Josh Silverman has been named chief franchise officer and global head of consumer products at iconic toymaker Mattel.
Silverman will oversee global consumer products licensing, franchise management, retail development, publishing and live experiences. Reporting to Mattel President and COO Richard Dickson, he joins from The Walt Disney Company, where he spent more than a decade in consumer products.
“Josh is an exceptional and talented leader and widely regarded as one of the most accomplished executives in consumer products. His experience at Disney overseeing the world’s largest entertainment-related consumer products business will be invaluable as we start the next chapter of our growth strategy at Mattel,” said Dickson. “There is incredible potential to be unlocked in our treasure trove of IP under his leadership and across our portfolio of iconic brands.”
At 77 years old, Mattel has only just begun meaningfully mining its stables of games and characters for content, taking on the role of producers. “Barbie,” “Masters of the Universe,” “Hot Wheels,” the Magic 8 Ball and pint-sized adventurer Polly Pocket are all forthcoming feature films based on the company’s toys. With content development now coming from inside the house under movie executive Robbie Brenner, a role like Silverman’s will be crucial in leveraging Mattel’s IP to move product.
At Disney, Silverman was executive vice president of global third-party commercialization. In this capacity, he led development on strategic marketing and product partnerships for Disney’s brands and characters. A $37.5 billion retail business in 2011, the division grew to $54 billion in sales by 2021.
Silverman cut his teeth at Marvel Entertainment, where he started in 2001 as a corporate attorney in the business and legal affairs group. In 2008, he was promoted to senior vice president of global business development and licensing operations. In this role, he was responsible for structuring strategic partnerships and licenses.
“I have long admired Mattel’s brands, mission, and purpose, both as an entertainment company partner and as a father and fan,” Silverman added. “Given the strength of its portfolio, I believe there is tremendous commercial opportunity ahead for Mattel. I am thrilled to join this world-class leadership team at such an exciting time in Mattel’s growth as an IP-driven, high-performing toy company.”
As of late 2020, the consumer product business was a $125 billion enterprise for Hollywood — one not immune to the economic devastation of COVID-19 and subsequent supply chain issues.