Ronnen Harary | |
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Born | Ontario, Canada | March 1, 1971
Alma mater | University of Western Ontario |
Known for | Co-founder and chair of Spin Master Co-creator of PAW Patrol |
Ronnen Harary (born March 1, 1971) is a Canadian entrepreneur, television and film producer, [1] philanthropist, and billionaire. He is a co-founder of Canadian children's entertainment company Spin Master and the co-creator of PAW Patrol, a preschool series that airs in 160 countries. [2] Along with childhood friend Anton Rabie, he founded Spin Master shortly after graduating from the University of Western Ontario, and they were co-CEOs of the company from 1994 to 2021. Harary is now chair of Spin Master's board of directors. He continues to oversee the company's long-term strategic vision and remains involved in business development and merger and acquisition activity. [3] [4] [5]
Ronnen Harary was born to a Jewish family in South Africa. He moved to Canada when he was five years old and grew up in Toronto. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Western Ontario. [6] Harary has dysgraphia, which means he has difficulty converting the sounds of language into written form. [7] [8]
Harary and Rabie first teamed up in university, forming Campus Faces, a company that made a profit selling advertising along the side of posters. [6] In 1994, soon after graduating from university, they founded Spin Master, and were joined by Ben Varadi, a former classmate of Anton's. With an initial investment of $10,000 each, they were able to launch their first product, the Earth Buddy: a nylon-stocking-covered head of sawdust, topped with grass seeds, which grew to emulate hair. Earth Buddy generated $1.5 million in sales within the first six months of business launch and springboarded Spin Master into the toy industry. [6] [9] [10]
Following the success of Earth Buddy, the founders introduced a number of successful toys into the market, including Devil Sticks, in 1995, and Air Hogs, in 1998. The Air Hogs Sky Shark put Spin Master became one of the most popular toys in the world. [9]
From 2002 to 2007, Spin Master expanded its international footprint, establishing sales and distribution offices across western Europe. The company also opened a marketing and design hub in Los Angeles, which allowed the company to access local toy design, marketing and engineering talent. During this time, Spin Master made its first significant acquisition, acquiring X-Concepts, Inc., maker of Tech Deck. Spin Master's growth allowed the company to expand its licensing capabilities and relationships with major entertainment companies. [11]
One of Spin Master’s most successful toy lines, Bakugan, was launched in 2007. The Bakugan brand started out as an inventor’s sketch of a ball that could be opened to reveal a character inside, evolved into a television series and a video game, and went on to become a phenom in countries around the world. Working with Sega, TMS, Japan Vistec, Corus Television, and Nelvana Entertainment, Bakugan was Spin Master’s best example of the strength of partnerships, instituting a revenue sharing model that is now a pillar of the company’s success. [12]
Through a number of major acquisitions, Spin Master has become a steward of several legacy toy brands. In 2013, Spin Master acquired the Erector Set by Meccano, a line of model construction sets. [13] In 2015, Spin Master acquired Cardinal Industries, a 60-year-old game and puzzles company, making Spin Master the second largest games company in the U.S. That same year, Spin Master made its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange. [14]
The company continued to diversify its product offering over the next several years with new acquisitions, including the purchase of Etch A Sketch as well as water and outdoor sports company Swimways Corporation, in 2016, and of 120-year old premium plush toy brand GUND, in 2018. [15] In 2022, Spin Master acquired Rubik’s Brand Ltd., owner of one of the best-selling toys of all time, Rubik’s Cube. [16]
In 2016, as children’s play patterns were shifting to the digital world, Spin Master purchased digital game and mobile app developers Toca Boca and Sago Mini from the Bonnier Group of Sweden, which expanded the presence of its Digital Games creative centre. [17]
Ronnen Harary and Anton Rabie established Spin Master Ventures (SMV) to help keep pace with innovation in the children’s entertainment space. The focus of SMV is to facilitate growth in each of the company's three creative centers: Toys, Entertainment and Digital Games. Its intention is to establish Spin Master as a partner of choice for entrepreneurs looking for capital, while also bolstering the company’s product development pipeline. [18]
Ronnen Harary led the development of several programming and entertainment franchises for children, including PAW Patrol, Bakugan, Rusty Rivets, and Mighty Express, as well as more multiplatform entertainment series, which are available in more than 170 countries. The popularity of the series worldwide is attributed to the fact that they transcend cultural boundaries, with universal characters and storylines that have travelled the globe. [19]
In August 2021, PAW Patrol: The Movie, Spin Master’s first foray into feature film, was released in theatres. [20] In November 2021, Spin Master announced that the sequel - PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, is set for a theatrical release on October 13, 2023. [21] Ronnen Harary served as Executive Producer for both films.
