CANNES — Robbie Brenner told Mipcom attendees that the toymaker is focused on ramping up its television development and production now that the Mattel Studios arm has been unified under his leadership as president and chief content officer.
Brenner spoke Tuesday with Leo Barraclough, Varietydirector of international features of , in the opening speech of the second day of the Mipcom content market. Brenner detailed his unlikely journey from independent film producer to leader of Mattel Studios. She reflected on the immediate success of “Barbie,” which was Mattel’s first feature film under the new regime led by CEO Ynon Kreiz, who recruited Brenner to the toymaker in 2018 to drive the key element of its strategy to transform Mattel into a media and entertainment company in addition to its consumer toy and games business.
“It’s not very often that you get to go to work and dream every day,” Brenner said of his role. After joining the company, she was impressed by Mattel’s culture of detail and innovation. She appreciates Mattel’s history of “having the integrity to make these toys the best they can be,” Brenner said. Her job is to “find ways to honor that and celebrate the brands that do that in a way that feels interesting, original and unexpected.”
Brenner explained to Barraclough how Mattel tries to nail down the creative auspices of its projects with distinctive writers, directors, producers and stars who have a feel for the material. Travis Knight, the writer-director helming Mattel’s second feature film, “Masters of the Universe,” is a fanboy who grew up playing with action figures and knows the mythos behind them. The live-action film starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes and Idris Elba is released June 5, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios.
“He knows the characters,” she said of Knight. “His attention to detail is wonderful to watch.”
The same goes for Daniel Kaluuya, who revisits the purple dinosaur for A24, starring Ayo Edebiri. Stuntman-turned-director Sam Hargraves is helming the feature film “Matchbox” in preparation with John Cena and Jessica Biel. And a day before Brenner’s appearance at Mipcom, his studio revealed a pact with M. Night Shamalayan to develop a series based on the iconic Magic 8 Ball toy.
“TV is a big boost for us – I feel good about where my team is,” Brenner said. Brenner was the company’s head of cinema. She was also promoted in June to oversee television. She firmly believes that stricter alignment will bring benefits.
“Historically, everything has been so separate” between film and television in the studios,” Brenner said. “It’s really all so mixed up today…For us to all exist together under the umbrella – we figure out what the best history is for each of these brands to navigate television and theater together. “
(In the photo: Variety’(Leo Barraclough with Robbie Brenner of Mattel Studios at Mipcom in Cannes on October 14)
