The Toy Association President Greg Ahearn on connecting, celebrating and growing the industry’s creative community

Greg, it’s lovely to catch up. Before taking on the role of President of The Toy Association, you’d been at places like Toys R Us, Hasbro, Mattel, LeapFrog… But you also had some time outside of the industry. So, what was it about toys – and this role – that lured you back?
Yes, I worked at Uber for a little while and then ran a privately held advertising agency for several years. But the toy industry is different because of what we do. The products, the creativity, the imagination… And that’s across both the design side and the business side. It’s very unique and you can’t find it anywhere else because it’s a byproduct of what we make – joy. There are no other industries outside of entertainment that have that as an output of what you do everyday.

And then it’s the people. Unless you’ve been outside of the industry and experienced what other communities feel like, you don’t have as much of an appreciation for what the toy industry community is all about. There’s a camaraderie and a continual push for creativity, innovation and imagination. The power of play drives our people – and it attracts certain personalities. This industry is full of cool unique people, on both sides – on the creative side and the business side. It’s the combination of all that which makes this industry truly unique.

Great answer. And what appealed about joining The Toy Association at this point in time?
Well, there’s a lot happening! There’s a lot going on with the regulatory side of things and then there’s the events side. What we do with Toy Fair in New York is second to none and then there’s LA – that’s new, exciting and needs thought put into it with regards to how that can benefit the industry as a whole. Things have grown organically there, which is great. It’s similar to how the Toy Building grew organically in New York City back in the day. LA has that same cool organic growth. It’s now about how we – as an industry – make the most out of that opportunity.

The other more general question is how do we create an environment of collaboration, alignment and unification as an industry around some of our initiatives, like the charity work we do with The Toy Foundation. We should get behind that as an industry and really blow that out. There’s multiple ways for we, as an association, to lead, provide information and provide resources… But the core things are members always come back to is the regulatory and government affairs side to what we do, and the event component to what we do. And there’s lots of opportunities there.

Has your engagement with inventors and the wider design community shaped how you’re looking to engage with them in your role today?
Absolutely. Innovation is core to this industry. Any way that we can support, build or amplify this, and enhance opportunities for innovation – we’ll be looking to do that. Whether that’s our continued support of the work that you and Mojo Nation does with inventors and designers, or the things we do here in the US with People of Play and Mary Couzins. It’s about how we foster innovation and how we cultivate the next generation of designers and inventors. We have great relationships with FIT in New York and OTIS in California – those are important to us. Overall, it’s an area I have great interest in. We do a lot currently, but there’s more we can do.

While we’re on the subject of inventors, The Toy Association recently announced an exciting merger with People of Play, with Mary Couzin joining the senior leadership team of the association. What do you feel Mary and People of Play’s suite of events and initiatives can do for your engagement with inventor community?
It’s all about engaging the creativity and innovation that is a catalyst for the toy industry. Mary has created a uniquely deep relationship with this community through the events, programs, and content People of Play offers. She’s created so many ways for this part of the toy industry to connect, from sharing ideas and recognition of achievement in innovation, to a young inventors program for those interested in the industry, plus a consumer directed holiday event.

The Inventor & Innovation Conference has become the preeminent event where the leaders in these areas gather to share ideas, network, and pitch concepts and both Mary and I believe there is significant opportunity for growth for this type of event. The Toy Association understands the importance of this community and through this merger with People of Play, we hope to better understand how the association can provide and meet the needs of this group.

Exciting times. Now, LA is a key date on the calendar for many inventors. Is this community a core part of your LA plans moving forward?
It is. The best part of these moments in time – be it Toy Fair New York, or LA in September, or People of Play in November – is that they’re opportunities for the whole industry to gather. Manufactures, retailers, licensors, inventors… All the different facets of the industry can meet, network, celebrate, learn and do business. That’s how I look at these moments, and we have to look at them as inclusive. We have to foster those connection points.

We have three floors in the Toy District for the first time, and our tenants include Hasbro, LEGO, Funko and 79 other manufacturers. It’s the first year we’re doing it, so we’re all going to learn a lot – but it’s creating opportunities… And that includes opportunities for inventors and creators to engage with a whole raft of companies in LA – both domestic and international. There is a real strength to the international presence in September. It’s an exciting opportunity.

Sounds fantastic. Now, what fuels your creativity? What helps you have ideas?
My brain rarely shuts off! I will wake up in the morning to three or four emails – from myself to myself! Instead of the notepad, I send myself emails. It might be late at night or usually it’s an idea that comes to me during a morning walk… That’s great for clearing your head and crystallising ideas.

What I’ve always loved about the industry is the ability of people like myself – who’ve gone to business school and are seen as being on the ‘business side’ of things – to be involved with inventors. Back when I was at OddzOn – a very small company – I was lucky enough to be Head of Inventor Relations. I was able to sit with and get to know a lot of fantastic inventors, like Shoot the Moon and Seven Towns. Getting to sit with folks like that, discuss their process and connect with the creative community… It can’t help but rub off on businesspeople and unlocks your creative side – and that’s great for business.

Brilliant answer. Greg, this has been fun. I have one last question – do you feel the industry is in a good place creatively at present?
I’ll never talk down creativity. We are an incredibly creative, innovative industry. From brand building and effort it takes to create something from nothing. Look at what Squishmallows has managed to do in the plush category – a category that’s historically hard to innovate in. It’s amazing what they’ve done. Then there are product innovations, which our industry is known for – and there’s always more we can do there. The integration of technology has always been a driver but the toy industry has to be careful with that because of who our primary audience is – we can’t be on the bleeding edge of tech. There are start-up companies working on how AI and voice tech can be integrated into play… And large global companies are also looking at how to integrate AI in a safe, reliable, fun way – and we will eventually unlock it.

All of those different aspects across brand building, product design and tech integration are things the industry continues to be very strong at. We can always do more and as an association, we have to step up and be a conduit for innovation.

Thanks again Greg.

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