Josh Silverman, who was Mattel‘s Chief Franchise Officer and held senior exec posts at Disney and Marvel, has been hired as Paramount‘s president of global products and experiences.
In the role, he will oversee consumer products, live experiences, publishing, partnerships, and e-commerce for physical products, reporting to Paramount President Jeff Shell. In announcing the hiring, Paramount said Silverman would team with leaders at their key brands, including Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, in an effort to “bring stories to life in new ways.”
Franchises are the lifeblood of any media company, but they are particularly in demand at Paramount, which closed an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance last August. Paramount CEO David Ellison has also expressed interest in acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that would transform the industry and put a staggering number of major characters and pieces of IP under one Hollywood roof.
At Mattel, Silverman was EVP and Chief Franchise Officer, helping shepherd the 165 consumer product partnerships and retail tie-ins for the blockbuster movie adaptation of Barbie.
At Disney, Silverman contributed to the growth of the consumer products business from $37.5 billion to $54 billion in retail sales over a decade, as well as overseeing Disney’s retail stores and commercial activities at Disney Interactive and Disney Publishing. He also led global business development at Marvel, structuring strategic partnerships and managing brand strategy across divisions after the company’s acquisition by Disney in 2009.
“I’m incredibly energized by the entrepreneurial spirit across Paramount,” Silverman said. “As we build global ecosystems for fans, there’s an extraordinary opportunity to unlock new value by leveraging renowned IP and mining the portfolio for fresh stories and experiences. I’m excited to collaborate across teams to deepen the emotional connection between audiences and the brands, franchises, and characters they love.”
Shell said Silverman “brings a combination of strategic vision, deep industry experience, and a proven track record of driving global growth across beloved brands and franchises. We are excited to see him harness Paramount’s world-class library and creative engines to reach our audiences in new and exciting ways and fuel the expansion of our consumer products and experiences businesses.”
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