Michelle Mendelovitz Talks Mattel Content Strategy

Just a few months since taking on oversight of Mattel Television Studios, Michelle Mendelovitz discussed the toy giant’s expanding content slate at the TV Kids Festival today.

Mendelovitz was tapped for the role at Mattel in November 2023 following stints at 20th Television, Apple TV+, Sony Pictures Television and CBS. You can watch her keynote conversation with TV Kids’ Anna Carugati here.

“I think it’s an amazing time to be at Mattel,” Mendelovitz said. “Clearly, the success of the Barbie film, but I think Mattel has iconic brands and IP that we can utilize as we’re moving into our next phase of studio television content. We’re looking to leverage those brands into premium, best-in-class creators and create top-tier content for all platforms across the board.”

Mendelovitz then highlighted Mattel Television Studios’ current and upcoming slate, including Masters of the Universe: Revolution and Hot Wheels Let’s Race on Netflix. Hot Wheels “is the top-selling toy in the world and such an iconic brand,” Mendelovitz said. “It has one of those evergreen, across-all-demographics feel to a piece of IP and content that we are leveraging in all areas, and this one in particular in preschool. It’s such an exciting series that both kids and parents will love to watch together.”

On translating that brand to television, she noted: “We were able to have much more leeway with the storytelling and the adventures with the kids with these cars. That was a priority for us as we were looking at it for a series, to make sure that we were paying off everything that the child has imagined from their childhood into their adulthood as they were playing with the toy.”

Mattel is also reimagining Barney for contemporary audiences. “We’re really excited about the idea that we get to bring that in an animated space. The storytelling can be much more expansive, and sticking with the nostalgic elements that the parents can love and advancing the storytelling as we’re getting into what kids are thinking about and experiencing today. There’s a great mix of what everybody loves about the Barney character and also a relevance for today.”

On what’s ahead for Mattel Television Studios, Mendelovitz commented, “The momentum coming off of the Barbie film has just energized everybody to another level. I’m so excited about the opportunity to be able to elevate these brands, even beyond what people’s expectations are. We will definitely be working with best-in-class creators across the board. We’ll be in live action, animation, unscripted—all areas. You will see a slate that is supercharged within the next year as we’re delving into different areas and different ways to surprise people. That is at the core of what we do. In storytelling, we want to make sure that when [people] get to the end of an episode or when they get to the end of a series, they feel like they have been taken to another place, and they feel like they’ve also seen anything that they feel is iconic in a different way, in a positive way. So, we’re going to take that to the forefront of our storytelling.”