Help us build a new kind of playground

At Starlings, we’re building an immersive experience that feels like you’ve stepped into a surreal world where creativity brings reward, where strangers become allies, and the guest is always the hero.

This fall, we’re producing a series of prototype events in San Francisco that blend immersive theater, adventure escape scenarios, music, immersive art, and environmental storytelling. We’re looking for a freelance live action game designer to help us craft the real-world interactive challenges — activities are playful, surprising, collaborative, and just a little bit weird (in the best way).

About the Role

What You'll Design

Creative IRL interactions that spark joy, laughter, and unexpected connection
Role-playing moments that invite guests to step into a mission, or a movement
Physical, emotional, and mental challenges that engage imagination as well as logic
Collaboration moments between guests, even (especially!) if they don’t know each other
Activities that live within a hybrid of reality and fantasy taking place in a secret club, an art experiment, or a dream you don’t want to end

What We're Looking For

A collaborator, working closely with the creative lead, game master, writers, and marketing team
Willingness to get your hand dirty to bring ideas to reality
Understanding of production feasibility, including working within a defined schedule and within a capped budget
Someone with experience designing live action immersive games, and roleplaying scenarios
A maker of moments, not just mechanics — you care about how people feel, not just what they do
A very strong collaborator who thrives in a team of artists, producers, and storytellers
Available to start immediately, contribute ~3–15 hours/week
The possibility to support the creation and installation of the game elements within the venue in-person in SF

Why Join Us

You’ll help create the first public-facing experience that’s part of a paradigm shift in entertainment
You’ll work with a mission-driven team that blends creativity, systems change, and cultural impact
You’ll get to prototype bold ideas and see them come to life, in front of real audiences

Apply for the job

Send us a bio with your experience, a few examples of your past work with descriptions of your role (videos, design docs, photos, write-ups — whatever shows your style) and a short note telling us why this opportunity excites you. Inspired creativity and boundary pushing are encouraged.

Apply now