CHICAGO, IL (October 15^th, 2024) – People of Play, POP, organizer of the preeminent toy and game industry events during POP Week, the POP platform, and the Bloom Report is honored to announce that Mattel’s Tara McGrath, Spin Master’s Mike Bisogno, and Freeman PR’s Amy Friedland have joined Chicago Toy and Game (CHITAG) Group’s Advisory Board.

“Tara, Mike, and Amy bring inventor relations, marketing, PR, and even more visionary and ideation expertise to our extraordinary Board,” said Mary Couzin, SVP, of The Toy Association, Founder and Leader People of Play”.

“We are fortunate to have their talents as we continue to grow our POP Week events, champion innovators, and promote community, connection, and the power of play!”

Tara McGrath is Creative Director, Inventor Relations & Innovation at Mattel. For over 20 years with Mattel, she has worked on various product lines such as Barbie, Polly Pocket, Disney Princess, Uno Games, and Disney Cars. Before Mattel and directly after graduating from the FIT Toy Program, Tara worked at Pace Development Group in NYC. At Pace, she focused on toy inventing, dolls, games, and preschool toys, ultimately placing products at companies such as Mattel, Parker Brothers, and Tyco. Tara was the recipient of the TAGIE Game Changer Award in 2023.

Mike Bisogno is Spin Master’s Senior Director of Design and Inventor Relations for the Games team. He leads Design for the Rubik's, Family Games, and Party Games categories, and leads Inventor Relations for all of Spin Master Games. He graduated from the FIT Toy Design Program and one month prior to graduation he was hired by Cardinal Industries as their first full-time game designer where he created games and puzzles for the largest global licenses; Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, WB, Sony, and more. Cardinal was acquired by Spin Master in 2015 and Mike was promoted to Design Director. Since then, he has worked in different roles across Design, Licensing, and Inventor Relations and has led design for every game category.

Amy Friedland is Executive Vice President at Freeman PR (recently acquired by Carve Communications). With more than 25 years in the toy, licensing, and consumer product industries, Friedland is an experienced PR strategist who specializes in brand building, influencer and media relations, new product launches, and special events. She has worked on iconic brands including Fisher-Price, Hape, Mattel, and Playmobil, as well as non-toy brands including Entenmann’s, Jeep, and Sara Lee.  She also leads the public relations efforts for People of Play and CHITAG.  

Other Chicago Toy and Game Group Advisory Board members include:

John Barbour - Managing Partner Volta Capital

Karri Bean - Board Chair and Senior Manager, Licensing at Disney Park, Experiences and Consumer Products

Peggy Brown – Inventor, Playwright, Designer, Author, Filmmaker, Funmaker

Mary Couzin – SVP, The Toy Association, Founder and Leader People of Play

Robert Fuhrer –  Owner at Nextoy LLC and KenKen Puzzle

Richard Gill – Co-Founder, McGill and Associates

Adi Golad – Founder and Managing Director of Goliath

Rachel Griffin – Co-Founder, Playwise Partners

Dougal Grimes – Founder of EightyTwo

Alan Hassenfeld – Chairman, Exec. Committee, Hasbro; Chairman, Hassenfeld Family Initiatives

Dan Klitsner – Founder, KID Group

Matt Nuccio – President of DesignEdge

Phil Sage - Senior Director: Design & Innovation HUB, North America, PepsiCo

Angus Walker – Head of Inventor Relations & External Innovation at Hasbro

Tim Walsh – Co-Founder, Roo Games; Filmmaker, Author, Designer, Creative Consultant, The Playmakers

David Yakos – Creativity Director, Co-Owner, Salient Technologies and Streamline Design

Tara McGrath – Creative Director, Inventor Relations & Innovation

Mike Bisogno Senior Director, Design and Inventor Relations

Amy Friedland – Executive Vice President, Freeman Public Relations (recently acquired by Carve Communications)

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Media Contacts:

Amy Friedland, Freeman PR, 973-470-0400, ext. 25 afriedland@freemanpr.com

Emily Potrzuski, Freeman PR, 973-470-0400, ext. 15 epotrzuski@freemanpr.com

Susan O’Sullivan, Freeman PR, 973-470-0400, ext. 12 SusanOS@freemanpr.com

About People of Play:

People of Play (POP), a division of The Toy Association, leads the global toy and game industry in promoting innovation, creativity, and connectivity. A one-stop source of community for industry professionals, aspiring inventors, and people of all ages who love to play, People of Play hosts a play platform packed with resources and connection points as well as a wide range of events including the Chicago Toy & Game (CHITAG) Fair, the Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIE) Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge, the Toy & Game Inventor Pitch and Innovation Conference, Thought Leaders Summit, Toy Takedown and more.