His new reality
Meow Wolf CEO will have a hand in moving the multiverse forward
Jose Tolosa has traveled the world during his 14 years with ViacomCBS. He often blazed new trails and merged similar paths along the way.
Yet, when Tolosa visited Meow Wolf’s permanent installation, “Omega Mart,” in Las Vegas, Nevada, his mind was blown.
“You come into an environment that seems normal,” he says. “Then, very quickly, you scratch your head. From that point, your imagination is running wild.”
This is also how Tolosa felt when he visited Meow Wolf’s two other installations — “Convergence Station” in Denver and “House of Eternal Return” in Santa Fe.
“When you walk into a Meow Wolf experience, you forget about reality,” he says. “You start immersing yourself into these worlds and they lead you to a realized story. It’s amazing how quickly you forget where you are.”
Tolosa will have a hand in moving the multiverse forward as he takes the reins as Meow Wolf’s CEO.
He was drawn to Meow Wolf because of its mission to impact people’s lives through art and creativity.
“The founders have been able to take this mission out to the masses,” he says. “It’s enabled a wider reach. That’s the opportunity I saw. The sky is the limit and there’s so much potential in growing the company.”
Tolosa is looking forward to incorporating more technology into all aspects of Meow Wolf.
“The storytelling is solid,” he says. “As we continue to grow the storytelling, it creates more of an impact.”
Vince Kadlubek, former Meow Wolf CEO and founder, says he got the chance to know Tolosa during the recruitment process and is excited he’s taking the position.
“He’s a phenomenal human with extensive leadership experience who is focused on integration, transparency, developing a unified culture, empowering creativity and being driven by social impact,” Kadlubek says. “Jose’s inclusion into the team provides us with the opportunity to evolve the company in a healthy direction, one that is firmly rooted in our core mission and empowers our truest intent.”
Tolosa takes over the role from co-CEOs Carl Christensen, Ali Rubinstein and Jim Ward, who became interim co-CEOs in October 2019.
Ward, originally chief content officer, stepped down as co-CEO in 2021 and remains an advisor to the company. Christensen and Rubinstein will return to their original roles as chief financial officer and chief creative officer, respectively.
Meow Wolf continued to grow in 2021 as it opened its permanent installations — “Omega Mart” and “Convergence Station” — during the pandemic.
According to Meow Wolf, it welcomed over 1.7 million visitors at its three locations, which includes its original installation “House of Eternal Return.”
Tolosa will be spending a significant amount of time in Santa Fe, though his family will remain in New York.
“I haven’t seen a city like this,” he says of Santa Fe. “I’m quite intrigued by how the city is growing as well. There are so many elements coming into play at the same time. I’m looking forward to this adventure.”