Episode #16: The Benefits of Joining Women In Toys, Licensing & Entertainment
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Starting off in the toy industry can be difficult, and doing so while observing #stayathome orders may make it seem impossible. Well for today's episode, The Toy Coach introduces you to a non-profit organization that works in favor of the advancement of women in the toy industry. This community has continued to keep its members connected via weekly webinars, email updates, and the launch of a virtual mentorship program. If you are looking for a network of strong, supportive women and men in this niche industry, then look no further than Women In Toys, Licensing, and Entertainment, also known as, WIT.
This episode addresses the biggest questions inventors, entrepreneurs, and new toy people tend to have about this organization such as, "What is WIT?", "Is WIT for Inventors?" and "Are there Educational and Networking Opportunities?". Listen to what current members of WIT love about the organization and, I'll help you decide if WIT is right for you.
Happy listening toy people!
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This episode is brought to you by thetoycoach.com
Click here to visit the WIT Website.
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Azhelle 0:00 You are listening to Making It in The Toy Industry episode number 16. Intro/Outro + Jingle 0:06 Welcome to Making It in The Toy Industry, podcast for inventors and entrepreneurs like you know your host Azhelle Wade. Azhelle 0:16 Hey there toy people Azhelle Wade here and welcome back to another episode of making it in the toy industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com. I am so happy to have you back here with me for another episode. And I am really excited to dive into today's conversation. I hope you've been able to make the best of this time in which the world is on pause but I know that as hard as we focus on the silver lining, it can be tough to feel motivated and move forward without the support of a collaborative community. So for today's episode, I decided to talk about a very special organization. called Women in toys, licensing and entertainment, also known as wit for short, which is a global community that supports and helps to advance women in the toy industry. Now, the first thing I want to clear up before getting into this conversation is that you do not need to be a woman to join women in toys, licensing and entertainment. A good friend of mine, John Jaldoni was actually a wit member before I was now to be a member of wit, you are only required to support the Advancement of Women in our industry. And honestly, just by being a member, you're doing just that. Now as a member of women in toys, licensing and entertainment you have access to mentorship programs, leadership forums, and networking opportunities that will lead you toward game changing results. Now over the next few weeks Here on this podcast, we are going to dive into detail about some of the big things happening with wit. But for this conversation right now, I want to talk to you about what it means to be a member. Now we're going to cover four topics, what is what is wit for inventors? What kind of education and networking opportunities they have? And then we're gonna dive into some member testimonials. Okay, so let's kick off this conversation by talking about what exactly wit is. Now women in toys, licensing and entertainment has over 2000 members spread across over six countries. This nonprofit organizations focus is to help advance the careers of women in the Toy Biz. Which members are privy to mentorship programs, leadership forums, networking opportunities, and so much more. All provided for toy industry professionals that are at any stage of their career. The board directors of wit are made up of 20 women from all around the toy industry. And these powerhouse women volunteered their time in support of the events and programs that benefit with members of the current president of women in toys, licensing and entertainment is Janice Ross. She has over 20 years of experience in the industry, having worked at Lego Lisa Frank and American Greetings, managing the day to day of Whitman behind the scenes is a small support staff run by Mary Kay Russell, the executive director. Now our second question is wit for inventors. So let's talk about how becoming a member of wit could benefit you if you're an inventor or entrepreneur just looking to break into the toy industry. If you've never worked in the toy industry before, your very first goal should be to get yourself in the room, the room being any event, in which you have the opportunity to strike up a conversation with a toy or entertainment industry professional and learn. Now look, the members of wit are not there for you to drop in, use their knowledge for free and leave. But this organization does exist to help connect women in the industry with valuable potential partners, resources and maybe even clients. There are over 2000 members as I said, and from day one, when you join, you will be encouraged to get involved and attend member events, whether live or virtual, in hopes to contribute to this growing and thriving community.
