Lockdown got you going round in circles? Captain Baby is an immersive design studio with a host of events you don’t want to miss. Here we speak to founder Felicity Hearn…
Lockdown has been hard. There is no doubt about it. Yet in between the hard parts, it’s refreshing to see people using the time to do good. To create, innovate and inspire. And this is what Felicity Hearn has done with the launch of Captain Baby. An experience design studio, Captain Baby hosts everything from virtual events to workplace workshops and private events. We were lucky enough to take part in a Captain Baby event and were so impressed by the innovation, thoughtfulness behind the event and just how much fun it was. For a night we got to forget about Covid, forget about lockdown and be transported to our own party venue in our front room. It made us feel a little less alone and to just remember what it feels like to let our hair down, have a few cocktails and focus on ourselves. Here we speak to founder Felicity Hearn to see just how she came up with Captain Baby and what the future looks like for them…
How did you come up with Captain Baby and what is the concept behind it?
I have always wanted to work in the magical realm of entertainment and theatre. I started out pitching in on some of London’s pioneering immersive productions – You Me Bum Bum Train and Secret Cinema. I was captivated by the other worlds that this collection of designers and performers were creating for audiences to escape into.
The idea for Captain Baby came about because I wanted to create events that harness the power of live experiences to explore the self. When I hear that my clients have come away from our events feeling empowered and connected and have had a blast in the process, I know I’ve got it right.
Although our events come in different forms, every Captain Baby experience is made up of four fundamental pillars:
- They must have a storyline at their core
- They are designed to empower and inspire the guest
- They encourage human connection
- They are so much fun
Describe a typical day of yours?
Each morning starts with the same ritual – a walk in the park with my dog Moose, two friends and a cup of coffee – this has become a pandemic must for me and the perfect way to ease me into the day. I find mornings almost painful and I really hope I can carry this tradition on when the world opens up because it really helps.
After that there’s no typical day for me – my time is dictated by what project is on my plate at that moment. I’ve just finished a crazy 3 months creating our latest experience Party Inside. My days were filled script writing, testing, designing, product hunting, marketing, packaging. I love being in the flow of a project and gradually seeing all the threads pull together, but it does mean that you have to be ready to be flexible.
How have you found working on Captain Baby in comparison to other jobs? Have you found running your own company a challenge?
My last job was at an experience design company working on some amazing international visitor experiences including Expo 2020 in Dubai and Carlsberg’s Visitor centre in Copenhagen. My working life involved lots of travel and working with different people and in different cultures which I loved and learned so much from.
Working on Captain Baby is a huge shift from my last job because now the buck stops with me, no matter what. Everything from motivating myself in the morning, to coming up with ideas and seeing them through is my own responsibility, and that’s a lot of hard work before you’ve even started working.
This change has been challenging and exciting in equal parts. Many moments of setting up felt lonely and intimidating, particularly as the pandemic took hold and the events industry was rocked. The good thing about being such a young company meant that I had the flexibility to be able to adapt quickly.
Do you think we will continue to adopt the virtual approach to gatherings once the world opens up again?
I think that if this pandemic has taught us anything it’s how important human connection is for our wellbeing. I don’t think anything will replace in-person gatherings and experiences. Technology like Zoom has been brilliant for helping to keep us connected to the people we love, but nothing beats the physical presence of another human being.
Virtual events and experiences have really come into their own in this last year, and I think there is going to be a big place for them going forwards now we’ve started pushing the boundaries of them.
How do you decide on the themes for Captain Baby and what to include in the boxes?
Not all Captain Baby experiences come in a box, but for Party Inside it was a must.
Pre-pandemic I had all these plans for large-scale, in-person theatrical experiences. I’m lucky that I hadn’t started on production, allowing me to press pause and come up with an alternative that couldn’t be covid-cancelled.
That was the starting point for Party Inside, I was looking for an answer to the question – how can we celebrate? I wanted to create something that would bring some joy, uplift and connection to people within the parameters of a national lockdown. Every item that went in the box was included to amplify the story – to help guests to change their experience of a home they’d be stuck inside, and to help them celebrate themselves.
The theme for every Captain Baby experience comes from a question that has been bothering me. It could be a personal question or one about the wider world, then I build the experience structure around my exploration of this question. I learned this process tip from the incredible performance artist Bryony Kimmings and am so grateful for it. The early stages of the process can be agonising and this really helps to focus me.
Are there some ways you think the pandemic has had a positive impact on people’s lives? If so, what do you think this is?
In the early stages of the pandemic along with a collaborator, Thomas Tzortzi, I set up a weekly online diary for friends and family to complete called The At Home Diaries. Each week they were invited to document their everyday pandemic experiences. As we reached the one-year anniversary we asked the group some reflective questions.
The findings from our project was that people had felt a real shift in their outlook on life and a re-ordering of what’s important to them. Life is as unpredictable as it is precious, and our greatest treasures are each other – I hope that we are able to carry this understanding with us long after the pandemic is gone.
What does the future have in store for Captain Baby?
Following the success of Party Inside we’re working on some at-home experience formats that will be great fun for small-scale private gatherings like hen groups, birthdays and dinner parties.
We also have a team-building workshop, Storytellers Connect which is designed to re-connect remote working teams through the power of storytelling. We’ll be running this all year.
As summer approaches we are making plans for some larger in-person events too – we can’t spill the beans on this just yet, but you’ll be the first to know.
In the meantime, I am available as an experiential consultant for anyone who might need a concept for an event of any kind.
Where can you be “Seen in the City”? Where are some of your favourite spots to go in London that you could recommend?
I am a South London gal so that’s where I spend most of my time. South London has the most incredible fringe theatre scene if that’s your thing. For me Battersea Arts Centre is the ultimate venue – it’s a beautiful Victorian Town Hall which was recently restored after a huge fire. They champion new creatives and community and have a legendary scratch night. I’m lucky because my friends run the best pub in London, the Elm Park Tavern near Brixton. It has such a relaxed vibe, and the most delish sharing plates and I can’t wait for it to open up again. I have to give a special shout out to Fowld’s Cafe by Burgess Park who have kept their coffee brewing throughout lockdown, and always have a treat on hand for the local dogs. I can’t stop thinking about the cheeseburger pizza from Made of Dough in Peckham, it’s divine.
Find out more about Captain Baby and how you can take part in their next event here.
