David Ellison has added a franchise-heavy executive to his bench just before the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger closes. Ynon Kreiz, who has led Mattel for eight years, will step down Oct. 2 and join Paramount in a senior role, two industry sources told Variety.
Mattel said Kreiz is leaving “to take a senior leadership position at another public company.” One source close to the talks called the months-long courtship “another ace up Ellison’s sleeve.” A specific title has not been disclosed.
A résumé built on content and franchises
Kreiz arrives with a track record across digital video, television and consumer products — a mix that is rare in studio C-suites.
- Former chairman and CEO of Maker Studios, the YouTube-oriented network Disney acquired in 2014.
- Former chairman and CEO of Endemol Group from 2008 to 2011.
- Co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Fox Kids Europe.
- At Mattel, he was credited with holding the No. 1 global position in dolls, vehicles, and infant, toddler and preschool categories.
Before Mattel, Kreiz worked across Europe’s entertainment economy. At Endemol he led a global production group; at Maker he was part of the early wave of YouTube-native content. That history could give the merged studio a direct line to digital talent and short-form video as well as traditional franchises.
Why this hire matters now
Kreiz oversaw Mattel Studios’ first theatrical release, Barbie, which became the top global box office film of 2023 and Warner Bros. Pictures’ highest-grossing movie of all time. That gives him direct experience with the Warner side of the combined company and with turning toy IP into theatrical events.
The streaming structure is already forming separately. Casey Bloys, head of HBO at Warner Bros. Discovery, is expected to oversee the merged company’s streaming business after Cindy Holland stepped down from her Paramount+ role earlier this week.
That split also matters for buyers. With Bloys expected on streaming and Kreiz in an adjacent senior role, the company may keep distribution negotiations separate from franchise development.
For media planners, Kreiz’s background suggests a stronger push on franchise licensing, retail tie-ins and cross-platform exploitation — not necessarily day-to-day streaming operations. Buyers should watch how the new leadership packages library and franchise-driven ad opportunities once integration begins.
The Barbie playbook is instructive. Marketers didn’t just buy a movie release; they planned around a global merchandising event with retail shelves, licensed tie-ins and post-theatrical streaming windows. Kreiz’s arrival suggests the merged company may try to repeat that loop with other owned IP, making franchise calendars as important to buyers as premiere dates.
What remains before the deal closes
Paramount is waiting on one final step: a judge’s approval of the settlement in the antitrust case brought by 12 state attorneys general. The judge has said she would rule “in due course.”
Until that ruling lands, the senior team is being built ahead of the finish line. The practical question for advertisers and media buyers is how quickly the combined company can turn this bench into a coherent content and ad-sales strategy.
Source: Variety
