Community Highlights: Meet Tiffany Gray of Sawhorse Productions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Gray.

Hi Tiffany, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I came up producing and directing theater in my twenties, but I had no idea that could be a real profession. So hoping for a firm career path, I went to law school at the University of San Francisco. I got a job in real estate and bankruptcy litigation during the 2008 financial crisis. It was brutal.

But while doing that, I started producing thesis films for friends who were attending USC. That was the lightbulb moment. I quit the terrible job and spent seven years doing solo entertainment law and freelance producing. Independent film, commercials, branded content. I was pitching brands on why they should bet on YouTube and digital platforms when most people still did not understand it. I then ran production for a stop motion animation company, Extra Credit Studios, who produced Most Popular Girls In School, and worked at places like Elevate Pictures, Group Nine Media, and SoulCycle.

That whole era taught me how to operate in emerging spaces. I learned how to educate the market, pitch something new, and move fast. It was the same mentality I am using now.

I reached out to Sawhorse Productions when the timing felt right. I had known the founders since our branded content days in the early 2010s. It felt like coming home.

Sawhorse is a creative agency connecting brands and entertainment to digital communities across platforms. Founded in 2013, we create multi platform content and interactive experiences. We handle traditional production, post production, interactive game design, AR, GenAI, and creator campaigns. We work across strategy, creative development, and full scale execution. We were named the first ever Telly Production Company of the Year and landed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in 2025.

Today, as Head of Interactive, I lead a team building immersive brand experiences on UGC Platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and Meta Horizon for studios and brands like Netflix, Universal, Google, Walmart, Warner Bros., Paramount, Burberry, Fenty, and Lamborghini. My role spans creative development, production, business development, strategy, and legal and business affairs.

What excites me most is that we are now building worlds audiences actually spend time in, play in, and return to. It is a completely different relationship between a brand and its audience. Getting to shape that from the ground up has been the most fulfilling work of my career.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, not even close. And, I think anyone building a career at the intersection of entertainment and emerging technology would say the same.

I spent the first chunk of my career figuring out what I even wanted to do. I went to law school because I thought I needed a safe path, and then I ended up doing real estate bankruptcy litigation during the worst financial crisis in a generation. That was its own kind of education, but it was miserable. Leaving that behind to go solo as an entertainment attorney and freelance producer was terrifying. There was no safety net. But that scrappiness, that willingness to figure it out and wear every hat, ended up defining how I work.

The space I work in now did not exist in its current form even a few years ago. There was no established playbook for building brand experiences on gaming platforms, or for explaining to a Fortune 500 company why their next campaign should live on Roblox or Fortnite. A lot of the early work was pure education. Pitching immersive when the room still thought digital meant a banner ad.
On the operational side, building and scaling a team in a fast moving, project based business comes with real challenges. Balancing creative ambition with budget realities, managing headcount around fluctuating workloads, and maintaining quality across a wide range of clients and platforms all require constant attention.

There is also the reality of being a woman in leadership in gaming and interactive media, which still skews heavily male. I have learned to lead with confidence, lean into my expertise, and build relationships rooted in trust and mutual respect. That has made all the difference.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At Sawhorse, I lead the Interactive Department. Day to day, my work is a blend of creative strategy, business development, production oversight, and legal and business affairs. I might spend the morning in a creative review for a studio activation, the afternoon negotiating contract terms with a partner, and the evening building out a pitch for a new client opportunity. The variety keeps me sharp. And honestly, everyone at Sawhorse has that same energy. We all know where our lane is and our expertise, but we can jump around and support each other as needed.

Right now is one of the most exciting stretches we have had at Sawhorse. We launched Pressure on Fortnite for Focus Features, a World War II drama starring Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott. We built a custom game experience that immerses players in the strategic decisions that shaped the invasion of Omaha Beach on D-Day. It is a great example of how we help studios bridge cinema and gaming in a way that feels organic and exciting.

We also continue to build on our relationship with NBCU through How to Train Your Dragon on Roblox, which launched in March 2025 and keeps growing. Players can hatch, train, bond with, and fly their own dragons, and we keep refreshing the experience with new challenges tied to the film series’ release calendar. We are also generating new storylines and YouTube content from the game, extending the ecosystem beyond the film release. The LA Times highlighted it as a case study for how studios are using Roblox and Fortnite to reach young fans in a completely new way.

We partnered with H&R Block to bring tax education to Gen Z gamers through an immersive experience in MetroLife that launched in February 2026. More than 15,000 players participated in the activation. It is a perfect example of how non-traditional brands can authentically reach audiences in gaming spaces and meet them where they actually are.

And, we just launched a Billie Eilish activation on Roblox tied to the upcoming release of her concert film, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), co-directed by James Cameron. We brought that experience to fans through The Block, connecting the world of music and immersive gaming in a way that extends the reach of the film.

I also recently joined the board for WorldBuilder Summit, the first of its kind UGC platform event bringing together leaders and storytellers across immersive media, gaming, and emerging tech.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The best mentors I have had were not people I formally asked to mentor me. They were people I worked alongside, respected deeply, and built genuine relationships with over time. I think the most powerful mentoring relationships grow out of shared work and mutual trust, not a cold ask.
My advice would be to focus on being someone worth investing in. Show up prepared. Do excellent work. Be the person who follows through. When people see that, they naturally want to help you grow.

Networking, for me, has always been about long term relationships, rather than transactional exchanges. I care about the people I work with, and I invest in those relationships even when there is no deal on the table. That loyalty and warmth comes back around in ways you cannot always predict. Some of my biggest opportunities have come from people I have known for years who thought of me when the right project came along. My current role at Sawhorse is a perfect example. I had known the founders for over a decade through the branded content world, and when the timing was right, that long standing relationship turned into the best professional chapter of my life.

I would also say, do not be afraid to be in rooms where you feel out of your depth. Conferences, industry events, working sessions with people who have more experience than you. That discomfort is where growth happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sawhorsela.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanygray/