About
Studio HEFT is a collective of senior creatives building interactive work with weight.
We make things that last – in memory, in meaning, and in impact.
Our team brings decades of cross-sector experience to bear on each project, blending artistic integrity with commercial insight. We work across genres, platforms, and audiences – but every piece of work shares the same values: high quality, low ego, culturally aware, and built to connect.
Kate Booth
CEO
Formerly COO of Unreal specialists Cooperative Innovations and pioneering ‘Play with Purpose®’ studio Preloaded, Kate is a strategic operations leader with over two decades of experience across digital and games.
Passionate about building sustainable creative teams, Kate has served on the Ukie Board of Directors, was named in MCV’s Top 100 Women in Games and currently resides on the Develop Conference Advisory Board.
Mairi Nolan
Director of Play
Mairi is a senior game designer specialising in puzzles across video games, escape rooms, tabletop experiences, and large-scale interactive formats. Her collaborators include the BBC, Netflix, Wizards of the Coast, and the Mysterious Package Company, with a reputation for designing playful, enduring challenges across media.
She is Editor-in-Chief of both The Escape Industry Newsletter and The Escape Roomer, and mentors emerging talent through initiatives like Limit Break and the TERPECAs. A key voice in the puzzle community, Mairi connects players, makers, and the evolving world of interactive play.
Rowan Bishop
Director of Sound
Rowan is an award-winning audio designer, composer, and sound artist working across games, film, podcasts, and immersive experiences. His sonic work – from subtle textures to bold scores – has earned recognition including an ARIA Award and a British Podcast Award. Previous clients include the BBC, Spotify, Yoto, Universal, and the Turner Prize.
Rooted in a love of home recording and storytelling, Rowan brings clarity, curiosity, and technical precision to every brief. Now based in Bristol, he collaborates with forward-thinking teams to shape atmosphere, identity, and meaning through sound.
Sharna Jackson
Director of Narrative
Sharna is a best-selling author, curator, and strategist working at the intersection of culture, publishing, and play. Her debut novel High-Rise Mystery won the Waterstones Prize, and her broader work includes Black Artists Shaping the World, creative activity books for Tate, and large-scale commissions for Southbank Centre and others.
She was previously Artistic Director at Site Gallery and Editor of Tate Kids, and has served on boards including BAFTA and Sheffield Doc/Fest. Most recently, she was Deputy Story Lead on Saltsea Chronicles (PS5/Switch), continuing her mission to centre young audiences and push the boundaries of how stories are told.
Collaborators
Ray Wyse
Illustrator & Animator
Alex Fleetwood
Executive Producer
Dean Jackson
Design Direction
Studio HEFT branding
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We’re always interested in meeting new creative partners. If you have a project you’d like us to consider, drop us a line at collaborate@heft.studio.