Avant Gardner, the owner of Electric Zoo that hosted the disastrous 2023 edition of the festival, has hired a new executive director. Billboard information.
Josh Wyatt, former CEO of co-working space giant NeueHouse, has been tapped to run the company and re-ingratiate himself with Electric Zoo fans.
“If I had to make a constructive criticism of the company in the past, it is that they have not always done a good job of communicating with the different [Electric Zoo] stakeholders,” Wyatt said of last year's failed event.
“Over the past eight weeks, I have contacted and engaged all key stakeholders at Electric Zoo,” he added regarding refunding ticket holders and managing legal issues. “I'm proud of that.”
Avant Gardner, an indoor-outdoor venue that includes the famous Brooklyn Mirage, purchased Electric Zoo just a year before its ill-fated 2023 event on Randall's Island, leading to a series of class-action lawsuits.
Now, Wyatt says he's planning an “experiential evolution” of the resort after an anonymous investor “injected the company with growth capital.” In partnership with Avant Gardner co-founder Billy Bildstein, it has revealed a new mocktail bar initiative and community spaces, including a hi-fi listening room and art and visual studios.
As of this writing, the owners of Avant Gardner have not yet formally announced when the new experiences will be rolled out.
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