People of Play announces new advisory board members
People of Play, POP, organizer of the preeminent toy and game industry events during POP Week, the POP platform, and the Bloom Report is honored to announce that Mattel’s Tara McGrath, Spin Master’s Mike Bisogno, and Freeman PR’s Amy Friedland have joined Chicago Toy and Game (CHITAG) Group’s Advisory Board.
“Tara, Mike, and Amy bring inventor relations, marketing, PR, and even more visionary and ideation expertise to our extraordinary Board,” said Mary Couzin, SVP, of The Toy Association, Founder and Leader People of Play.”
“We are fortunate to have their talents as we continue to grow our POP Week events, champion innovators, and promote community, connection, and the power of play!”
Tara McGrath is Creative Director, Inventor Relations & Innovation at Mattel. For over 20 years with Mattel, she has worked on various product lines such as Barbie, Polly Pocket, Disney Princess, Uno Games, and Disney Cars. Before Mattel and directly after graduating from the FIT Toy Program, Tara worked at Pace Development Group in NYC. At Pace, she focused on toy inventing, dolls, games, and preschool toys, ultimately placing products at companies such as Mattel, Parker Brothers, and Tyco. Tara was the recipient of the TAGIE Game Changer Award in 2023.
Mike Bisogno is Spin Master’s Senior Director of Design and Inventor Relations for the Games team. He leads Design for the Rubik's, Family Games, and Party Games categories, and leads Inventor Relations for all of Spin Master Games. He graduated from the FIT Toy Design Program and one month prior to graduation he was hired by Cardinal Industries as their first full-time game designer where he created games and puzzles for the largest global licenses; Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, WB, Sony, and more. Cardinal was acquired by Spin Master in 2015 and Mike was promoted to Design Director. Since then, he has worked in different roles across Design, Licensing, and Inventor Relations and has led design for every game category.
Amy Friedland is Executive Vice President at Freeman PR (recently acquired by Carve Communications). With more than 25 years in the toy, licensing, and consumer product industries, Friedland is an experienced PR strategist who specializes in brand building, influencer and media relations, new product launches, and special events. She has worked on iconic brands including Fisher-Price, Hape, Mattel, and Playmobil, as well as non-toy brands including Entenmann’s, Jeep, and Sara Lee. She also leads the public relations efforts for People of Play and CHITAG.
Source: PoP Press Release