Meow Wolf cuts 54 jobs at local art mart
Amegastore is learning the cost of doing business off the Strip. Meow Wolf, the company that has developed Omega Mart at Area 15 is cutting 54 positions in its Meow Wolf Workers Collective union in Las Vegas.
The move was announced in a memo from company CEO Joe Tolosa and first reported by Santa Fe New Mexican publication in the company’s headquarters.
In all, the company is cutting expenses by 10 percent, or 165 people. The company and union are still negotiating a collective-bargaining agreement.
Employees were notified via email Tuesday. Layoffs are to come down Wednesday. Word from Omega Mart officials is the cuts will not affect hours or operations at Area15.
From Tolosa’s statement, as issued by Omega Mart officials in Las Vegas:
“Today, Meow Wolf notified our colleagues that we will soon be cutting expenses by 10% and reducing our workforce by 165 people company-wide in order to right-size the business to ensure future success. When we opened our first exhibitions, we were inventing an operating model from scratch. Over the past three years, we’ve developed a better understanding of our guests and what we need to staff and support our exhibitions in order to make the most of the growth opportunities ahead, including our Houston location that opens later this year.”
The employees being cut are from the arts company’s Santa Fe, Texas, Colorado and Nevada operations.
Tolosa also stated the company’s plans for those losing their jobs, writing, “We will be offering a comprehensive separation package, including severance payments tied to years of service, extended healthcare coverage and outplacement services for career support, in addition to other resources.” The exec offered to utilize the company’s “deep relationships” in the arts culture to help those out of work to find work.
The announcement arrives four years to the day that Meow Wolf laid off 201 employees at the start of COVID-19 (cuts that did not involve the Las Vegas venue, which opened in February 2021).
Even with the layoffs, Tolosa says, “Expansion is still an important part of our business strategy, and these changes will enable us to continue to grow in a way that is smart and sustainable.”
Omega Mart is the main attraction and primary tenant at Area 15, with Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin as one of its financial backers. The experience is theatrical and immersive with 250 projects from 325 art, music and digital creators.
The 52,000-square-foot attraction is a vast grocery mart and big-box store at the front, offering such items as Mammal Liquid, Plausible Deniability Laundry Detergent and What Is the True Essence of Butter. All of it is for sale. The store is built with several portals, leading to a community of workers and artists from around the world.
Omega Mart is the second large-scale Area 15 venue this month to suffer from economic concerns. Lost Spirits Distillery, which occupies its own separate annex, announced on April 4 it would shut down April 30. The company had not overcome debt after opening during the COVID, shutting down and then reopening in July 2021.
E-sphere action
Bugha is big. Believe it. If you’re a skeptic, check the Sphere.
Bugha (legal name of Kyle Giersdorf) is 21 years old, and a top player in the Esports game Fortnite. Bugha is a winner of two Esports PC Gamer of the Year awards and the Esports PC Rookie of the Year honor. He is also a contender in the new category of Esports Visual Promotion MVP (which we have just made up).
The image of Bugha is among those glowing on the Sphere, in advance of the upcoming Esports World Cup scheduled for July in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Esports World Cup is the largest such tournament ever, offering a $60 million prize pool. A 20-tournament event with players from around the world will compete in 19 esports games, leading to the lucrative finale.
The display at the Sphere premiered Monday at sunset and runs Tuesday, returning Thursday and Sunday through April 25.
Las Vegas and the Sphere are worthy marketing partners. Vegas is a player in the esports culture. The sport is staged at Hyperx Arena at Luxor (formerly LAX nightclub). UNLV has a team, Rebel Gaming.
Internationally, esports will soon eclipse $200 billion in value (according to industry figures) and is becoming the world’s top entertainment sector with more than 3 billion players around the globe. Once a hobby in homes is now a sport that packs arenas and entertains billions of fans.
“I mean, if you’re the Esports World Cup (this) is something that has never been done before. We’re venturing into an unknown space, and being super-innovative,” Esports World Cup Officer Fabian Scheuermann said Monday in an online chat from Germany. “I think that is what represents the Sphere very well, right? It’s super new. Everyone around the world knows what it is, and how big it is. It’s just this huge, innovative format.”
Cool Hang Alert
Las Vegas Jazz Society’s Sunday afternoon jazz returns this weekend to Bootlegger Bistro from 1 to 3. Tom Hall and the Boss Bebop Jazz Septet plays the room. Great Sunday vibes; go to LVJS.ORG or jazzsocietylasvegas@gmail. com for reservations.