Power Kid Podcast

BIG NEWS! The Power Kid Podcast is now a part of the Adventure Media and Events Podcast Network Family! For 2 years it has been my great pleasure to interview my friends in the industry and to meet many amazing new friends along the way - and it just keeps getting better! Tune in for James Zahn's Toy Report the Pop Insider Podcast and much more coming soon. Subscribe to the new feed now! https://lnkd.in/eaJzxta Please leave a good review and thank you to all the listeners!

It is my honor this week to interview Daniel Delapa the CMO at Creative Kids. Creative Kids was founded in 1997 and quickly took the arts and craft category by storm. Since then their line has expanded into 12 categories with distribution in 70 countries! He shares with us what sets Creative Kids apart by being a "brand incubator”. I ask him what retailers expect from him to ensure a mutually beneficial and growing relationship.

My guest today Mike Gagnon is a best selling author and graphic novelist who works as a freelance writer, illustrator and colorist for publishers like Marvel, Dark Horse Comics, Jack Lake Productions and many more. He began working professionally in comics at the age of 17. He has taught art, design and writing at several animation schools and develops his own comics and media. Currently he is a writer on the creative development and promotion team for the Marvel Create Your Own Comics app!

My guest this week Kenn Morton has won the Industrial Design Excellence Gold Award, Business Week Product of the Year Award, and participated in many others during his 31 years with Fisher-Price. He has a tremendous passion for children and parents in need and has worked with a collaboration between Save the Children, Mattel and the Ministry of Education in Indonesia to create teaching play kits.

It is such a joy to have Stefanie Eskander on the show today! Her resume includes Hasbro, Mattel, Fisher-Price, Spin Master and she was the Design Manager at Toys R Us. She has a passion for girls and preschool product and has been instrumental in developing brands like Cabbage Patch, Sky Dancers, Polly Pocket and Jem and the Holograms. She is here today to talk about her new book Toy Stories: The Secret Life of a Toy Designer. Buy it here: https://stefanieeskanderdesign.com/toy-stories

What does it take to connect with kids today? Listen in as Tanya Visano and I discuss this question and more! Tanya is the VP of International Strategy and Partnership Development and the Head of Canada and Mexico Consumer Products for Viacom. We discuss the shift we are seeing from content creation to a content discovery model. She shares 3 key insights in developing great kids content. Along the way we touch on the fresh changes to both Dora and Blue’s Clues!

Billy Langsworthy is a vigorous supporter of the toy design and invention community. He co-founded Mojo Nation to accelerate talent, opportunity and ideas for all levels of inventors. Tune in today to learn all about what Mojo Nation offers including Play Innovation Summit, Licensed Design Challenges, Mojo Nations Summer Party, Play Creators Festival, Mojo Student Conference, and Brands Untapped. Billy unpacks each fantastic opportunity for us.

In part two of our discussion Scott shares his development process called the 7 D’s. We discuss the rise and fall of virtual worlds like NeoPets, Webkins, and Club Penguin. Finally I ask him to peer into the future and tell us what he sees in the future for toys and tech. Follow along and download a copy of Scott’s excellent breakdown of the 2019 Toy Fair tech toys that caught his eye: http://www.360kid.com/blog/2019/03/tech-toys-2019/

My guest today is Scott Traylor the founder and CEO of 360KID. His company combines detailed child research with the latest technology trends to create successful interactive products for kids. In his career he has earned almost 60 awards and he and his team were nominated for 3 Emmy’s ands winning a collective Emmy with Sesame Workshop.

Bill Paxton has spent his life in toy invention. He has just completed a biography about the enigmatic and secretive King of Toys Marvin Glass! His Book, “A World Without Reality: Inside Marvin Glass’s Toy Vault”, is truly fantastic! When this 600 page book arrived on my desk it blew my mind! It took Bill almost 10 years to research and write this amazing book and I am so glad to have him on the show to talk about it today!

Can a pizza shaped TV remote become a smash toy sensation? We answer that question and more in this week's episode with Dan Klitsner! Dan is the founder and creative director of the toy inventing and licensing firm KID Group. He and his team have invented some of today’s most successful electronic games and interactive toys!

My guest today Shane Hartley is an extremely talented art director, designer and artist wrangler. Previously he was the Art Director at Wiz Kids and a Media Designer for Microsoft. Today he serves as the Art Director for Ravenburger North America which also puts him over the Brio, ThinkFun and Wonder Forge brands. His love of fandom and pop culture shines through his work!

My guest today has over 25 years experience as an intellectual property attorney and has worked with virtually every major licensor in the entertainment and merchandise industries. Howard Fine spent 10 years as the Senior VP/ General Counsel for Tiger Electronics and then Hasbro. Today he serves clients worldwide as one of the top IP and licensing attorneys in the industry.

Shopkins, Mighty Beans, Beados, AquaSand, Treasure X, Trash Pack, Lil’ Live Pets - you won’t want to miss this one! Today I talk to Glenn Abell, President & General Manager of Moose Toys. He brings tremendous experience into the role having spent over 16 years with LEGO group. We discuss the changes and growth he saw in his years at LEGO. We talk about his decision to be a part of Moose and his personal “why” in his new role.

From Mattel, MGA, Jakks Pacific, Funrise and Spin Master Christine Trageser has run the gamut of great product launches! Now a Senior Brand Manager at Spin Master, she is instrumental in developing and promoting that funny ugly monster line you know as Fuggler! Her roots in sculpting give her a very unique perspective on product development and brand management.