Paramount Skydance is adding another member to its senior ranks: Josh Silverman, who hails from Mattel and spent two decades at Disney and Marvel, has been hired as president of global products and experiences.
Silverman will join the company Oct. 6, 2025, reporting to Paramount Skydance president Jeff Shell. Skydance Media’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global closed in early August.
Silverman will oversee the company’s consumer products, live experiences, publishing, partnerships and ecommerce. According to Paramount Skydance, he will work with leaders of at brands including Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon “to bring stories to life in new ways.”
Last week came news that Pam Kaufman is exiting as Paramount’s president and CEO of international markets, global consumer products and experiences. Silverman assumes oversight of products and experiences, while NBCUniversal alum Kevin MacLellan is Paramount Skydance’s head of international.
Silverman most recently served as Mattel’s executive VP and chief franchise officer, where he led the execution of more than 165 consumer product partnerships and retail tie-ins for Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Barbie” movie. He also led initiatives including the World of Barbie traveling exhibit, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live and the upcoming Mattel Adventure Parks.
Prior to Mattel, Silverman held senior leadership roles at Marvel Entertainment and Disney. He joined Marvel in 2001 as a corporate attorney in the business and legal affairs group before his promotion to SVP of global business development and licensing operations. Following Disney’s $4.3 billion acquisition of Marvel in 2009, he worked across Marvel divisions on global strategic and tactical matters and corporate brand management.
In 2011 he moved over to Disney, where he most recently served as EVP of global third-party commercialization, leading Disney’s consumer product licensing business, third-party retail and flexible business models, as well as overseeing the Disney Stores and commercialization for Disney Interactive and Disney Publishing. Silverman received an undergraduate degree from New York’s Ithaca College and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.
“I’m incredibly energized by the entrepreneurial spirit across Paramount,” Silverman said in a statement. “As we build global ecosystems for fans, there’s an extraordinary opportunity to unlock new value by leveraging renowned IP and mining the portfolio for fresh stories and experiences. I’m excited to collaborate across teams to deepen the emotional connection between audiences and the brands, franchises, and characters they love.”
Shell, who was formerly CEO of NBCUniversal, said: “Josh brings a combination of strategic vision, deep industry experience, and a proven track record of driving global growth across beloved brands and franchises. We are excited to see him harness Paramount’s world-class library and creative engines to reach our audiences in new and exciting ways and fuel the expansion of our consumer products and experiences businesses.”
Other recent high-level hires by the company include chief product officer Dane Glasgow, most recently at Meta’s Facebook as VP of product management, and chief legal officer Makan Delrahim, who had advised Skydance on its acquisition of Paramount Global and was the assistant attorney general overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division during President Trump’s first term.