In Loving Memory – Raymond Thompson MNZM
9th February 2025 – It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of the founder (and Chief Executive) of Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment, Raymond Thompson, MNZM
The Cloud 9 team are so proud (as was Ray) that so many still watch his shows around the world to this day. Ray’s legacy, works and projects will live on. And the Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group companies and the titles Ray brought into being will continue on (as Ray wished).
Ray had great respect and esteem for his friends and colleagues in the music, film & television entertainment industries, as well as the New Zealand wine industry, and a deep appreciation and love for the many fans around the world who were touched by his creative endeavours.
A force of nature and larger than life, Ray’s passing is a catastrophic loss to his family and they respectfully ask for ongoing privacy during this very difficult time. A private family service has been held but it would mean a great deal if in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the non-profitable charity founded by Ray in New Zealand, the Cloud 9 Children’s Foundation which supports and assists children and teenagers (and their families) touched by Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Biography: Group Chairman and Chief Executive – Raymond Thompson MNZM
Raymond was a veteran of the television and film industries, where he began as a writer (having also had a career as a songwriter and musician). His first novel, The Number To Call Is… was a bestseller and achieved critical acclaim in 1979.
As lead writer/script consultant he worked on several motion pictures and television series. His credits range from Hotshot to Squadron (for the BBC), Trainer to the icon series Howards Way (also for the BBC), which is regarded by many as one of Brtain’s best loved drama series (and which regularly achieved the highest ratings during its six-year run).
From 1989-1994 Raymond was also Head of Development for BBC Television Drama, and also retained as a consultant to the Controller of BBC Television Drama Series, where he had a production/creative liaison on a wide range of successful BBC titles – many of which are still being broadcast today.
In 1994 Raymond founded the Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group in association with the Sanctuary Group PLC.
Cloud 9 evolved to be of the most prolific independent production companies (with its titles being show in over 100 countries around the world) and helped contribute to the revitalisation of the Wellington entertainment industry (‘Wellywood’) by supporting and ushering in a new generation of talent in the Wellington and New Zealand television and film communities.
In addition to being Chief Executive of the Cloud 9 Group, Raymond has also Executive produced Cloud 9’s portfolio of titles from inception to the current day- many of which Raymond also created.
Credits include The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson, Return to Treasure Island, William Shatner’s A Twist in the Tale, The Enid Blyton Adventure Series, The Enid Blyton Secret Series, The Legend of William Tell, within Cloud 9’s Classic Collection in association with CLT-UFA.
His numerous other credits include the iconic series The Tribe (5 seasons of 260 episodes), Atlantis High, Revelations -The Initial Journey, and The New Tomorrow (all created by Raymond).
In 2000, Ray was the Founder and Chairman of The Cloud 9 Children’s Foundation, a non-profit charity which supports and assists families touched by Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder..
Also in the year 2000, Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment won the Supreme Award at the Wellington Gold Awards for its significant contribution to the Wellington economy. Cloud 9 also won in 1999 the Creative Gold Award and in 2000 the Technology Gold Award.
In 2001 Raymond returned to his musical roots and composed the Spirit Symphony, which premiered at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington via a performance by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Kenneth Young). The symphony is performed in other parts of the world and the NZSO recorded the Spirit Symphony conducted by Mark Taddei. The Spirit Symphony has been released on CD and digital release worldwide. Raymond also composed many of the soundtracks of Cloud 9’s programming (which are also available on major streaming and music platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play).
In December 2002 Raymond was appointed an Adjunct Professor by Queensland University of Technology in the Creative Industries Faculty as a vehicle for guest lecturing, mentoring and to consult in both the private and public sector on the television and motion picture industries.
In 2003 Raymond was honoured (along with Ray Bradbury) for the cult series, The Tribe, at the Dragoncon Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
In recognition of Raymond’s achievements, he was appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2003 Honours List in recognition of his services to television and entertainment.
Raymond adjudicated at many festivals including BAFTA and was a member of the jury for the 2004 Emmy finalists.
In 2005, Raymond acquired Tirohana Estate (www.tirohanaestate.com) to pursue his hobby and love of premium wine and was a regular visitor to Martinborough in New Zealand and could often be found participating in each vintage, driving the tractor or ute, and enjoying a chat with diners and clients having a glass of Tirohana Estate’s wines.
In 2011, Raymond released his memoir book ‘Keeping The Dream Alive’ about his journey to the glittering arena of Hollywood. It is also a humorous journal and insight into the fertile imagination of a writer’s mind and the global world of motion pictures and television. The book also reveals how the cult series ‘The Tribe’ came into being. The memoir has been released in English and also translated into German and Spanish.
Raymond was active in bringing together and overseeing the ‘continuing story’ of The Tribe through the official tie-in novels released by A.J. Penn from 2012. The books have been released in English, German and Spanish to date.
He also was active in the production of the audiobook dramatisations of the novels that have been released since 2021 (featuring many members of the original cast of The Tribe TV series reprising their roles and narrating the story in the audiobooks). Raymond enjoyed the podcast interviews he had with many of The Tribe cast in recent years (who had also starred in several of Cloud 9’s other titles).
Raymond wrote and Executive Produced The Tribe video game that was released in 2022 (and has since been released in 2024 as an Apple iOS mobile version).
‘The Tribe Collector’s Edition Screenplay’ was released as a book (and eBook) in December 2022, containing a works in progress of The Tribe motion picture screenplay (that Ray was working on when he wrote his memoir). The book also contains an introduction from Ray about what had been happening since the release of his memoir. The book is available in English and German.
Raymond was still heavily involved in philanthropy including his charity The Cloud 9 Children’s Foundation and as well as continuing to oversee Cloud 9’s ongoing activity with its catalogue of titles, was also busy writing original screenplays which he was actively developing in line with Cloud 9’s expansion into the motion picture industries.