Business 4 min read By Morgan Griffin
Netflix hires Mattel veteran Roberto Stanichi to lead consumer products
Netflix has hired Roberto Stanichi, a nearly 20-year Mattel veteran, as vice president of consumer products and experiences as the streaming company pushes further into merchandise and physical venues.
Netflix has hired Roberto Stanichi, a nearly two-decade veteran of toymaker Mattel, as its vice president of consumer products and experiences. The appointment signals that the streaming giant intends to extend its franchises well beyond the screen, into merchandise, licensing and physical venues.
In the new role, Stanichi will oversee Netflix's global consumer products and licensing business. His remit also covers the company's global experiences division, which includes the newer Netflix House locations, the company's push into brick-and-mortar entertainment destinations. Together, these responsibilities place him at the center of Netflix's effort to turn popular shows and films into products and in-person experiences that fans can buy, touch and visit.
Mattel announced Stanichi's departure with its third-quarter earnings report. Reports described him as the company's chief marketing and brand officer at the time of his exit, a senior position at a business that has long relied on licensed entertainment properties and brand partnerships. To fill the gap, Mattel promoted Steve Totzke to president and a chief role at the company. The move means the toy maker has lost one of its most experienced marketing executives to a rival entertainment firm, and it arrives at a time when Mattel is reorganizing its leadership bench around the brands that drive its sales.
Stanichi's career at Mattel spanned nearly 20 years, a period in which he helped shape how the company marketed and licensed its portfolio. That experience is the core of his appeal to Netflix. Building a consumer products business around a television or film title requires the same skills as building one around a toy line: securing licensing partners, managing product lines across markets, and keeping a character commercially visible long after its original release. Netflix has been adding these capabilities as its library of original series grows and its characters attract the kind of fan demand that merchandise can serve.
The hire also reflects a broader industry trend in which streaming services look for revenue beyond subscriptions and advertising. Merchandise, licensing and live experiences can deepen audience loyalty to a title and generate income that does not depend on viewing hours. Netflix House, which operates venues themed around its content, is central to that strategy. Bringing in an executive with deep experience in toys and brand marketing gives the company someone who has built consumer businesses around entertainment characters for much of his career.
For Mattel, the departure is a reminder of how competitive the market for marketing talent has become. Entertainment companies that are expanding into consumer products are recruiting from established toy and brand businesses, and the people who understand how to commercialize a character are in demand. Mattel's response, promoting Totzke, keeps leadership in-house while the company continues to manage its own portfolio of licensed and owned brands.
The excerpts available do not state when Stanichi will start in his new role, nor do they disclose the terms of his compensation. Netflix has not provided further detail on how it plans to expand its consumer products and experiences operations under his leadership, and Mattel has not offered additional public comment on the reasons for the change beyond its earnings announcement.
Source: deadline.com
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