg, Serino/Coyne, BBDO, Hormel, Tentrr, & Smirnoff. She has also done work for high-level brands such as IDEO, Facebook, and Virgin. Garver was the Creative Director for the band, Great Caesar, and developed an immersive journey through 18 hidden shows over 8 days! Additionally, Garver created the advanced program in Making, Directing, and Leadership for NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has spoken and taught on Arts and Democracy at North Carolina School of the Arts, Yale, Columbia University, Harvard, DePaul, Montclair State, as well as other universities.