Meow Wolf has tapped Matthew Henick as its new chief executive, the immersive art collective announced Tuesday, handing the keys to a veteran of both gaming and ad tech just as the company leans into a bigger national footprint. Henick, who has worked on metaverse projects at Epic Games and led consumer product strategy at The Trade Desk, will formally step into the role on April 27. The move lands as Meow Wolf pushes past its Santa Fe roots, with major permanent builds in the works for Los Angeles and New York.
Board ends year-long search
The board revealed Henick’s appointment Tuesday after a year-long search, according to Las Vegas Sun. Rebecca Campbell had been holding the reins as interim CEO since May 2025 following Jose Tolosa’s departure, as reported by Amusement Today. Company leaders have framed the permanent hire as a way to scale Meow Wolf’s creative output into new media and consumer products without losing the weirdness that built the brand.
Henick’s tech and media pedigree
Henick’s resume stretches across gaming, ad tech and creative studios: he led metaverse development at Epic Games, served as senior vice president of consumer products at The Trade Desk and was CEO of Deep Voodoo, according to KOB. He will formally assume the CEO role on April 27, the company said. “The first time I walked through a Meow Wolf exhibition, I felt wonder and connection,” Henick said in the announcement. His background building immersive digital worlds and consumer platforms could influence how Meow Wolf extends and commercializes its IP beyond walk-through exhibitions.
Expansion and footprint
Meow Wolf currently operates permanent exhibitions in New Mexico, Texas and Colorado, according to the company’s visitor pages, and has said it is developing installations in Los Angeles and New York, as Las Vegas Sun notes. Omega Mart remains Meow Wolf’s high-profile Las Vegas anchor at AREA15, according to Meow Wolf. Henick steps into a company juggling museum-scale physical builds with broader ambitions around its stories, characters and consumer products.
What to watch
All eyes inside the art funhouse will be on whether Henick leans harder into digital extensions and licensing or concentrates on locking in and finishing the pipeline of physical exhibits. The Los Angeles project later this year and the planned New York build are immediate milestones as he takes charge. “My job is to make sure millions more people get to feel that,” Henick said, describing the growth mandate in the announcement, per KOB.
