He also leads The Studio: Stories on Stage, a new Theatre for Young Audiences initiative that reimagines classic stories for today’s families through fresh, contemporary musical theatre. The inaugural productions include Scroogé: A New Christmas Carol, The Mostly True Story of Little Red Riding Hood, and Pinocchio: A Real Boy Band.

Prior to joining The Studio, Eck spent nearly a decade with Art Park Players in Deer Park, Texas, serving as Theatre Specialist, Marketing Coordinator, and Resident Director. There, he directed mainstage and youth productions while developing year-round arts education programming for young performers ages 3–18. His work encompassed curriculum development, community outreach, marketing, fundraising, production management, and educational initiatives serving hundreds of students annually.

Previously based in New York City, Eck served as Vice President of Broadway Merchandising, LLC, where he helped build and manage a multimillion-dollar theatrical merchandising operation serving Broadway, touring, and international productions. His projects included Kinky Boots, Pippin, Evita, Peter and the Starcatcher, RENT, Hairspray, After Midnight, On the Town, and Flashdance, among many others.

Eck also served as Associate Producer with Allan S. Gordon Productions, working alongside six-time Tony Award-winning producers Allan and Adam S. Gordon. His work encompassed the development, evaluation, financing, and production of Broadway and commercial theatrical projects, including Kinky Boots, Pippin, Peter and the Starcatcher, American Idiot, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Hairspray, and RENT.

As a director, Eck’s credits include the world premiere of Women of a Certain Age, the Southeast premiere of TRAILS: A New American Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher, Sweeney Todd, Chicago, Shrek, The Drowsy Chaperone, Guys and Dolls, Sweet Charity, Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown, The Producers, The Addams Family, The Sound of Music, The Music Man, The Wedding Singer, and numerous productions for young performers.

Throughout his career, Eck has worked at the intersection of the artistic and business sides of theatre, with a particular passion for developing audiences, nurturing young artists, and creating theatrical experiences that introduce a new generation to live performance. With The Studio: Stories on Stage, he brings those experiences together to create imaginative, contemporary productions designed to entertain young audiences and the families who experience them alongside them.

His original musical TRAILS (book by Christy Hall) won the NYMF Award for Best Musical Score and the Stage Entertainment Development Award. Other projects include PUMP UP THE VOLUME, THE OLIVER EXPERIMENT, THE LADIES QUICK: FAMILY IS MURDER, THE TIME MACHINE, and MY LITTLE PONY LIVE (produced by Hasbro and Mills Entertainment). He contributed two original songs for Jeremy Desmon’s hit jukebox musical ONE HIT WONDER represented by Broadway Licensing. Proud member of ASCAP, The Dramatists Guild, and (most importantly) the Humane Society.

www.JeffThomsonMusic.com

He has written major touring spectacles, theme park extravaganzas and arena shows featuring the world’s most beloved characters, including PAW Patrol, Elmo, Mickey Mouse, Dora the Explorer, Baby Shark, Curious George and so many Disney Princesses, in addition to crafting multiple editions of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. For smaller stages — and taller audiences — Jeremy is known for widely produced high-school and middle-school hits like Cyrano de BurgerShack, How To Write A Play in 11 Easy Steps, American History (in 60) and Andie Fowler’s Big-Time Bucket List.

Winner of the prestigious Edward Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre Writing, his other stage credits include Pump Up The Volume, The Oliver Experiment, The Last Supper and One Hit Wonder, as well as family holiday comedies The Santa Switch and The Dreidel Players Present... Best Hanukkah Show Ever! Jeremy holds degrees from Stanford University and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has taught Princeton University’s renowned Triangle Writers Workshop for the past two decades.

He lives in Manhattan with his wife and their five-year-old — just down the street from that Starbucks.