Thompson started his career as an electrician on
horror films such as
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and
The Blob (1988). He then became a freelance director/cameraman and shot segments for many clients, including the second season of
MTV's
The Real World based in
Los Angeles. Thompson was a partner at Evolution Film and Tape for ten years, from 1992 to 2002, where he created the children's television series
Bug Juice (premiered 1998) with his partner Douglas Ross for the
Disney Channel. ==Personal life==