Building a Business Out of Play — Matt DuPlessie
From Future of StoryTelling (FoST) by Future of StoryTelling
April 30, 2026 · 30 min
About this episode
Matthew DuPlessie discusses innovative approaches to immersive experience design and the shift from traditional narrative to participatory storytelling.
Matthew DuPlessie, Founder & CEO of Level99 and 5 Wits, joins Charlie Melcher to explore a different approach to immersive experience design. Level99 is built as an open world of short, high-intensity challenges. Guests move through it in small teams, choosing where to go, repeating rooms, and improving over time. Progress carries across visits, so the experience evolves the more you engage with it. Matt shares why they moved away from traditional narrative, and what changes when storytelling takes a step back and participation takes the lead. To learn more, visit our website at fost.org . To get your copy of Charlie’s book, The Future of Storytelling , visit thefutureofstorytelling.com/home . -- © 2026 Future of StoryTelling, Corp. Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp. 124 West 13th Street New York, NY 10011 Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher Director, Carolyn Merriman Assistant Producer, Tsuki Carlson in collaboration with Charts & Leisure Founder, Jason Oberholtzer Producer, Meghal Janardan Editor, Garrett Crowe Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli With special thanks to Matt DuPlessie, Madison Brown, Lor Simpson, David Gray, Bonnie Eldon, and Megan Worman.
People in this episode
Host: Charlie Melcher
Guest: Matthew DuPlessie
Topics covered
- immersive experience design
- participation in storytelling
- business innovation
- game design
- team challenges
Keywords
- immersive experiences
- storytelling
- Level99
- game design
- participation
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Level99, 5 Wits, Future of StoryTelling, Charts & Leisure
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