Elevate Accelerates Global Creative Growth with Strategic Acquisitions of Downstream and GA
Elevate, a global integrated agency network dedicated to helping brands and properties build deeper connections with their audiences, has announced the strategic acquisitions of experiential design studio Downstream and luxury hospitality design firm GA. The move represents a major milestone in Elevate’s long-term growth strategy, significantly expanding its creative scale, geographic reach, and multidisciplinary capabilities across the built environment.
With the addition of Downstream and GA, Elevate Creative now brings together more than 250 designers, technologists, and strategists operating from studios across North America, Europe, and Asia. The combined creative network serves over 400 clients worldwide and unites three highly respected studios into a single, fully integrated design group. This new structure is designed to break down traditional silos between interior architecture, immersive technology, and experiential storytelling, enabling clients to deliver seamless, high-impact experiences across physical spaces.
As part of the integration, Chris Allphin has been appointed President of Elevate Creative and will oversee the unification of the three studios under one global banner. Drew Bryant will continue in his role as Chief Creative Officer, ensuring continuity in Elevate’s creative vision and leadership. Together, the leadership team will guide the evolution of a unified studio model that blends Elevate’s expertise in sports, culture, and fan engagement with Downstream’s immersive technology capabilities and GA’s legacy of refined hospitality design.
The expanded Elevate Creative offering is designed to support clients across a wide range of environments, including sports venues, corporate headquarters, retail destinations, mixed-use developments, and luxury hospitality properties. By combining strategy, design, technology, and execution under one roof, Elevate aims to deliver end-to-end solutions that shape how people experience spaces and interact with brand narratives at every touchpoint.
Al Guido, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Elevate, described the acquisitions as transformational for the organization and the industry at large. “Individually, Downstream and GA are already operating at the highest level of their respective disciplines,” Guido said. “By bringing them together within Elevate, we are creating a creative force that simply doesn’t exist elsewhere in the market. This expansion allows Elevate Creative to operate at unmatched scale in global sports while dramatically broadening our reach into brand, corporate, and luxury hospitality environments around the world.”
Downstream joins Elevate as a globally recognized experiential design studio specializing in immersive digital and branded technology experiences. Founded in 1988, Downstream has delivered hundreds of projects that merge physical environments with interactive digital storytelling. Its work spans flagship retail locations, global technology campuses, major sports venues, educational institutions, and destination spaces across public and private sectors. The studio’s client portfolio includes leading Fortune 100 companies and iconic brands such as Zoom, Google, Nike, Microsoft, the University of Oregon, and the Las Vegas Raiders. With studios in Portland and Amsterdam, Downstream brings deep expertise in immersive media, interactive installations, and experience-led innovation to Elevate’s global platform.
GA adds more than four decades of award-winning experience in luxury hospitality design. Over the past 40 years, the firm has collaborated with some of the world’s most prestigious hotel, resort, and lifestyle brands to create iconic destinations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. GA’s client roster includes renowned names such as Atlantis The Royal, 1 Hotel, Park Hyatt, Harrods, Four Seasons, W Hotels, and Shangri-La. Operating from studios in London, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, and Shanghai, GA’s team of more than 100 designers and strategists is known for delivering culturally sensitive, globally relevant design solutions at the highest level of craftsmanship.
Chris Allphin, President of Elevate Creative, emphasized the strategic importance of the acquisitions in the context of the rapidly growing experience economy. “We are making a clear investment in the future of experience-driven environments,” Allphin said. “By adding immersive digital expertise and luxury hospitality design to Elevate’s capabilities, we can now support global brands, Fortune 500 companies, and leading hospitality operators at every stage of the experience lifecycle—from strategy and insights to design, delivery, and optimization. This fully integrated model positions Elevate as a true partner in shaping meaningful, memorable experiences.”
Drew Bryant, Chief Creative Officer of Elevate Creative, highlighted the creative potential unlocked by the integration. “Experience has become the primary way people connect with places, brands, and one another,” Bryant said. “By bringing Downstream and GA into the Elevate Creative family, we are redefining how experiences within the built environment are conceived and delivered. We’re eliminating the barriers between interior design, digital interaction, and immersive storytelling to create spaces that resonate emotionally with fans, guests, and visitors.”
The acquisitions significantly expand Elevate’s global creative footprint, with studios now located in Nashville, Salt Lake City, Portland, New York, London, Amsterdam, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, and Shanghai. This global presence enables Elevate Creative to deliver locally informed, culturally relevant solutions while operating at a scale that supports some of the world’s most ambitious projects.
With the integration of Downstream and GA, Elevate Creative enters a new chapter—one defined by collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to setting new standards for experiential design across sports, brand, corporate, and hospitality environments worldwide.
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