'The Toy Coach' Azhelle Wade Appears on the 'Power Kid Podcast'

In this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design speaks with “The Toy Coach” Azhelle Wade. For more than a decade, Wade has held roles at companies including Horizon Group and Blumenthal Lansing Co., and served as a global product development and design manager at Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us. She currently serves as vice president of brand and product at Creative Kids. Wade was a recent Women in Toys Wonder Women Awards “Rising Star” finalist.

On the show, Albritton and Wade discuss her early focus on serving and learning from kids, and how a cancer scare propelled her into several new ventures. Other topics include the ways that a manufacturer can bring continuous value to its buyers and the unique aspects of working in the doll and craft categories. Finally, Wade shares the origin story of her “Making it in the Toy Industry” podcast.

Part of the Adventure Media and Events Podcast Network, the “Power Kid Podcast” presents in-depth interviews and conversations with some of the biggest names and rising stars in the toy, game, and family entertainment industries. The Adventure Media and Events Podcast Network is now available through all of your favorite streaming services, including Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.

Adventure Media and Events (AM&E) is the publisher of the Toy Book, the Toy Insider, and the Pop Insider. Composed of an editorial team with more than 75 years of combined experience in the toy and entertainment industries, AM&E publications provide consumers, press, and trade audiences with the latest news and updates on all things play and pop culture.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

‘The Toy Coach’ Azhelle Wade Appears on the ‘Power Kid Podcast’

About the author

James Zahn