Power Kid Podcast

My friend Dave Schultze has created an exciting new game called Gridopolis. As an industrial designer, he has developed products for Microsoft, LG, Umbra, and Hasbro. In 2001 he began teaching in the Toy Design department at Otis College of Art and Design focusing on 3D visualization. His Bachelors in Architecture and Masters in Industrial Design contribute to giving his game a unique look, gameplay and expandability.

I had so much fun recording this podcast with Jackie Breyer! Between her work with The Pop Insider, The Toy Insider and The ToyBook she is immersed in the toy industry daily. She oversees all print and web content for these great publications and loves to be on the front lines of toy industry news and trends. Today she shares with us the history of The Toy Book and we get the inside scoop on how she tracks trends. She walks us through each of her publications and shares what makes each one unique!

Valerie Alva-Ruiz and Courtney Stillwagon are on a mission to promote diversity and cultural understanding. Together they have created an adorable new doll line called Selma’s Dolls. Each doll represents an opportunity to broaden a child’s horizon and respectfully expose them to new cultures. In this conversation they give us tips for using their creation to start these important conversations. They share with us the challenges of developing plush line and book from the ground up.

Tom Dusenberry has been at the forefront of some of the most exciting ventures in the history of the toy industry. As CEO of Hasbro Interactive he brought Hasbro into the digital games market and grew the games publishing business to 200MM in six years. Tom introduced the first Monopoly/ McDonalds promotional partnership and took the Nerf brand outdoors for the first time. He continues to have a tremendous career in toys now operating Dusenberry Entertainment. Join us for this insightful conversation!

Families continue to rely on influencer content to make many of their shopping decisions. Today on the Power Kid Podcast I interview Justin Moore CEO and founder of Trending Family. His company specializes in connecting brands with the top family-friendly, video-focused social media influencers.

From Campbell’s Soup to Kimberly Clark and now at Step2, Bridget Roche has been tracking parent shoppers her entire career. She has worked directly with every major retailer to provide shopper trends and insight. Want to know how your customers shop? Listen in! Today we pull back the curtain on her work with the wonderful people at Step2. They are the makers of some of the most imaginative, playful and durable products in the industry and they do it all in Ohio!

The owner of Design Edge Matt Nuccio has toys in his blood. A 2nd generation toy guy, he grew up in the business and has massive experience at all levels of the industry. I bring Matt to the mic today to discuss his efforts to more closely include designers, inventors and sales reps into the Toy Association. Later in the show we get pragmatic and discuss how to learn from having your concept rejected and use it to adjust your course and fuel your fire.

Richard Derr has spent 22 years on the front lines of the toy industry. As the owner of the Learning Express in Lake Zurich, Illinois he is interacting with and learning from our customers everyday. Today he unpacks his philosophy for running a successful toys store - TPW: "Team, Product, Wow”. Richard’s explanation of this between time codes 9:55 and 14:16 is tremendously valuable to anyone in the toy industry.

Tana Gilmore and Kelli Fisher are the Matchmaking DUO! After helping thousands of busy singles find love and publishing a book to rave reviews they are now ready to take on the game market. They have created a very unique and fun game called "Race 2 the Bling” The Kickstarter is live right now so go check it out! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/race2thebling/race-2-the-bling-a-fun-board-game-for-single-women

A veteran of Lego, Hasbro and Toys R Us - Yesim Kunter is a futurist, play expert and creative strategist. As a Futurist at Hasbro she studied anthropology and cultural shifts to predict potential future play trends. Through her play workshops she can help make you and your organization more creative and productive! Today we discuss the importance of unguided free play and how play encourages relationship and allows experimentation.

Mego is back! Tune in now for the inside scoop with Marty Abrams! The Father of Action Figures joins us today to discuss one of the most important action figure lines in history and its return to the mass market. Since he served as the president of Mego beginning in 1971 Marty has shaped and reshaped the landscape of the action figure mega category and he is positioned to do it again. He has big plans for the brand and he lays it out for us today on the Power Kid Podcast!

Laresa Tapia and Carolyn Izzo are on a mission to bring inclusiveness and fun together with a simple and elegant new product - PolyBlox. Patented, researched, certified and available worldwide, Polyblox are "ABC blocks, reimagined. Join us as we discuss the origin of the idea, the challenges of marketing and manufacture and why it is important to find a balance of talents when working on a team.

Calling all fans! Anita Castellar of FanGirl Consulting & Brand Management joins us today to discuss fan focused toys. She has covered all areas of product creation for some of the biggest names in the business - Hasbro, Disney, and Lucasfilm. Today we discuss the importance of story when building a brand, some of the key criteria when developing collectibles and the challenges of connecting brands with innovative products.

You won’t have to look long to find someone who has been helped and guided by the group I interview today. In fact many of them have been excellent guests on the Power Kid Podcast! WIT (Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment) is constantly helping women world-wide succeed in the toy industry. Today I am joined by 3 wonderful guests - Mary Kay Russell, Deb de Sherbinin and Maggie Lynn Held! You will be impressed by the amount of resources, networking opportunities, that exists within this group!

Storyball is a revolutionary and award-winning smart toy for children that uses screen-free technology. Once a child takes a Storyball in their hand, they enter a world of active, imaginative play where they can complete cool challenges, take fun quizzes, and go on adventures featuring their favorite characters. They can even code new adventures for themselves! Join me today as I interview Storyball creator Meir Biton about this ground-breaking toy! http://www.mystoryball.com/