Mattel Chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz will join a roster of media, entertainment, technology, and business leaders at the 2026 Paley International Council Summit in New York this fall.
The Paley Center for Media will host the summit Oct. 19-21 at The Paley Museum in Midtown Manhattan. This year’s program, Global Media in Focus: Power, Platforms, and Perspective, will tackle topics ranging from artificial intelligence and gaming to fandom, consumer behavior, sports, and the changing media landscape.
For the toy industry, Kreiz’s appearance stands out.
On Oct. 20, he will participate in “Global Franchises and the Evolution of Hollywood,” a session examining the business of building and extending entertainment properties. Kevin Mayer, Founding Partner at Smash Capital, Executive Chairman at Candle Media, and Candle Media Co-Founder and Co-CEO, will join Kreiz.
The conversation arrives as Mattel continues pushing its brands well beyond the toy aisle. Under Kreiz, the company has leaned heavily into an IP-driven strategy spanning film, television, digital experiences, consumer products, and licensing, with properties including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, and more feeding a growing entertainment pipeline.
The summit will also feature executives from Sony Group, Take-Two Interactive, McDonald’s, Mastercard, General Motors, Yahoo, Goldman Sachs, and other global companies.
For Mattel, which was named “Manufacturer of the Year” in The Toy Book’s 2026 Pulse of Play Awards, Kreiz’s place on the agenda puts the company squarely inside a broader industry conversation about what makes a franchise travel and how brands turn audiences into long-term businesses.
For more on this year’s Paley Summit, visit the official site.
