Toy giant Mattel has appointed Michelle Mendelovitz as Head of Mattel Television Studios.
Mendelovitz was most recently Executive Producer of Hiddenlight Productions, working with Hillary and Chelsea Clinton to develop scripted projects.
She has also worked at Disney 20th Television Studios, where she was SVP, Head of Drama Development, and at Apple TV+ as Senior Creative Executive for Scripted & Unscripted Programming. In the latter role, she helped to launch Apple TV+ and oversaw series such as Severance, as well as For All Mankind and the Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry mental health documentary series The Me You Can’t See.
Mendelovitz will oversee the development, production, and distribution of Mattel’s slate of episodic content on broadcast and streaming globally. She reports to Josh Silverman, Chief Franchise Officer at Mattel.
Mattel Television Studios is the television production and distribution division of Mattel, which offers animated and live action series and specials based on its IP such as Barbie, Thomas & Friends, Hot Wheels, Fireman Sam, Polly Pocket, Barney, Masters of the Universe, Monster High, and Pictionary. In 2023, Mattel Television Studios has premiered 12 series and specials.
Mendelovitz said: “Mattel is a globally revered brand that I’ve always admired for its ability to empower and relate to their audience generation after generation. Taking that bold spirit to speak to themes that impact people’s worlds, while simultaneously entertaining audiences of all ages, is what we are focused on as we grow Mattel Television Studios into an inspiring storytelling home for best-in-class creators. I’m so thrilled and honoured to join the Mattel team as we take our brands and franchises to a whole new level.”
Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel, said: “Michelle is a powerful creative leader with a wealth of experience working with top studios and creators to make innovative, quality content across genres and platforms. We are excited for her to join at a time of such momentum for the company, and for the important role she will play in developing stories that resonate in culture and growing Mattel’s global fan base.”
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