Pete Gardom

Founder and Director

Background:

Pete Gardom has a background in Anthropology and Cultural Studies, which forms the foundation of his approach to digital storytelling and cultural interpretation. His journey into digital media began in 2008 when he developed the first digital storytelling projects for City-Insights, a platform designed to enhance visitor engagement through multimedia trails and tours.

Career Development:

In 2011, Pete joined TGAC, where he specialised in researching and developing interpretive plans, physical and digital content for museum exhibitions, galleries, installations and cultural projects. His work has consistently focused on the intersection of narrative design, interactive technology, digital storytelling, and media production. With a keen interest in emerging technologies, Pete began working with augmented reality (AR) in 2016/17. During this time, he developed an AR trail creator platform for the Office of Public Works Ireland, a project that was part of a European Union SBIR research and development competition, in collaboration with UCL: CASA and Four Door Productions. Since 2015, Pete has been an Industry Partner at Loughborough University London, working with groups of international MA students each year to respond to real world briefs and challenges through the MA Collaborate programme that bridges industry and academic world.

Founding TGA:

In 2021, Pete founded This Great Adventure (TGA) to push the boundaries of interactive and immersive media for the heritage, arts, and culture sectors. Under his leadership, TGA has undertaken groundbreaking projects such as the AR Explorer at Tamworth Castle and the Lichfield Time Travellers, which utilised volumetric video, LiDAR scanning and AR/XR to bring stories to life in unexpected ways and places.

Current Projects:

Pete is currently leading innovative TGA projects, including the Digital Companion for the new Oman Botanic Garden and OPUS - The Next Stage, a pioneering initiative that fuses performing arts with cutting-edge technology, that Innovate UK has described as, “a new art form at the crossroads of future performing arts and technology. Through these projects and collaborations with diverse creative, technical and academic partners, Pete continues to explore new frontiers in digital media, creating immersive experiences that captivate and inspire.