Power Kid Podcast

Valerie Vacante is recently back from CES and the Alexa Expo and she has tons to share on this episode of the Power Kid Podcast! Valerie stays on the edge of technology and consumer goods in several industries including toys and games. Today she shares with us some emerging technologies and how they are being re-imagined and used on playful products. She provides helpful tips for manufacturers looking to integrate new tech.

Mike Horn is responsible for some of the most accurate and detailed licensed collectibles of all time. His career has included early comic conventions to buying for Diamond Distributors to forming Palisades Toys and beyond. He has manufactured and distributed 100’s of original and IP products including action figures, statues and printed items. He is also a proud inductee to the Pop Culture Hall of Fame!

The Chinese toy market is on the rise! With an annual growth rate of almost 20% and the implementation of the two-child policy many in the industry are looking to develop hit toys for the over 236 million children under age 14 on the mainland. Today I interview China market expert Kirsten Ytterbo to discuss the opportunities and challenges of selling to China. Previously she spent almost 5 years in China with Toys R Us and she is the former Senior VP of King Bee Toys. She some great advice to share!

Ben Callicott is focused on helping the toy community create forward thinking, ground breaking and important toys. While serving as the Head of Product for Primo Toys and launching the coding robot Cubetto (2MM raised from 10K backers) he became passionate about toys that teach modern day skills. His current project, the Toy Pioneers Club, is designed to help innovative toy startups succeed and navigate the myriad of challenges they face. Get involved and check it out here: www.toypioneers.club

We start the year right with a conversation with one of the most experienced sales representatives I know, Les Friedland. He has worked in the toy industry for over 45 years and understands what will and won’t work at retail. He founded Les Friedland Associates in 1982 and has repped countless products to retail success. He and his award winning team are expert at sales, in-store positioning and analysis.

Happy Holidays! In this special holiday episode we explore Nerf past, present and future! Reyn Guyer the inventor of Twister and the first Nerf ball walks us through the birth and early days of the Nerf brand. Later in the show Nerf blaster reviewer Brain Vasquez brings us up to date with the current state of the Nerf brand and some great new developments on the horizon!

John Cowan is the only person I know to hold both mantles of practicing neurosurgeon AND toy company executive! John has a BS in Physics from Davidson College and Doctorate of Medicine from Johns Hopkins. He completed his neurosurgery residency at the University of Michigan. Raised with an inventive spirit John heads operations at Cortex Toys. Join us as he shares his toy philosophy!

Joe Loesch is an award winning spoken word producer, voice actor and coach. Joe has produced over five hundred hundred audiobooks, voiced dozens of national commercial ads, audiobooks, corporate narrations and cartoons for the Disney channel. His first voice over student was Reece Witherspoon! Today we chat about the challenge of working with kids in voice over. What are the important considerations when writing and producing a children’s audio product? What makes a great character voice?

It is my honor this week to speak with long-time toy industry veteran Thierry Bourret. Through Konomocha (HK) Ltd Thierry runs a vast international sales territory and has been involved in the toy industry for many years. He is an expert networker and is constantly growing his list of toy business contacts around the world. Join us today as we discuss the challenges and opportunities of distributing toys internationally.

Anything that helps my kids get to bed has a BIG thumbs up from me! This week Natalie Rebot takes the mic and gives us an inside look at the history and ongoing success of her invention - Moonlite. The perfect parental peripheral : ) Moonlite uses the flash in your phone to make bedtime stories come to life with full HD images and in-app sound effects. Crushing it’s goals on Kickstarter in 2017, it quickly made many Top Toy lists, including Target's Top Toys of the Year, CNN, and Forbes.

You will not want to miss today’s episode! The youngest CEO in the UK, Jenk Oz is a 13 year old entrepreneur, professional actor, singer, dancer, accomplished musician, presenter and public speaker. Though his creation icoolkid.com he has created a world wide “show and tell” for tweens and teens. He keeps a finger on the pulse of what kids think is cool and allows them to share events, fashion and trends.

Join Jenny Faw and I today as we discuss the nuances of inventing for infants and young children. Working with Hallmark, Current, Mickey and Company and Summer Infant she has a 20 year track record of creating top-selling products for infants, children and the home. Today Jenny is the Chief Product Development Officer at Dibzy where she and her team connect inventors and designers with great manufacturers and help them get their concept to market.

This week it is my honor to present my conversation with Choon Ng. Choon’s invention Rainbow Loom created a huge toy craze in 2013 and 2014. Millions of looms where sold and wrists all over the county were decorated in his amazing creation!  We discuss some of the challenges he overcame in communicating the products use to his customers. We also do a deep dive into the importance of multi-level play as Rainbow Loom offers both a creative outlet and encourages social engagement.

Family First, Earn Always, Save Often, Spend Wisely! Michelle Salsberry started her company Fam-ess in 2014 to teach families and children the impact of their spending decisions. Having developed several levels of financial curriculum she is passionate about teaching children important money skills. She tracks consumer trends and has deep insights into what children spend their own money on.

Stefanie Botelho's background in investment banking and venture capital management is serving her well in the toy industry! She is the founder of Fitzroy Toys which provides a new spin on B to B wholesale buying and selling. Fitzroy is adept at bringing new distribution opportunities to brands that have built a customer base either through crowdsourcing or other means. She asks and answers the question: Once you have a funded project and manufacture has started, what then?