Azhelle 4:57 All right now once you've gotten yourself in the room, and you've listened and you've learned and you've taken notes, you should have picked up on a few things like talk of trade shows and industry events. Now, one of wits biggest industry events typically occurs during Dallas Toy Fair every October. Now due to the Coronavirus, which may be taking this event virtual so keep an ear out for that. I'll tell you more about that when I know more. But let's still talk about the event as it traditionally is held, since it's a huge benefit that only wit members get to participate in. This event is called the women in toys empowerment day. Now if you listen to last week's episode, you know that Marjorie spittle Nick, the creator of little rebels is also a proud member of women in toys. The feedback and comments she received from Toy Biz giants during women in toys empowerment day helped her refine her product and motivated Her to launch and ultimately succeed with her Kickstarter campaign. Women and toys empowerment day kicks off with a full eight hours of opportunities where women inventors get to meet with toy industry execs for private pitches, one on one mentoring sessions and more. The day wraps with a cocktail hour for additional networking. Okay, so let's talk about the education opportunities with wit for inventors or anyone interested in the toy industry. Now, even before stay at home orders went went virtual with the introduction of wit webinars. Now all of which webinars and virtual events are super educational and guess what, you don't have to leave your cast to participate in them. You can attend online and learn while you're still in your PJs. The webinars happen three to four times a month. They're usually on sale. super helpful topics from industry regulations to changing gears in your career to industry trends or predictions. Now, even better, all past wit webinars are stored in an archive online and as a member, you get access to all of that valuable information. Now, if you're thinking from the perspective of an inventor, if you've never worked in the toy industry before, this library of webinar, insight from toy industry professionals alone is worth the price of a membership. Now, you can rest assured that if someone has been invited to host a webinar for wit, that they are leaders in their specific category. Okay, so I used my super wit member powers and access the webinar archives just for my listeners. And I pulled out three past webinar topics that I think would be most helpful to an aspiring Toy inventor or an entrepreneur. And I just want to share those three with you. So you can get an idea of the types of webinars that are with in the wit webinar vault that you could have access to as a member. So my example number one, they had a webinar called How to use analytics to improve product development and launch success. So all of the information is in the title there. This is a webinar that teaches you how to use analytics to reduce risks and ensure success during your product launch. Now as an inventor, or an inventor launching a website or Kickstarter who doesn't need that kind of great advice. Number two, they had a webinar all about toy safety, entitled toy safety 101. Now this webinar navigates the complex world of us product safety requirements a perfect webinar for anyone new to the industry. And the third webinar Title I want to share with you is toys to TV, turning your toy concept into an animated series. This was a webinar about listening to the buyers needs to develop and produce a TV show for your toy product. And I've talked to so many inventors that have contacted me about the show who really want to develop a license or a property behind their toy concepts. Now wit members get access to over two dozen existing webinars with new webinars popping up almost every week. This is an invaluable and carefully curated resource that you definitely want to take advantage of. Azhelle 9:48 Now let's talk about the educational benefits with members get. I recently got a message from a listener asking about where they should go if they needed an ongoing mentorship to develop their toy idea. And that question was so well timed because wit has just released their new Ruth Handler mentorship program, named after the woman who created Barbie and paved the way for future inventors and industry leaders. Now, when you sign up for this program, you're going to get matched with a mentor for a four month partnership. And already over 200 mentors have signed up to participate. And these are not just anyone these are industry professionals from Mattel, Google Tomi Lego Warner Brothers, Viacom, Spin Master Disney and so much more. This program is going to guide you through everything and keep you on track. And it's going to be personalized just for you based on your specific goals. It is going to be the fastest way to help hone your skills and build your network within the industry. Now there is so much to say about this internship program and how it works. So I've actually invited a few members of wit to join me for a q&a on this podcast to talk all about it. So if you aren't sure, if the Ruth Handler mentorship program for wit is for you, be sure to come back for next week's episode and join in on that q&a conversation. Now if you have any questions that you want me to ask about the mentorship program, I'm going to suggest that you join the making it in the toy industry Facebook group, and let me know they're what questions you want me to ask for next week's episode. Okay, let's move on to networking. Now, networking events in general are one of the coolest things about participating in women in toys licensing and entertainment because Each of the regional chapters holds their own local events that any member, even if you're visiting out of town can register for and attend. I've been to events at trendy bowling alleys in Times Square, to hip arcade bars, and even opening night parties at high end toy stores. Right now, these networking events have been made virtual, which to me is even cooler because you have the opportunity to join networking events with members from across the globe. But don't worry, when stay at home orders and live events will resume as usual. Now, some wit networking events are as simple as a speaker presenting on industry topics, while others are webinars or mixers. So I want to tell you a little bit about my very first wit meeting. I was a brand new member and I really wanted to get involved But I was really incredibly nervous having to meet these new people. But I was attending Gen Con in Indianapolis outside of my home state, and wit was hosting a networking event at a really cool arcade in the town. So I was nervous to step inside the arcade and introduce myself to the group. But I ended up being so welcomed by the Seattle chapter chair de jure cross and brought into conversations with other members. We all talked about the industry and exchanged business cards and contact info and for no other purpose than to just get to know one another. So my advice to you is if you join when you join, just jump in and say hello, even right now. Join the virtual networking events and strike up conversations and the moment it's safe to go to public outings again, put yourself out there and try to make friends before making business deals. Now another huge networking event that wit holds every year is the Wonder Woman Awards Gala. Now, the Wonder Woman awards honors the achievements of women in the toy and entertainment industry with an elegant cocktail hour seated awards dinner, just filled with tear jerking acceptance speeches. This past Toy Fair, I was a 2020 nominee for rising star corporate. And while I did not win, the connections I made that evening have continued to impact my career positively, even to this day. This event is not to be missed. If you're a member. Not only is it a fun night out where you get trust in your best and celebrate industry achievements, but it's also another great chance for networking and recognition. When I attended this event, this past February, I'm not Everyone from the mom who created bullinger, to independent toy inventors. And as an inventor, I think that attending this event would be a great opportunity to find your pack people who are doing what you're doing, and connect with them and learn from one another. Now, let's switch gears a little bit and talk about virtual networking, considering the time so we're and of course, now I personally connected with a lot of women and toys members in side of the members only Facebook group, but in May, which is announcing an even more direct method to network with members of the community. And that is which chat. Now which chat is going to be a discussion forum built via slack and it's going to allow you to connect with the entire width community to find resources, get recommendations, share information, about your product or your business and find answers to your burning toy questions. So I'm definitely going to recommend that if you join, get involved in Slack, it's going to be the new way to communicate with members, and to find information that past members have given out to one another. And finally, my favorite part of this episode is definitely going to be the member testimonials. Now, look, although I've been in the toy industry for 10 years, and it sounds like I know all there is to know about wit. I've actually only been a member for six months. I know it's crazy. I couldn't believe it when I counted myself with the amount of amazing women and men that I've met and how involved I've become with the organization. I really can't believe how little time has passed. Now look, I wish someone had encouraged me To join this organization sooner, I can't imagine what it could have done for my career Had I known about it earlier on. So today, I really want you to block out some time to head over to women in toys.com.