Harary also served as Executive Producer for over 10 TV series, including PAW Patrol, Rusty Rivets, Super Dinosaur, and Bakugan Battle Brawlers. [22]
In early 2020, Ronnen Harary spearheaded the creation of a face shield for healthcare workers. The face shield was created by a team of Spin Master employees, using existing Hedbanz head bands, to which they attached plastic (polyethylene terephthalate or PET) inserts. Spin Master donated more than 400,000 face shields to over 120 hospitals, shelters and long-term care facilities. [23]
In 1999, Ernst & Young named Spin Master partners Anton Rabie, Ronnen Harary, and Ben Varadi their Young Entrepreneurs of the Year (World-Canada Ontario Region). [24]
In 1999, Spin Master partners Anton Rabie, Ronnen Harary, and Ben Varadi were named the youngest ever (at the time) honorees of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. [25]
In 2006, Spin Master was named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies (2000 – 2004) and was the focus of a chapter in the book "Building the Best: Lessons from Inside Canada's Best Managed Companies." [26]
In 2010, Fast Company recognized Spin Master as the year’s Most Innovative Consumer Products Company. [27]
In 2014, Walmart - the world’s largest retailer - named Spin Master their Toy Supplier of the Year. [28]
In 2017, Spin Master was recognized by Interbrand Canada as one of 150 Iconic Canadian Brands in its report "The Interbrand 150: Iconic Canadian Brands Report: Our Time to Grow ." [29]
In 2018, Spin Master was recognized as one of Canadian Business magazine's Growth 500 winners. [30]
In 2022, Spin Master earned a spot on the "Best Workplaces for Innovators List" by Fast Company. [31]
Since 2002, Spin Master has received 124 TIA Toy of The Year (TOTY) nominations with 33 wins across a variety of product categories, including 13 TOTY nominations for Innovative Toy of the Year, more than any other toy company. [32]
In 2020, Spin Master’s Entertainment Team won four Canadian Screen Awards, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, for its preschool series PAW Patrol. The series won Canadian Screen Awards for the Best Pre-School Program or Series, Best Sound - Animation, and Best Original Music - Animation categories, for the second year in a row. PAW Patrol also received the award for Best Direction in the animation category.[ citation needed ]
In 2022, Spin Master won The Golden Screen Award for Feature Film, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, for PAW Patrol: The Movie. The Golden Screen Award is presented to the Canadian film with the biggest box office gross of the year. PAW Patrol: The Movie has grossed over $7.5 million in Canadian box office sales and $152 million globally. [33]
In 2022, Ronnen Harary, Anton Rabie and Ben Varadi were inducted into the Canadian Toy Hall of Fame for their contributions to the toy industry. [34] [35]
Having retained its Best Managed Company status for more than seven consecutive years, Spin Master is a Platinum Club Member of Deloitte's Best Managed Companies list. [36] [37]
Every year, since 2010, Spin Master has teamed up with Futurpreneur Canada to support innovative young entrepreneurs through the Spin Master Innovation Fund. This program annually supports up to 10 businesses, awarding them each $50,000 in start-up financing, a hand-matched mentor, and a trip to the Spin Master head office in Toronto to attend a two-day Innovation Launch Pad Workshop, with access to senior Spin Master executives. [38] [39] [40]
In 2014 , Ronnen Harary co-founded The Toy Movement, a Spin Master-led, global initiative that (as of 2022), has provided over 850,000 toys to displaced and disadvantaged children around the world. [41] [42] [43]
In 2019, Ronnen Harary spearheaded the launch of the Toy Invention Program (T.I.P.), a program designed to encourage future generations of toy inventors. T.I.P offers students the opportunity to get professional toy invention training through various universities’ departments of continuing education, in collaboration with Spin Master. The T.I.P. was originally offered as a one-year program at Ryerson College. [44] It is modeled off a similar collaboration between Spin Master and Israel’s Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art. [45] The T.I.P. has since expanded to Kingston University in London, England, [46] [47] and to Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. [48]
Spin Master donates toys to a number of charitable organizations that focus on children in need. [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54]
Spin Master invests in hundreds of charitable organizations and educational programs in over 18 countries, to help children and youth learn through play. In 2021, the company made $1.95M USD in cash donations. [54]
In 2020, Spin Master launched three strategic partnerships with organizations that share its vision: The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), The Learning Partnership, and Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. [54]
