Creativity, Branding, Muppets, Yo Gabba Gabba, and other Career Adventures . . . with Mike Polis

Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson

Mike Polis started and ended with animation and graphic novels and cool creative content. In between, he has run marketing for Yo Gabba Gabba, Jim Henson, and other adventures. Mike shares his stories of how he moved from desktop publishing after college to food marketing, to DVDs for Universal Studios, and into adventures with Kermit and other creative projects. He brings us to his present day, where he runs two types of organizations -- one producing with creative brands and one now working with next-generation low-energy rendering systems. His stories are ones of finding unique opportunities from other people offering him a change in direction -- and being ready to say yes to something new.

Guest: Michael R. Polis, CEO – Creator - Executive Producer, Atomic Toybox Entertainment, Inc.; Wild Hair Media - President; XetaOne - Partner

Michael Polis is an American producer, writer, and creator, of Puerto Rican descent, with a focus on science-fiction, fantasy, and family spaces. His specialty is in developing and creating intellectual property for television and film with a clear path to becoming entertainment brands realized in publishing, games, and consumer products.

Nominated for 4 Emmy Awards, he has developed and produced award-winning content for film (Mirrormask), television (Yo Gabba Gabba!, Kermit’s Swamp Years) live entertainment (Bear in the Big Blue House), and digital media (UMIGO) in addition to managing content development, and production for some of the world’s most celebrated brands and companies including Universal Studios, HBO, Baby Einstein, Nickelodeon, Disney, and The Jim Henson Company.

He also has extensive experience in digital and social media through Wild Hair Media, his digital media agency, and is a co-founder of Xeta One, a revolutionary technology company delivering the fastest, most compact, and energy-efficient servers on the planet.

Polis heads up his own independent production company, Atomic Toybox Entertainment, and is currently engaged with multiple projects with world-class partners including Ridley Scott’s, Scott Free Productions for a prime-time television series, a Halloween special with Bix Pix Entertainment, in addition to a distribution deal with international distributor Cake for an original property developed by Atomic.

In addition, Michael has acquired various intellectual properties including Captain Action, a world-renowned toy and collectible property, in addition to multiple properties from the former Fuel Entertainment library including content based on the toy line Chub City, the iTunes app BrOddcast and Sideway, the PlayStation network video game. He has also acquired film rights to reboot the “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” film franchise.

Polis is also currently President of Wild Hair Media, a leading social media company that directs digital and social strategy for world-renowned brands, entertainers, musicians, and athletes principally on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Since Polis joined Wild Hair in 2014, the multi-million-dollar company has experienced a 3X growth in top-line revenue and 2 X EBITA.

Polis is the creator and Executive Producer of UMIGO – a cutting-edge transmedia property designed to teach today’s generation of digitally savvy children aged 5-8 years old math and literacy skills. Under Polis’ direction, the project was awarded a multi-year grant with the U.S. Department of Education for thirty-two million dollars.

Prior to 2013, Polis was CEO of Wildbrain Entertainment and EVP, of Branded Entertainment & Consumer Products at DHX Media. In addition to overseeing global development, production, distribution & digital operations for Wildbrain Entertainment, he led DHX Media’s international licensing activities. He also served as executive producer on key productions including “Yo Gabba Gabba!” for Nickelodeon in addition to projects for HBO, Disney, Nickelodeon, and Mattel. He was nominated in 2011, 2012 & 2013 for the Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series Emmy.

Polis joined Wildbrain as the studio’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in June 2007. As CMO, Polis led and supervised unprecedented global marketing and licensing efforts on behalf of Wildbrain’s entertainment assets, including the groundbreaking series “Yo Gabba Gabba!” He developed product and brand licensing initiatives on behalf of the entire studio’s intellectual property.

Prior to joining Wildbrain in 2007, Polis served as Senior Vice President of Marketing Worldwide at The Jim Henson Company, overseeing global strategic marketing initiatives for the entire Henson library, including “The Muppets,” “Fraggle Rock” and “Labryrinth.” Polis received an Emmy nomination as an executive producer on "Kermit's Swamp Years” and numerous awards and nominations as executive producer for the theatrically distributed film "MirrorMask”. Before Henson, Polis was Executive Director of Marketing a Universal Home Entertainment, managing marketing and promotions of home entertainment titles such as "Babe, E.T.," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "The Land Before Time."

Polis serves as a member of the executive committee for the Children’s Programming Peer Group and was a two-term Governor of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is also a member of the Producer’s Guild of America’s new media group and a member of YPO Gold (Young President’s Organization) Pacific Coast Chapter.

Michael has a passion for creating projects in celebration of his Puerto Rican and Spanish heritage. He holds an M.B.A. from Northeastern University.

Links:

• URL: AtomicToybox.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpolis/
• Interesting Bio: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Michael_Polis