Audio Montage of Multiple Speakers 19:10 Hey there toy people I'm Tamar Ray Stevenson founder of...toy people. I'm Jen Caveza, a consumer products executive...everyone my name is..Delanie rhymes with MelanieWest. I help brands and people execute creative ideas as founder of the super creative...Hello everyone out there in podcast land. This is Jenna Lavallee I'm the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at make it real and I'm proud what board member Hi, my name is...Karen Kilpatrick. I am an independent creative and marketing consultant and a children's book author...Hey everyone. This is Katie hosford. I have had the pleasure of being a designer in the toy industry for seven years now...Hey, everyone. I'm Ruth green, the owner of Ruth green concepts and Hi my name is Stephanie Pottick of Pottick Law. Hello, my name is Yelitsa Jean Charles and I'm the CEO and founder of Helthy Roots dolls...I've been involved With quit for many decades now they've supported me through every phase of my career from early on providing important networking opportunities. Until now giving me board experience and industry exposure...Women in toys licensing and entertainment for me is an ecosystem of peers who have this insane amount of knowledge and smarts, from whom I'm able to learn from, call on and collaborate with...what I love about with as the positive intent that members have when networking and interacting. There's a great collaborative energy and the network throughout the different facets of the industry is second to none...through wit connections. I really launched my career in the creative space and the toy industry...When it comes to wit I'm so lucky to have met inherit out so many amazing women. These are women that I can look up to and see the possibilities of what we can do and how big of an impact we can have...WIT has provided that extra edge my business needed in helping me make the right connections at just the right time...I love the organization because members are amazing, collaborative and supportive of one another...which brings together a supportive, resourceful community of women, inventors and industry executives...women in toys means the world to me because it's how I started my company as a college student...I really appreciate how much I've learned so far and I look forward to continuing. Thank you...So thank you so much women in toys for helping me learn all about the industry and how to make a meaningful and impactful product for children. great people. Great group. Thanks, WIT!
Azhelle 21:32 There you have it a message of thanks and gratitude for the women and toys, licensing and entertainment organization from nine passionate members. Now if you love the toy licensing and entertainment industries, then it is important that you surround yourself with like minded individuals like these inspiring women. Now if at this point, you're still wondering like how do I know if it is Write for me. Here's five reasons for you. One, you're an inventor with a new toy idea but you've got no connections to the toy or entertainment industry. What is right for you to you produce your own toy products and want to grow your business? What is right for you? Three you already work in the toys and entertainment industry but you want to make a significant career change which is right for you. For you are looking for new opportunities or clients within the toy and entertainment industry, which is right for you. And finally five maybe you just got out of school or you're just looking to get a job for the first time in the toy industry. wit is right for you. All right now you may be thinking where's the signup link? Tell me now I can't waste another minute. Don't worry, I have got you. As always. All the links you will need are going to be in the show notes so head over to the toy coach. COMM forward slash podcast forward slash 16 to get all of the links you'll need. Okay, boy people. I hope you enjoyed today's episode learning all about the women in toys, licensing and entertainment organization. I know that a time staying at home can be difficult as you might miss being surrounded by family and friends and colleagues. So I hope that you consider joining the WIC community and connecting with us virtually until we can all meet up once again in person. Now the women at wit have offered a really great deal for the listeners of this podcast. You can get a special three month free membership to wit. All you have to do is email info at women in toys.com and tell them that the toy coach sent you a free three month membership is Pretty big deal. So make sure you head over to the toy coach comm forward slash podcast forward slash 16. And take advantage of this amazing opportunity today. A huge thank you to the wit members who submitted their audio clips showing their love and appreciation for women in toys, licensing and entertainment. Thank you so much for listening to making it in the toy industry. We want to hear your feedback. You can leave us a review on iTunes or head over to Facebook and leave us a review on the toy coach's Facebook page. Now I hope to see you again next week where we're going to go in depth asking questions all about the Ruth Handler mentorship program for wit. And if you have any questions that you want me to ask, remember, just join our Facebook group. It's called Making it in the toy industry, podcast community. And any questions you ask there about the Ruth Handler mentorship program. I will relay but just make sure you get those questions in soon because our record date is coming up until next week, I'll see you later. Bye people. Intro/Outro + Jingle 25:13 Thanks for listening to making it in the toy industry podcast with Azhelle Wade, head over to the toy coach comm For more information, tips and advice.
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