HIT Entertainment, a division of Fisher-Price, has centralized its creation and production operations in the U.K. under Edward Catchpole, senior vice president, HIT Brands.In a related move, Sid Mathur was promoted to vice president of HIT Americas from his previous position as senior director for corporate strategy and development at Mattel.
The moves are part of a renewed focus on tent pole events to create new demand for older brands such as Thomas & Friends and on growing the opportunities for new properties like Mike the Knight.
“HIT Brands’ broadcast content is often a child’s first introduction to HIT properties and also an important gateway to the rest of the Mattel family of brands and products,” says David Allmark, executive vice president, Fisher-Price. “Centralizing resources to accelerate HIT’s ability to source, nurture and distribute brand content will greatly enhance our storytelling capabilities to preschoolers around the world.”
In his new role at HIT Americas, Mathur will head operations from the New York City office, reporting directly into Catchpole. Mathur will lead the strategic direction for the Americas across licensing, home entertainment, live events, broadcast and retail.
“This appointment brings a particular business expertise to bear on a critical market,” says Catchpole. “Sid assumes this role with a wealth of experience in building and growing global businesses in Asia, Europe and the U.S.”