Sparks hires award-winning designer to lead interactive division

Sparks, a global event marketing agency combining industry-leading creative, production, management, marketing and measurement services, announced the appointment of Jamie Barlow as creative media producer.

Barlow will serve as the primary industry voice for Sparks’ interactive media and technology integration offering, helping to strengthen the company’s position in the experiential market.


Interactive media experiences continue to anchor tradeshow, event, retail, and corporate environments. Graphic panels are being replaced with video-driven LED surfaces, product displays are replaced with augmented reality installs and brand experiences are being connected to customer’s pockets in the form of mobile applications.

Visitors are routed through technological touch points at the beginning, middle and end of live marketing experiences to actively engage audiences.

“Interactivity is the bridge to ongoing customer involvement, spanning the gap between their physical and digital lives” says David Lentz, vice president of Sparks’ creative division. “It’s amazing to see the proliferation of interactivity and it’s prevalence in our daily lives. It’s only natural that it becomes a powerful tool to enhance our clients’ ability to communicate to their audiences. We’re very excited to see a broader social acceptance and intuitive understanding of how to use these new technologies.”

The first part of a long-term plan to get in front of this growing trend, Sparks has formalized its strategy and has unveiled a full-scale Interactives division led by Barlow. Previously an “as-requested” offering, the company will now implement interactive media experiences as an integrated service across their brand experience business.

With an impressive portfolio ranging from mobile apps to airport installations, Barlow provides Sparks a tremendous amount of insight on the marketplace, particularly in the areas of interactive media design, creation and integration.

He will collaborate with Sparks’ internal creative teams in ideation, development and production of interactive experiences, as well as support the internal sales teams in effectively identifying opportunities, communicating the offering, and executing the processes for all interactive media based projects.

“Jamie’s fundamental creative process exceeds the norm,” said Lentz. “His ability to deliver, regardless of scale, inspires our clients and creative staff alike. I’m excited to see how our clients benefit from his abundant creativity.”