Since 2013, Ronnen has raised funds for Save a Child's Heart through annual exhibitions of his photography. [55] [56]
In 2017, Ronnen Harary and Anton Rabie made a donation to help improve the facilities at their childhood camp, Camp Northland-B'nai Brith. [57]
Ronnen Harary is a benefactor of the Naggar School of Art and Society in Jerusalem, where a campus was named after him. [58]
The Ronnen Harary Foundation was established in 2020. It has two main objectives: first, to support the development and beautification of public spaces in Jerusalem and Toronto; and second, to help young people with learning disabilities reach their full academic potential. The foundation's most recent project, Full Potential Scholarship, supports Canadian students with learning challenges in their pursuit of post-secondary education in Ontario. [59]
The Ronnen Harary Foundation has most recently been very involved in helping Israeli kids, soldiers, and hospitals following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Harary has been on the ground in Israel distributing over 25,000 toys for Israeli kids and their families who have been affected by the war with Hamas. The RH Foundation is buying new beds for the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem to boost capacity ahead of expected casualties. Meanwhile, Ronnen has also personally driven boxes of socks and supplies to army bases all over Israel, and the foundation is helping a Canadian-led operation sending a food truck to feed soldiers before they embark on an unprecedented ground assault on the Gaza Strip. Source
The Ronnen Harary Foundation has been criticized by a panel of experts, including UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, for sending millions of dollars in charitable donations to the Jerusalem Municipality, which has been instrumental in the unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem and the seizure of land deep in the occupied West Bank. [60]
Ronnen Harary lives in Toronto, Canada. [61]
Ronnen Harary is Executive Producer of the following TV series and films: [1] [62] [63]
Year | Title |
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2007 - 2012 | Bakugan Battle Brawlers |
2011 - 2013 | Redakai: Conquer the Kairu |
2013 - 2014 | Tenkai Knights |
2013–present | PAW Patrol |
2016 - 2020 | Rusty Rivets |
2018 - 2019 | Super Dinosaur |
2018 - 2023 | Bakugan: Battle Planet |
2019 - 2022 | Abby Hatcher |
2019 - 2020 | Dragamonz |
2020 | Zo Zo Zombie |
2020 - 2022 | Mighty Express |
2022–present | Sago Mini Friends |
2023–present | Rubble & Crew |
2023–present | Bakugan |
2023–present | Vida the Vet |
Year | Title |
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2021 | PAW Patrol: The Movie |
2023 | PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie |
Moshe Safdie is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. He is known for incorporating principles of socially responsible design throughout his six-decade career. His projects include cultural, educational, and civic institutions; neighborhoods and public parks; housing; mixed-use urban centers; airports; and master plans for existing communities and entirely new cities in the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia. Safdie is most identified with designing Marina Bay Sands and Jewel Changi Airport, as well as his debut project Habitat 67, which was originally conceived as his thesis at McGill University. He holds legal citizenship in Israel, Canada, and the United States.
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment production company owned by Corus Entertainment and formerly Shaw Communications since 2000. Founded in July 1971 by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith, it was named after Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian national superhero, who was created by Adrian Dingle. The company's production logo is a polar bear looking at Polaris, the North Star.
Nickelodeon Movies Inc. is an American film production company based in Los Angeles, California and owned by Paramount Global. Originally founded in 1995, it serves as both the film production arm of the American children's network Nickelodeon and the family film distribution label of Paramount Pictures, operating under its Paramount Players division.
The Golden Screen Award, formerly known as the Golden Reel Award, is a Canadian film award, presented to the Canadian film with the biggest box office gross of the year. The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association introduced this award in 1976 as part of the Canadian Film Awards until 1979. The Golden Reel became part of the Genie Awards ceremonies in 1980, and is currently part of the Canadian Screen Awards. It was renamed from Golden Reel to Golden Screen as of the 3rd Canadian Screen Awards in 2015.
