Mattel’s Josh Silverman Keynotes MIPJunior

Josh Silverman, executive VP and chief franchise officer at Mattel, took part in a keynote conversation with TV Kids’ Anna Carugati at MIPJunior this morning, discussing the toy giant’s evolution into an IP-driven company.

On Mattel’s move into ramping up its content portfolio based on its rich portfolio of brands, Silverman stressed that toys are still “fundamental to who we are and what we do. The tactile nature of toys is so fundamental to bringing our brands to life. We will always continue to innovate and create wonderful toys. CEO Ynon Kreiz saw an opportunity for us to expand into entertainment in a much more meaningful way. That’s been the journey.”

When he joined the company two years ago, Silverman said he was struck by the “breadth and depth of our intellectual property, our portfolio. We have unbelievable brands and franchises, characters and stories that are multigenerational, universal and iconic, with 99 or 100 percent awareness. We have incredible toys to play with and [expand] further into television, film, experiences, digital games, music, audio and publishing.”

The key for Mattel has been serving its fans as it follows its Mattel Playbook. “It is our North Star. We updated it. It is a living, breathing document. As we continue to evolve and identify ways and means to connect our stories and our narrative to our fans, we will continue to update our Playbook.”

The Playbook, he said, “starts with brand purpose and authenticity and making sure that we operate with clear intent and authentic voice. Consumer-centric innovation speaks very much to the way we develop toy products and puts the consumer, the fan, very much at the center of everything we do. We want to leverage insights and research to understand where he or she is today, how we anticipate their wants and needs and deliver to them great products and experiences both today and into the future. That requires us often to kind of look around corners, be progressive and take risks. That entrepreneurial spirit resonates deep within our organization. Cultural relevance—creating pop culture moments and reacting to things is important, but also being thoughtful about who we are today and where we want to be in the future. We refer to this often as we are timeless and timely. We want to respect the heritage of the legacy of our company. We also want to continue to move our brands forward. A franchise mindset is really important. It speaks to the broader interconnected ecosystem—how we think about our IP and connect to our fans and our audience throughout their various dayparts.”

Silverman pointed to the strengths of the company’s slate, with 14 TV titles made in 2024 and another 13 in production, with 35 in development.

On balancing the dual needs of serving nostalgic fans while catering to new ones, Silverman noted: “The alchemy is how do you ensure that the authenticity of what makes that piece of IP so wonderful continues to remain wonderful. At the same time, you can’t have that be a limiter. You can expand the types of ways you tell stories. It really is a balance. It’s working with great creatives and making sure that we’re remaining consistent to the brand DNA and do so in a way that is fresh for the audience of today, but doesn’t lose what makes it special and iconic.”

Carugati asked Silverman about the learnings from making the Barbie live-action feature film that can be applied to the company’s kids’ slate. “We apply this to all the things we do: it’s about working with the best creatives, who have a real connection to the material, trust them and collaborate with them.”

On what’s coming up for Mattel, Silverman noted that the company is leaning more into scripted live-action content while continuing its strengths in unscripted and animation. “We’re telling great stories, irrespective of format or genre.”

The company is marking its 80th anniversary next year. “It’s a reflection of the legacy and the heritage of the company, but we are as fresh and vibrant and forward-looking today than ever.”

Silverman also shared news of a new Thomas holiday special this year, Thomas & Friends: The Christmas Letter Express, for Netflix.

On the broader shifts in the landscape, he noted, “The industry is evolving. There are paradigm shifts. Market conditions are changing. What makes me very positive and optimistic is the ability for us to continue to tell great stories and the opportunity for us to do so. We’ve been telling great stories as humanity for a thousand years. We’ll be telling great stories in a thousand years. The ways that we do that and the types of platforms that we will have to leverage will continue to evolve. It starts with great storytelling. If you’re focused on that, we’ll together navigate any kind of change insofar as paradigms.”