When Scott Henkemeyer ’97 steps into a content strategy meeting at Spotify, there’s a good chance at some point that day he’ll be serenaded by a mashup of bubblegum pop, indie rock and punk. That mix is not mandatory listening at headquarters but appears on his Spotify playlist, which contains throwbacks he listened to in his 20s to whatever music on the app his teenagers are currently into.
“Some head-scratchers show up on my Wrapped every year,” the University of St. Thomas alumnus said, chuckling about the quirks of sharing a family plan with his 15- and 18-year-olds. But this global head of content and publishing at one of the world’s most influential audio streaming subscription platforms concedes that the playlist is “a broad representation of my taste and it’s ever-changing.”
His broad exposure to music and tolerance for the ever-changing mirrors his undergraduate experience at the largest private university in Minnesota and the career path he traveled.
“One of the things that a liberal arts education offers, and certainly of the caliber that St. Thomas offers, is that you got exposed to a lot of things,” Henkemeyer said.
Scott Henkemeyer ’97One of the things that a liberal arts education offers, and certainly of the caliber that St. Thomas offers, is that you got exposed to a lot of things.”
When Henkemeyer took an extra year to finish his double major in journalism and English, he had no idea it would change the trajectory of his career, setting him on a path through digital media, corporate communications, and eventually to his role overseeing Spotify’s owned editorial channels.
Starting out majoring in English at St. Thomas, with a minor in journalism, he discovered he enjoyed his journalism classes as much as the English ones. He also appreciated how connected the journalism faculty were with the industry and career opportunities. Despite meaning it would take him another year to graduate, Henkemeyer added journalism as a second major at a time of industry change in the late 1990s.
“Traditional media was changing – some may say dying – but digital media was emerging,” he said.
With the assistance of a professor, Henkemeyer landed an internship, which turned into a junior-level position, for the launch of Twin Cities Sidewalk, an online city guide to arts and entertainment started by Microsoft.
“The beauty of being in a school the size of St. Thomas that’s well networked and connected is a good foundation in terms of the practical side of your education,” Henkemeyer said. “How you’re going to apply it into the world is learning that power of networking. I’ve had a career that has spanned all these years but has really been the result of being well networked, which I learned at St. Thomas.”
Before Spotify, Henkemeyer’s career included 14 years at Target Corporation, where he relaunched Target’s corporate website; led internal strategy; launched several social media channels centered around news and employees; and piloted internal podcasts.
Networking related to his Target position helped him to land his current role at Spotify. Henkemeyer worked with Spotify’s chief public affairs officer, Dustee Jenkins, when she was the chief communications officer at Target.
Journalism Professor Emeritus Mark Neuzil isn’t surprised at Henkemeyer’s career success.
“Scott was one of those students who stood out immediately, and not because of his height. He came ready and eager to learn. He asked for help. He would stop by just to chat,” Neuzil said. “I thought of him as a young man who soaked up information wherever he could find it.”
Leading Spotify’s newsroom and content strategy
At Spotify, Henkemeyer oversees the company newsroom, For the Record, as well as the Spotify News social media strategy. He also leads a creative and production team that handles illustration, graphic design, web design, motion graphics, video and audio content, as well as some production for live events.
“I like to think of ourselves as the news, creative and production apparatus for the global communications team,” he said.
Spotify’s approach to content strategy has continuously evolved since Henkemeyer joined the company in July 2021.
“For a modern corporate communications entity, you have to understand what the audiences you’re serving want, what data is telling you about how information is being consumed,” he said. “And then you need to be really, really attuned to the work that you’re doing on behalf of a brand or company, how you’re showing up in that space.”
For Henkemeyer, that has involved relaunching the For the Record website, revamping the editorial strategy, launching podcasts and expanding the Spotify News social media reach.
Looking back on his career, he’s thankful that he had open-minded professors who were forward-thinking regarding where the journalism industry was headed.
Henkemeyer encourages St. Thomas students to also have an open mind as they start to enter the workforce.
“Think creatively about how you could apply the things that you learn when you’re in college and then build that network,” he said. “The network is huge, and it starts in the classroom.”