Ron Pardo is a Canadian actor and comedian. He has performed roles in over 90 animated series. On PAW Patrol, Pardo has voiced Cap'n Turbot since the first episode, and later voiced the breakout villain Mayor Humdinger as well as various other characters. Pardo is also known for playing a wide variety of celebrities on the sketch comedy series History Bites.
Keith Vincent Chapman is a British television writer and producer, best known as the creator of children's television programmes Bob the Builder, Mighty Express, Fifi and the Flowertots and Paw Patrol.
Mega Brands Inc. is a Canadian children's toy company that is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel. Mega Bloks, a line of construction set toys, is its most popular product. Its other brands include Mega Construx, Mega Puzzles, and Board Dudes. The company distributes a wide range of construction toys, puzzles, and craft-based products.
Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a Japanese-Canadian anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment, Dentsu Inc., and Nelvana Limited under the direction of Mitsuo Hashimoto. The story centers on the lives of creatures called Bakugan and the "battle brawlers" who possess them. The Bakugan franchise itself is a joint venture between Sega Toys, Spin Master and Nelvana.
Spin Master Corp., formerly known as Spin Master Toys, is a Canadian multinational toy and entertainment company. Spin Master employs over 1,600 people globally with offices in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.
Guru Studio is a Canadian animation studio based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 2000, they specialize in CGI and 2D animation as well as creating children’s properties including Paw Patrol, True and the Rainbow Kingdom, Mecha Builders, Big Blue, Pikwik Pack, Ever After High and Justin Time.
Toca Boca is a Swedish children's mobile video game developer. The company is owned by Spin Master and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.
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Paw Patrol is a Canadian animated television series created by Keith Chapman and produced by Spin Master Entertainment, with animation provided by Guru Studio. In Canada, the series is primarily broadcast on TVOntario as part of the TVOKids programing block. TVO first ran previews of the show in August 2013. The series premiered on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. in the United States on August 12, 2013.
Rusty Rivets is a Canadian animated television series, and is produced by Arc Productions and Spin Master Entertainment. The series aired for three seasons, simultaneously on Treehouse TV in Canada and on Nickelodeon in the U.S., from November 8, 2016, to May 8, 2020. Inspired by elements of the maker culture, it follows the adventures of a young inventor named Rusty and his team of customized robots.
Anton Rabie is a Canadian billionaire businessman, the co-founder and co-CEO of Spin Master, a company in the children's toy industry, famous for popular products such as Hatchimals, Air Hogs, and Paw Patrol. He founded Spin Master in 1994 alongside his childhood friend Ronnen Harary. The pair started the business with an initial investment of $10,000, releasing their first product, "Earth Buddy," which was similar to a Chia Pet.
Turning Mecard, released as Mecard in the United States, is a South Korean toyline and media franchise launched in 2014, developed for toy company Sonokong by Choirock. The toyline involves a model car that, using a card, transforms into an animal-shaped mecha.
Bakugan: Battle Planet is an anime television series serving as a reboot of the 2007–2012 series Bakugan Battle Brawlers. The series is produced by Nelvana and Spin Master Entertainment, animated by TMS Entertainment and edited by Man of Action Entertainment. Battle Planet premiered in North America in December 2018, airing on Teletoon in Canada and Cartoon Network in the United States, and later debuted in Japan in April 2019.
Paw Patrol: The Movie is a 2021 Canadian animated action-adventure comedy film based on the television series Paw Patrol created by Keith Chapman. It was directed by Cal Brunker, who co-wrote the screenplay with Billy Frolick and Bob Barlen from a story by Frolick. Several cast members from the main series reprised their roles, including Kingsley Marshall, Keegan Hedley, Shayle Simons, Lilly Bartlam, and Ron Pardo. They are joined by Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian, Randall Park, Dax Shepard, Jimmy Kimmel, Tyler Perry, and introducing Will Brisbin in his film debut as Ryder. In the film, Ryder and the Paw Patrol pups are called to Adventure City in order to stop the recently-elected Mayor Humdinger from wreaking havoc.
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