Paramount has hired senior Mattel executive Josh Silverman to head up its consumer products business as president of global products and experiences.

Silverman will start working out of Paramount’s LA office on Monday, reporting to post-merger president Jeff Shell. He’s charged with overseeing a portfolio that includes consumer products, location-based entertainment, publishing, partnerships and e-commerce. And he’ll also work with leaders across Paramount and Nickelodeon to identify and develop new business opportunities for their brands. 

Silverman’s hire comes less than a week after Pam Kaufman announced that she would be stepping down from her post as Paramount’s president and CEO of international markets, global consumer products and experiences. Kaufman built up a significant consumer products business that generates more than US$7 billion in annual retail revenue for Paramount, and she’s staying on as a consultant until the end of the year.  

Silverman’s move to Paramount closes out a three-year stint at Mattel, where he was in charge of brand management and licensed entertainment as EVP and chief franchise officer. He built a program of more than 165 consumer products for the 2023 Barbie feature film, established a theme parks business for the toyco with six Mattel Adventure Park locations in development, and partnered with Kilburn Live to launch a World of Barbie travelling exhibit. 

Prior to Mattel, Silverman worked at Disney (EVP of global third-party commercialization and EVP of global franchise and licensing) and Marvel (SVP of global strategy and business development).

Paramount has made a number of big hire and new partnership announcements since merging with Skydance over the summer. There are rumors of a large workforce reduction in November, and potentially even bigger changes as the company is reportedly planning to make a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.