Ben Thompson has over 20 years experience in marketing and strategy roles in the themed entertainment and theme park industry.
He spent five years at Walt Disney where his most recent role was as Marketing Director EMEA in Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. In this role he was responsible for EMEA-wide marketing programs on major film franchises including Star Wars Episode VII, Frozen, Cars 2, Brave and several MCU releases.
Between 2015 and 2018 Ben was Global Marketing Director for Merlin Entertainments. He had responsibility for the openings of 4 LEGOLAND theme parks and 40 Midway sites.
In 2018 Ben founded 9 Degrees West, a strategy consultancy for the experience economy, specialising in theme parks, visitor attractions and brand homes. Ben’s consultancy work included global children’s edutainment brand KidZania, Europa Park, the Cataratas Group (the largest park operator in South America), M&Ms World, and Tony’s Chocolonely.
Ben joined Storyland Studios as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Clients in July 2020. Ben runs the Storyland international office and is a member of the Storyland executive board. He is highly active in developing new theme parks and attraction concepts, including the recently announced partnership with the global gaming giant Ubisoft.
