Ben Thoma

About Ben Thoma

I\'ve spent 17 years helping marketing teams do work they\'re genuinely proud of, with campaigns and projects they still talk about years later.My background spans 10 years in advertising agencies and 7 years in B2B SaaS. I came up in agencies, learning how to sell ideas, deliver on deadlines, and collaborate to improve ideas and execution. I later moved into SaaS, navigating longer buying cycles, complex products, and the challenge of making technical things feel human. Both these worlds have taught me that marketing success always starts with the customer, guided by data, and earns attention instead of demanding it.My experience at Atlassian leaned into the power of the team. I started as the lone marketer for Atlassian University, building the marketing engine for training and certification products from scratch, and expanding Atlassian University 10x to over one million learners. As we grew I was able to hire and mentor a content team that helped to launch a new learning platform, increasing engagement over 40%.At Ontic, I led website strategy for a B2B SaaS audience, overseeing a major rebrand and site overhaul. The work improved conversion, site health, and user experience for more than monthly visitors, and required close partnership with GTM teams, product marketers, designers, content marketers, and development to drive measurable growth.Alongside my professional work, I’m the co-founder and lead organizer of CreativeMornings/Austin. For more than 12 years, I’ve led a volunteer team and helped grow the community to more than attendees. That experience shapes how I think about leadership, events, and connection, and reinforces my belief that the strongest brands are built through trust and community.I’m drawn to Marketing Director roles where I can shape strategy, lead teams, and support marketing organizations that balance creativity, humanity, and results.I’m motivated by curiosity, generosity, and building environments where people can do meaningful work together. If you’re interested in marketing strategy, community building, or creating programs that people actually care about, I’m always happy to connect. Skills- Marketing Leadership - Marketing Strategy - Integrated Marketing - B2B SaaS Marketing - Brand and Rebrand Leadership - Digital Platforms - Project and Workflow Management - Experimentation and Optimization - Marketing Analytics - Team Development - Community Building

Experience

1. Co-founder, Lead Organizer, & Host

   Creativemornings

   Mar 2013 — Present · Austin, TX, US

   Event Manager | Brand Manager | Event Marketer | EmceeA global platform with a local focus, CreativeMornings/Austin is a popular speaker series that inspires hundreds of creative types (thinkers, makers, and doers) each month. Established the CreativeMornings brand in Austin, including curating speakers, venues, communication, content, and partnerships. Lead a team of 20+ dedicated organizers and help stretch our five-figure budget.

Education

• University of Delaware

  Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Visual Communications, Advertising Design

  1998 — 2004

Skills

• Marketing
• Video Editing
• Art
• Wiffle Ball
• Teaching
• Art Direction
• Visual Communication
• Campaign Development
• Brand Development
• Indesign
• Graphic Design
• Integrated Marketing
• Community Development
• Digital Marketing
• Community Engagement
• Social Media Marketing
• Social Media Advertising
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Creative Direction
• Interactive Advertising
• Concept Development
• Graphics
• Digital Strategy
• Eye
• Os X
• Social Media
• Community Organizing
• Creative Strategy
• Advertising