Room 8 Voices: Meet Ellis McCusker-Thompson 

Welcome to Room 8 Voices, a series about the people behind the projects. With Voices, we’ll strive to highlight the unique journeys and experiences of our specialists—those whose creativity and dedication powers everything we do.   

All month long, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day—a day dedicated to equality, empowerment, and opportunity. At Room 8 Group, we believe in empowering women and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Throughout March, we’ll be publishing special editions of Voices, each spotlighting one of our female experts. We’ll ask them a series of questions about their dreams, achievements, biggest inspirations and more to celebrate the considerable female talent in our company—and in the industry as a whole. Today’s voice is Ellis McCusker-Thompson, Global Head of Marketing at Room 8 Group! 

Originally from Scotland, Ellis has always been drawn to the creative industries. Running high energy marketing campaigns at Red Bull and launching game trailers and virtual productions at The Mill, her career has been shaped by a passion for innovative marketing ideas and making brands stand out. Now, as Global Head of Marketing at Room 8 Group, she combines her love for games and creativity, leading a team that thrives in the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of gaming. 

How did you break into the video games industry?  

I started out in marketing at agencies and later moved in-house to Red Bull where I worked on campaigns promoting athletes and action-packed events, from motorsports to cliff diving. I first stepped into the production world at renowned VFX studio The Mill, launching game trailers (EA/Apex Legends, Bungie/Destiny and more) as well as incredible virtual production and experiential marketing projects. One that stands out is a virtual concert with Riot Games for League of Legends (Pentakill: Lost Chapter) which drew hundreds of thousands of fans to the event in real-time. From there, my responsibilities expanded into a group role at Technicolor Creative Studios, where I led marketing across film, TV, animation and video game development. I was particularly struck by the incredible scale of the game projects and the global orchestration that makes a AAA title possible. So when the opportunity to join Room 8 Group came up, I jumped at the chance! 

What first sparked your interest in video games?   

Having grown up in the nineties I have great memories of playing the PS1 for hours on end with my sister. Crash Bandicoot and Rayman were our favorites. Fast-forward to the present day and I’m working alongside Yann Le Tensorer (our current VP of Technology) who was Lead Engineer on Rayman 2: The Great Escape, which is a cool full-circle moment. 

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve overcome in your career so far?  

Learning to focus energy and effort on what is in my control. An ongoing challenge!  

What’s your proudest achievement or ‘wow’ moment in your current role? 

I have loved seeing my team at Room 8 Group go from strength to strength and become more in-sync. Looking at how far we have come as a team and what we have delivered over the last year and a half has been an amazing experience, especially considering the rate and pace of change we’ve navigated while being based in different countries. 

What do you love most about your job and why?  

Being surrounded by creative people in an environment where we are always working towards the highest standards is something that keeps me really engaged. There are so many talented people in this company and it’s genuinely inspiring to be part of such a buzzing creative hub. The future-focused nature of our industry in relation to technology and innovation also means you’re exposed to a lot of new ideas. And, it goes without saying, the incredible work coming out of Room 8 Group makes me proud to be a part of this company.  

How do you stay creative and motivated, especially when facing tight deadlines?  

Taking a step back always helps. The games industry is a super fast-paced environment to work in which can make it challenging to keep the bigger picture in mind, and ironically, taking a step back when it feels like you shouldn’t is exactly what helps the most.  

What has your experience of working in the games industry been like?  

I’ve had a really positive experience working in the games industry. At Room 8 Group, 35% of leadership roles are held by women, which is great—but it’s not the industry norm. Women and girls make up about half of all players worldwide, yet they account for 25% of the workforce. When it comes to game content, I’m sure many are aware of the problematic portrayal of female characters (you might remember this campaign from LBB in 2022), and you may be surprised to learn that male characters speak twice as much as female ones. It goes without saying that video games are hugely influential on global culture. Aside from working towards a more equal society, having a diverse team behind the scenes will help create more inclusive games that resonate with the diverse players who love playing them. I’ve been really lucky to have had incredible male and female mentors who have helped me to find my own way through all kinds of challenges, and I hope to be able to pass this on throughout my own career. 

What advice would you give to women joining the gaming industry? 

Even if you don’t feel 100% ‘ready’ to take on a new challenge or make a step up, just go for it. You’ll surprise yourself and learn along the way.  

If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?  

No one has it all figured out. The more experienced people are, the better they are at making confident decisions, looking at challenges from different angles and calling upon previous experiences to cast the right judgement. This is something that gets easier with time and practice, but it’s a never-ending journey.   

What one skill do you think is most underrated yet crucial in game development?  

Open-mindedness. Obviously, deep expertise and knowledge of subject areas are very important, but when people are rigid in their thinking they miss out on new perspectives, bright ideas and better experiences overall. You can learn something from everyone. 

What does success mean to you personally in this industry?  

Success for me is continually being outside of my comfort zone, learning new things and always aiming to handle something a little bit better than I would have done in a previous situation.  

I’d say for our industry, success is more or less the same idea: always pushing forward, adapting to the latest innovation in technology and staying at the forefront of an ever-changing environment.