Manager, Creative Content Kids & Preschool (Vehicles, Action Figures & Fisher Price)
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About the role
Mattel Studios is seeking a Manager, Creative Content to help lead the development and execution of a dynamic slate of kids and preschool animated programming based on Mattel's vehicles, action figures, and Fisher-Price brands. This role will serve as a key creative lead across multiple projects and platforms, partnering closely with internal stakeholders and external creative partners to deliver premium, brand-defining storytelling for television, streaming, YouTube, and emerging digital platforms. Reporting to a Director, Creative Content, this position requires a strong creative executive with demonstrated experience managing projects across development and production, shaping franchise strategy through content, and driving cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate is a proactive and detailed leader with strong creative instincts, excellent communication skills, and deep knowledge of the evolving kids and family entertainment landscape. What Your Impact Will Be:
Responsibilities
- Lead on the creative development and execution of a slate of animated long-form and short-form projects across TV, streaming, YouTube, and digital platforms
- Serve as the primary creative executive on select projects while partnering with senior creative leadership on high-priority franchise initiatives
- Drive strong story and franchise development in collaboration with writers, producers, studios, showrunners, and creative talent to ensure compelling, brand-aligned storytelling
- Provide strategic creative leadership and actionable feedback across all stages of development and production, including pitches, outlines, scripts, visual development, casting, animatics, edits, and final delivery
- Partner cross-functionally with Franchise, Consumer Products, Marketing, Digital, Publishing, and other internal teams to support cohesive franchise-building strategies through content
- Manage and strengthen relationships with external production studios, creators, agents, writers, and industry partners
- Identify and cultivate emerging creative talent, new storytelling opportunities, and innovative content formats that support Mattel's long-term franchise goals
- Oversee multiple concurrent productions and development pipelines, ensuring creative quality, brand consistency, and alignment with business priorities
- Guide the development of digital-first and platform-native storytelling strategies, with an understanding of audience engagement across YouTube, streaming, and broadcast ecosystems
- Collaborate with production and studio teams to proactively solve creative and production challenges while maintaining timelines and quality expectations
- Contribute meaningfully to internal greenlight discussions, franchise strategy conversations, and content planning initiatives
- Stay current on trends in animation, kids and family entertainment, digital media, and audience behavior to inform creative direction and competitive positioning
- Support presentation development, pitch materials, and executive-facing creative documents for internal and external stakeholders
- Serve as a key liaison for asset requests, cross-functional creative needs, and communication between departments
Requirements
- 5-8 years of experience in animation, television, streaming, or digital content development and production
- Proven experience managing creative projects and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders across multiple stages of production
- Strong understanding of storytelling fundamentals, including character development, structure, pacing, comedy, and emotional resonance for kids and preschool audiences
- Demonstrated ability to lead creative discussions, provide thoughtful and constructive notes, and influence decision-making
- Experience working with franchise-driven or brand-based entertainment content
- Strong visual storytelling sensibility and understanding of animation production pipelines from development through delivery
- Experience developing content across multiple audience demographics, including preschool and kids/family programming
- Familiarity with digital-first storytelling and audience engagement strategies, particularly on YouTube and emerging platforms
- Highly organized with strong project management skills and the ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-management skills
- Passion for animation, kids' media, and the evolving entertainment landscape
- Preferred Skills
- Experience overseeing both long-form and short-form animated content
- Understanding of platform-specific content strategies across broadcast, streaming, and digital ecosystems
- Existing relationships within the animation and kids entertainment creative community
- Experience collaborating on global franchise and brand initiatives
- Strong PowerPoint and presentation storytelling skills
- What Success Looks Like
- Delivery of high-quality, audience-driven content that strengthens Mattel's f
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