Meet the Team
Freya Shaw, Founder
A registered blind programmer, musician, and sound designer, Freya founded Immersion Sound Studio in 2023, backed by Innovate UK and Innovative Entrepreneurs.
Dr Daniel Jones, Audio Researcher
Daniel is a BAFTA-nominated audio researcher and creative technologist, specialising in spatial sound and non-linear audio experiences for over two decades.
John Bailey, Lead composer
John creates compositions and sound effects for the sound library. He has worked on Many prestigious projects including classical compositions with Alex James (Blur).
Curtis Stansfield, Composer
Curtis is the supporting composer for the our library. Performance and recording credits include Paolo Nutini, Natasha Bedingfield, Mika, and The Script.
Tom Fricker, Graphic Artist & Designer
Tom has over 20 years industry experience, in brand, illustration and digital projects.
Awards & Presentations
UCL Video Game Symposium (2026)
Showcased at University College London's Video Game Accessibility Symposium, 2026.
Create Growth (2025-26)
Awarded by Innovate UK to develop Hodr Engine as a commercial tool, both to connect with Red Nought’s Baldr game engine and to build Hodr Engine as a standalone tool for spatial audio soundscape creation.
Enterprise grant (2025)
Awarded by the University of Huddersfield’s Enterprise Hub to support student-led start-ups in launching their business.
Innovative Entrepreneur's Award (2025)
A grant awarded to Immersion Sound Studio as one of three winners of a two-minute pitch presentation to a panel of judges.
Innovative Entrepreneurs Programme (2025)
An accelerator programme for start-up businesses in West Yorkshire, run by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. It provides business support, legal guidance, office space, and the opportunity to take part in the programme’s pitch competition.
Unlocking Potential Award (2023-24)
Grant and business support awarded by Innovate UK to begin the Hodr Engine’s research and development during its Version 1 and Version 2 prototype stages.
Vice Chancellor's Scholarship (2023-25)
Awarded by the University of Huddersfield to support the Hodr Engine’s prototype development during a Music Technology MA by Research.
Access Bristol (2025)
A co-presentation by Immersion Sound Studio and Red Nought at the Accessible Technology Conference at the University of Bristol, where we discussed our collaboration to develop Hodr as an accessible layer for the Baldr Engine.
DevCOM (2025)
A panel at Devcom in Cologne alongside Red Nought, Xbox, and Embody, discussing the use of audio as an accessibility mechanic in game design.
Leeds City College (2025)
A guest presentation to first‑year sixth form students in the Games Design Department. Freya delivered a session inspired by the Spillkonventet talk, introducing students to accessible game design and Hodr Engine’s ongoing development journey.
Spillconventet (2025)
A gaming convention hosted by the Viking Film Centre in Oslo. Freya co‑presented a talk on accessible game design with Theo Nogueira, Audio Director at Snowcastle Games, where they showcased a demo game developed by the Hodr Engine, where a volunteer successfully completed the game live.
Innovation Festival (2025)
Hosted by Innovate UK and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Freya took part in a panel discussion on the West Yorkshire start‑up ecosystem and shared her experiences of receiving support from Innovate UK and the Innovative Entrepreneurs Program.
Electric Spring (2025)
An audio technology symposium held during the Electric Spring festival at the University of Huddersfield’s Music Department. Freya presented her MA by Research in Music Technology, which involved developing the Hodr Engine prototype, and provided a live demonstration of the engine.
Slush (2024)
A founder and investor networking event held in Helsinki and funded by the Global Business and Innovation Programme. Freya and John were selected to join the UK cohort and delivered short pitches at the British Embassy to investors and fellow founders, introducing the early development stages of the Hodr Engine and Baldr Engine.
Stemfest (2024)
A three‑day convention for primary and secondary schools across West Yorkshire, hosted in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Freya co‑hosted a stall at the event, spoke to students about using spatial audio for accessible game design, and demonstrated an audio game as an example of blind accessible gameplay.