Ben X. Trinh

About Ben X. Trinh

I’m a Brooklyn-based brand & experience strategist.‍ I lead with empathy. Storytelling is my passion. Pop culture is my pastime. I bring creative solutions to life. My diverse background & skillset is my greatest asset:Illustration. Entertainment & licensing. User experience design. Brand strategy. Marketing strategy.I help brands adapt & break out.I head open, inclusive teams.I evangelize the misunderstood.I lean into the unexpected.Today, I\'m a former-creative-turned Strategy Director in the agency world.For a decade prior I worked as an Entertainment & Licensing, client-side creative. I helped propel Thomas & Friends to #1🥇 children’s preschool brand—culminating in our company HiT’s eventual acquisition by Mattel.In my agency career, I’ve honed a broad skill set across user experience, brand & marketing strategy. I’ve driven business outcomes for clients across: CPG - Fast Twitch from Gatorade, Handsome Brook Farm, Happy Family B2B - Tetra Pak, Conductor, Constellation Health - Lycored, Dialyze Direct, NuSil Spirits - The Glenlivet‍ Tech - Root, Google Pay Telco - Visible, VerizonI recently led strategy on an award-winning (Clio, One Show) campaign for Verizon’s gaming work (8M views, 81% impact affinity). And I was chosen to participate in Verizon’s inaugural AdDisruptors program. Currently, I lead strategy on PepsiCo/Gatorade\'s new premier sports energy drink Fast Twitch—launching fast on the heels of Super Bowl LVII.Anytime I’m not working, I’m immersed in Web3 and keeping my toddler & infant from getting into trouble and—Actually, hold on I’d better go take care of that now.Let\'s talk!

Experience

1. Group Strategy Director

   Big Spaceship

   Mar 2025 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Responsibilities:Consulting with clients to identify real, human-centered solutions to their business challenges Managing a team of talented strategists to uncover critical insights and drive impactful workLeading cross-departmental collaboration with Accounts and Creative in creating engaging, valuable experiences across traditional and digital brand touchpointsDeveloping and presenting strategic plans across a range of client needs, including brand, content, digital marketing and business benchmarking strategy Planning and leading insight discovery by distilling research, analysis and synthesis into a cohesive vision + plan of actionShaping and conducting client research via user testing sessions, interviews, focus groups, qualitative surveys, observational research, and shopalongsBuilding supportive design models, including: creative briefs, audience personas, journey maps, use cases + prototypesGuiding ideation, facilitation, presentations and internal process development

Education

• School of Visual Arts

  MFA, Illustration

• Tulane University

  BS, BA, BS in Psychology, BA in Fine Arts

Skills

• Packaging Artwork
• Graphic Design
• Style Guide Creation
• Site Maps
• Indesign
• Brand Implementation
• Storyboarding
• Omnigraffle
• Visual Design
• User Research
• Digital Media
• Entertainment
• Photoshop
• Interaction Design
• Flash
• Brand Development
• Brand Strategy
• Packaging
• User Experience
• Content Strategy
• Wireframes
• User Experience Design
• Information Architecture
• Graphics
• Publishing
• Art Direction
• User Interface Design
• Creative Direction
• Illustration
• Digital Illustration
• Logo Design
• Art
• Comic Book Illustration
• Wireframing
• Illustrator
• Concept Design
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Karaoke