Room Escape Artist

The winner for the 2026 Black Immersive Creators Grant is Dain Saint. Selected from 121 outstanding applications, Dain will receive the $10,000 grant to fund their upcoming project Olamina.

A Philly-based storyteller, designer, and creative director, Dain brings a wealth of experience to the immersive space, from producing commercially released games to directing an Emmy-winning editorial series.

Their winning project, Olamina, is a communal storytelling game inspired by traditional Jamaican storytelling, Capoeira, and role-playing games. Participants act as ancestors to a young girl in the future, using ritual, song, and dice to narrate her journey in a beautiful reminder that we are the authors of our own futures.

About the Project

You enter a space lit in the colors of the sun, slowly rising after a long cool night. You see artifacts old and new — motherboards and mother of pearl, LEDs and leaves. Projected stained glass windows show a living landscape of possible futures, creating a ritual circle in a liminal space between the past and the future.

You hear a voice sing out: “I see a lovely world!” 

And you sing: “Come, mek wi tell a story…”

Summoned by a call-and-response ritual, the audience gathers in a wide circle around a Guide and several musicians. Once assembled, the Guide inducts them as Travellers, and welcomes them to a time-travelling ritual—a way to send their consciousness through time to touch and be touched by our young descendent, Olamina.

Olamina is a communal storytelling game inspired by traditional Jamaican storytelling, the playful combat of Capoeira, and role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. We tell the story of a young girl, Olamina, living hundreds of years in our future. Participants take the role of her ancestors and, through ritual, song, and dice, narrate Olamina’s journey through her world. We tell our shared story in a time-travel ritual that reminds us we are the authors of our own futures.

About the Decision

Full Disclosure: David and I are members of the Board for the Black Immersive Creators Grant. It’s important to us that the immersive entertainment industry (including escape rooms) is welcoming to creators of all kinds, and that together we strive for more representation.

As a board members, we reviewed many wonderful applications. As I am every year, I impressed by the scope of what immersive entertainment can be. As always, choosing just one winner was a tough decision. I would love to see many of these projects be produced!

This year’s winner was a finalist last year too, and when I saw this project again for review, I remembered it! That in itself says a lot about the strength of Olamina. I’m so excited for it to materialize.

About the Project

If you are interested in supporting this project, donations will open soon for the 2027 grant cycle.

If you are a black immersive creator interested in applying in 2027, you can learn more here.