Ben was born in Dunedin in 1988 at the same time his father, Sir Ian Taylor, was founding Animation Research LTD. Ben spent his childhood surrounded by innovation and unorthodox thinking. Originally nick-named 'seek and destroy' along with his older brother for the chaos they caused at ARL, Ben now uses that same disruptive energy to revolutionize the way we consume some of the biggest sports events in the world.
To the shock of both his parents, at 16 years old Ben declared he was going to boarding school having already completed the necessary transfer paperwork with both Headmasters. He had decided he was going to get a scholarship to play college tennis in the States and being based in Wellington was a necessary step. The most surprising part about all of this was that Ben wasn't that great at tennis. A few years later Ben graduated Florida Southern College summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA and having the 7th best winning record in his school's history.
After college Ben spent 6 years on the road visiting up to 30 countries every year, immersing himself in culture, TV production and innovation. Now Ben oversees ARL's work in Golf, Baseball, Cricket, Sailing and Motorsport where he drives a team of developers and graphic artists to deliver the world-leading graphics we see on our screens every day. Ben is an expert in commercial deals and has successfully negotiated long term contracts with Paramount, Discovery, Disney, Comcast, PGA TOUR, MLB, FOX USA, FOX Australia, Golf Channel and many more.
Ben has three young children and lives in Dunedin with his wife Samantha, where he is a fierce promoter of his city’s history and future potential. He invests locally in Dunedin and participates in a number of initiatives focused on securing Dunedin's future as one of the worlds great small cities.
Talking Points
Responding to adversity - ARL's COVID story
In March 2020, coming off the back of their best ever financial year, ARL watched as President Trump (finally) declared a state of National Emergency and announced their borders would be closing in two weeks. ARL knew that in the same two weeks they would loose all of their sports contracts. Ben talks about how his team turned Covid threats into Covid opportunities, the mindset that set his team alight in a national lockdown and galvanised the development team to build one of their most significant platforms yet.
Responding to adversity - ARL's COVID story
What’s coming and how to get ready
Ben gives his view on artificial intelligence and shares amazing stories of its early adaptation on the bleeding edge of innovation. He gives examples of how some of his clients are thinking about artificial intelligence in one of the most tech-heavy industries in the world - sports broadcasting. Ben puts these new tools in context and brings his audience back to basics with a focus on authenticity.
What’s coming and how to get ready
What I learned from growing up surrounded by innovation
Ben and ARL’s founding idea almost share the same birthday. Although the company wasn’t officially registered until 1990 (Ben born in ’88), Ben and ARL grew up side by side. Ian’s famous “Bugger the boxing, pour the concrete anyway” was etched into Ben’s mind from a young age, so much so that he thought that’s how everyone did business. It wasn’t until Ben went to University in Florida that he realized how wrong he was.
What I learned from growing up surrounded by innovation
Ben was fantastic to work with and everyone that attended commented on what an interesting, engaging and enjoyable presentation he gave ... keep reading Spark New Zealand Trading Limited
Ben Taylor delivered the closing keynote at the Economic Development New Zealand's 2024 Annual Conference, focusing on how technology is transforming the future of New Zealand. His presentation was engaging, insightful, and tailored to the audience's interests. Beyond effectively sharing the story of Virtual Eye, Ben captured the innovative spirit of New Zealand, inspiring attendees about the possibilities that lie ahead. From an organiser's standpoint, Ben was a pleasure to work with, and his talk was a significant success. The audience was eager to hear him speak and chose to stay for the final session, a contrast to previous years when many attendees left early. Their patience was rewarded. In EDNZ's post-event survey, Ben's talk was frequently mentioned as a standout session during the conference. His engaging style and inspirational content led at least one other organisation in attendance to promptly reach out to book him for their event
