HELLO :) I AM A CREATIVE DIRECTOR DESIGNING NEW WORLDS. I HAVE WORKED WITH BRANDS LIKE NETFLIX, BUMBLE, SHOPIFY, AND GOOGLE, AND HAVE BUILT POP UPS, RETAIL SPACES, AND EVENTS. I WAS SELECTED TO THE FORBES 30 UNDER 30, HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN HBR, AND WAS FEATURED IN THE CUT.
ABOUT
Kate Machtiger is a Creative Director at Set Creative, where she envisions brand experiences and activations for clients like Google, Shopify, Brooks Running, and Bayer. Previously, at Invisible North, Kate worked with brands like Netflix, Amazon Studios, Meta, Vimeo, Bumble, Propel, and Nestlé to create physical and digital experiences that pushed the frontiers of connection.
She founded Extra Terrestrial Studio, which designs surreal places that build connection through exploration and play, with a focus on sensory-rich environments and accessible design.
Kate was formerly Design Director at Assignment Studios, where she helped clients bring their brand visions to life in the form of retail spaces, pop ups, and events. She is an alum of NEW INC, the New Museum's incubator program.
In 2016, Kate was selected to the Forbes 30 Under 30 for her role in developing emerging technology programs with the federal government.
Previously, Kate served as a creative consultant on numerous large-scale real estate and hospitality ventures, and as an innovation consultant for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and large nonprofits. She began her career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs.
Kate holds a BSE in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from Said Business School at the University of Oxford.
PRESS
Digital Experience: The New Normal / MIT Technology Review (2022)
Why cross-reality retail design is the next innovation frontier / The Future Laboratory (2022)
The Future 100: 2021 / Wunderman Thompson (2021)
The Roaring 2020s / Archrival (2021)
The MBA Who Dresses Like an Artist / NYMag: The Cut (2017)
30 Under 30 / Forbes (2016)
Oxford Saïd alumnae named on the 2016 Forbes 30 under 30 list / University of Oxford (2016)
30 Under 30 In 2016: Young Leaders Unleashing Learning for All / Women of Green (2016)
APPEARANCES
UN Panel: Towards a Neuro-Inclusive World for All (2023)
EY Artist-in-Residence (2022)
Phil with Forbes 30 Podcast (2020)
The Retail Podcast (2020)
XR for Change Summit: The Way Ahead for VR in Education (2017)
SXSWedu: So You Want to Create a Makerspace (2017)
THOUGHTS
What Will the Retail Experience of the Future Look Like? / Harvard Business Review (HBR.org) (2020)
5 realistic ideas for future-proof innovation / Luminary Labs (2018)
The evolution of 'smart cities' / Luminary Labs (2018)
In Pursuit of Reality / Luminary Labs (2017)
Hacking Tony Hawk: Experiment 1 / Medium (2016)
Hidden Histories – Exploration in Four Dimensions / OpenIDEO AARP Challenge Winner (2014)
Onward and Upward: How to optimize your next office space / PLASTARC (2014)