Hi David! Thank you for taking time to answer a few questions. Let’s start with talking about what you do in our industry. It seems to me you haven’t retired!

David: In fairness, I never said I was retiring this time. I just wanted to start a new business. As one of the more seasoned people starting something new, I’m inspired by legends in our business that I have worked with first hand like Bob Moog, Manny Stul, Michael Kohner, Gerry Crown, Adi Golad, and Jim Pressman—people who have proven that experience mixed with passion can be a competitive advantage.

So what’s behind the name Stormin’ Studios?

David: The idea started as a nod to my nickname, Stormin’ Norman. The problem is that when you say “Stormin’ Norman,” people often think of General Schwarzkopf or Storming the Normandy beaches—not exactly the vibe I wanted for a toy company. As we worked through the ideation, Stormin’ Studios really clicked. It captured the energy we want in our products, and the word “Studios” signals that these aren’t just games and toys—they’re brands with real marketing and storytelling behind them. It also supports our long-term vision of building multiple studios under one umbrella.

What’s the thinking behind the logo?

David: When I think of “stormin’,” I think of a thundercloud. Making it orange with a blue lightning bolt was very intentional—it’s meant to signal that we’re going to do things in unexpected ways. Besides, a black cloud with a yellow lightning bolt just isn’t nearly as fun.

That’s electric—and a great segue into your first acquisition.

David: Late last year, Stormin Studios acquired the assets of TCG, and it’s been incredibly exciting. It came with some fantastic products and, more importantly, great people. We have a team of nine, led by Managing Director Jessica Gavin, and a portfolio of hundreds of items, including the well-known Megamats.

What was the most challenging part of acquiring TCG?

David: There were a lot of stakeholders—employees, factories, licensors, inventors, warehouses, sales reps, and customers—who all needed to understand the vision and determine if restarting relations with Stormin’ Studios made sense given how things previously ended. I’m proud to say we were able to bring everyone back on board, but it took a lot of conversations and alignment to make sure the reset worked for all parties.

What can we expect on the new-product front?

David: We’ve been extremely fortunate to acquire exclusive distribution rights for Orchard Toys in the U.S., and we’ll be unveiling a new Orchard line in April 2026 at our El Segundo showroom. Orchard is incredibly well known in the UK and Australia, and we fully expect it to gain that same recognition in the U.S. very quickly.

In addition, we’ve added the explosive Gassy Gus to the lineup. The inventing community has been amazing to us—we’ve signed six new games and one new toy program since November. We will begin showing them to the market at the Spring show.  I’m especially excited that one of the games we signed will be hitting shelves in about two months.

Can we expect to see more than new games from Stormin Studios in the seasons to come or will that be a primary focus?
David: There’s no doubt that games is an area that I have great confidence in growing successfully in the short term. It’s a category that I know deeply, and I really enjoy working with the inventor community for awesome new concepts. On the other hand, I think it’s fair to say that with a name like ours, you can expect the unexpected. We have a very on-trend collectible range in the works that is super cool and we are always looking at what’s up & coming, topical, and unique. We will be focused with what we bring to market, but I am pretty sure that what you will see from Stormin Studios in the seasons to come will be surprising and inventive. That’s really why we’re here, to re-imagine not only the product itself but the stories they tell. Stay tuned, we think people are going to be pretty engaged by what we’re doing and we are excited to really get to tell that story in LA this spring.