Meow Wolf names former Epic Games executive as CEO
Matthew Henick had also served as the CEO of AI company Deep Voodoo
Meow Wolf, the arts and entertainment company that opened its immersive 鈥淗ouse of Eternal Return鈥� in Santa Fe in 2016, said Tuesday that it has hired Matthew Henick as its CEO.
Since the Santa Fe installation opened 10 years ago, Meow Wolf has established its quirky installations in cities across the nation, with permanent locations in Texas, Nevada and Colorado. It is currently working on installations in and Los Angeles.
鈥淢atthew brings a remarkable combination of media, technology and immersive experience leadership at exactly the right moment for Meow Wolf,鈥� said Christopher Sobecki, chair of Meow Wolf鈥檚 board of directors. 鈥淲ith the company expanding both its geographic footprint as well as its new media presence beyond the four walls, the board is confident he is the right leader to build on Meow Wolf鈥檚 artistic foundation while guiding its growth in a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape.鈥�
Before joining Meow Wolf, Henick worked as the senior vice president of consumer products for The Trade Desk, a California-headquartered digital marketing company. Before that, he was the CEO of Deep Voodoo, an AI and visual effects studio founded by the creators of the animated television series 鈥淪outh Park,鈥� Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Henick also led metaverse development at Epic Games, 鈥渨here he drove strategy for Fortnite鈥檚 immersive digital world,鈥� Meow Wolf said in a news release.
He holds a master鈥檚 degree in fine arts from the University of Southern California. He also holds a master鈥檚 degree in digital media studies and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in science, technology and society from Stanford University.
Henick co-founded the first and largest ringtone company in the U.S. in 2000, MobileSmarts.
Meow Wolf described Henick as a Los Angeles resident who is 鈥渄eeply embedded in the creative and technology communities that will be central to Meow Wolf鈥檚 continued growth.鈥�
鈥淗is experience building entertainment platforms at the intersection of content, technology, and audience, most recently in the television and streaming space, dovetails with Meow Wolf鈥檚 vision for where the experience economy is headed,鈥� the company said in the news release.
Henick replaces former CEO Jose Tolosa, who stepped down last year after leading the company for more than three years. Tolosa, who led Meow Wolf鈥檚 expansion into Texas, had also led the company when it cut more than 200 workers across operations to reduce expenses in 2024.
In a statement, Henick said the first time he walked through a Meow Wolf exhibition that he 鈥渇elt wonder and connection 鈥� to the art, to the strangers around me and the artists who create these miracle places.鈥�
鈥淢y job is to make sure millions more people get to feel that, whether they walk through our portals or encounter Meow Wolf in entirely new ways,鈥� Henick said.
Justin Horwath covers tech and energy for the Journal. You can reach him at jhorwath@abqjournal.com.
