Ben Thompson has spent the last 25 years in marketing, strategy and new business development roles in major global organisations. A graduate of the accelerated management training program at Mars Inc, Ben spent 11 years at the company including the last 3 years as Director of Category Leadership. In 2011 Ben moved to the Walt Disney company where in under 5 years he rose to become Marketing Director for Retail EMEA, leading the region’s marketing strategy on Star Wars VII, Marvel, Frozen, and several Pixar titles. In 2015 Ben moved to Merlin Entertainments as Global Marketing Director, New Openings where he had responsibility for the launches of 4 LEGOLAND® parks and 40 Indoor attractions. This included the development of new brands; Little Big City, the Bear Grylls Adventure and Peppa Pig World. In 2018 Ben founded his own strategy consultancy and enjoyed great success working with clients including KidZania, Tony’s Chocolonely, the Cataratas Group and Europa Park. Ben joined Storyland Studios as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of International in August 2020 and runs Storyland’s International office just outside London. In this role Ben handles all Storyland’s relationships with global IP partners, and was the lead executive responsible for the partnership with Ubisoft Entertainment.

Ben’s Projects

Ubisoft Entertainment

FORGING A LANDMARK PARTNERSHIP TO BRING VIDEO GAME WORLDS TO LIFE

At Storyland Studios, Ben spearheaded the partnership with Ubisoft Entertainment, leading the charge on creating immersive theme park experiences inspired by some of the world’s most beloved gaming franchises.

Tony’s Chocolonely

CREATING A CHOCOLATE-THEMED IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH A POWERFUL MISSION

Ben worked with Tony’s Chocolonely, the ethical chocolate company, to develop an immersive brand experience that educates and engages visitors in Tony’s mission to create a 100% slave-free chocolate industry through story-driven, interactive experiences.

Ben’s Projects at Previous Firms

LEGOLAND® Parks

DRIVING GLOBAL EXPANSION WITH FOUR NEW LEGOLAND® PARK OPENINGS

As Global Marketing Director, New Openings at Merlin Entertainments, Ben led the strategic planning and execution behind the launches of four LEGOLAND® parks, expanding the beloved brand into new regions and elevating guest engagement worldwide.

Madame Tussauds

ELEVATING AN ICONIC BRAND THROUGH NEW MARKET EXPANSION

During his tenure at Merlin, Ben contributed to Madame Tussauds’ strategic expansion, helping evolve the brand’s appeal through innovative marketing and new attraction openings.

Matt’s career began at the Walt Disney Company, where he led national brand and marketing programs for the Walt Disney World destination, Walt Disney World Resort Hotels, Golf and Dining, and ESPN Wide World of Sports. Over the course of his career, Matt has worked with dozens of multi-national companies, including Cedar Fair Entertainment, the Biltmore Estate, Chiquita, and Habitat for Humanity. He joined Storyland Studios in 2020 to serve as the Chief Innovation Officer.

Matt’s Projects

Kebulania

DESIGNING & MASTER PLANNING A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND FILM CITY IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

A groundbreaking Nollywood-inspired film city and entertainment hub, Kebulania is set to redefine the African entertainment landscape. Storyland Studios is leading the master planning and immersive design to create a world-class destination for filmmakers, creatives, and global audiences.

Bethany Children’s Health Center

TRANSFORMING A BELOVED CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL THROUGH HEARTFELT SPATIAL STORYTELLING

Storyland Studios partnered with Bethany Children’s Health Center to reimagine its campus through an immersive, story-driven master plan, blending healing environments with engaging, interactive spaces that uplift young patients and their families.

Matt’s Projects at Previous Firms

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

CRAFTING IMMERSIVE BRAND EXPERIENCES FOR DISNEY’S WILDEST THEME PARK

As part of his tenure at The Walt Disney Company, Matt contributed to brand and marketing strategies for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, one of the most immersive and narrative-driven theme parks in the world.

ESPN Wide World of Sports

SHAPING THE BRAND EXPERIENCE OF DISNEY’S PREMIER SPORTS DESTINATION

Matt played a key role in the brand and marketing development for ESPN Wide World of Sports, a premier multi-sport complex that hosts elite athletic competitions, training camps, and global sports events at Walt Disney World Resort.

Tyler is an accomplished Theme Park and Hospitality Executive with twenty years of experience, working with some of the industries most notable names. With a results-driven track record across multiple facets of the industry and an MBA in International Business Management, Tyler has a wealth of experience leading teams in multi-national settings.

Before joining Storyland Studios and Storyland Consulting, he served as corporate director at SeaWorld Entertainment, overseeing $600m of revenue across 12 theme and water parks. He also led in-park revenue analysis for Cedar Fair Entertainment.

Tyler also writes a monthly column, “Rizzo Reviews” for attraction industry news platform Blooloop. Each month, he explores and takes a deep dive into some of the latest news and trends of strategy in the world of themed entertainment.

Tap here to read Tyler’s “Rizzo Reviews”.

Tyler’s Projects

PORTO BOEGA

A WORLD-CLASS RESORT, WORKING IN HARMONY WITH THE LOCAL CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Storyland Studios are developing Porto Boega – a theme park driven heavily by a story that can evolve over time.

The 50-hectare Boega Island was previously a farming settlement but has been unoccupied for many years. It is located on the Minho River, along the Portuguese-Spanish border.

The island has since been left untouched but still holds a vital role in the maintenance and flow of the river. It requires management and intervention, with occupancy key to ensuring its longevity.

As part of the early stages of the project, Tyler led the in-depth feasibility study for the clients, commanding a high-level view of strategic planning, demographics and projected financial figures.

Tap here to learn more!

Prior to joining Storyland, Shawn was the national brand strategy and brand management lead at Kaiser Permanente, a multibillion-dollar health care provider and not-for-profit health plan serving over 10 million members nationwide. He has 20+ years of multi-category brand building experience from strategy to creative direction working on both the agency and client sides of the business. Shawn is a specialist in corporate brand strategy and brand culture development and the co-creator of the Personality Profile Framework, an organizational psychology-based management tool used by hundreds of organizations in the United States.

Shawn began his career as a brand identity designer, graduating with honors from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and the AIGA Executive Management Program for Creative Leaders at Yale University.

Shawn takes great pleasure in teaching what he knows and encouraging others. He is dedicated to learning and interested in forging true partnerships with those alongside whom he works and serves.

 Ever since his first trip to Orlando at the age of ten, Jonathan as held a deep passion for Theme Parks and Themed Entertainment. He has spent the last decade working in the themed entertainment industry in roles that cover executive production, project management and business development for a number of exciting companies.

​To date, Jonathan has worked on attraction design & build projects with Walt Disney Imagineering, Merlin Entertainments, The LEGO Group, Warner Bros, Qiddiya, EMAAR Entertainment, Europa-Park and many more. Jonathan also served as a board member for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)’s EME division between 2013 and 2019.

Jonathan brings with him a strong knowledge of thematic design and fabrication, a large network of industry partners, consultants and vendors, as well as extensive experience working across all attraction project stages, managing both creative and build teams from RFP through to installation. This is all mixed with a ton of passion and boundless enthusiasm for the creation of immersive themed experiences.