W. VINT GONSER
Principal Designer & Ideator
www.vintgonser.com
PROFILE CONTACT Inventive lead designer and illustrator with extensive experience in charac- 978.697.9189 ter and concept development, brand innovation, product styling and story craft. Key executive adviser and partner for creative direction and licensing [email protected] relationships. Trusted toy industry expert who adapts to a wide variety of creative needs to provide inspired design solutions. Atlanta, GA - Manchester, MA
WORK EXPERIENCE
2016 – 2019 PRINCIPAL DESIGNER CATEGORIES KIDS2 INC. Atlanta, GA Led concepting from origination to final production for baby, infant and Boys’ & Girls’ Toys toddler platforms for Baby Einstein (BE), Ingenuity and Bright Starts. Men- Infant Products tored design team, collaborated with brand and program management, Preschool & Toddler Toy engineering, marketing and consumer insights, and established advanta- geous licensing agreements with Disney, John Deere and Hape. Activities & Gyms Design lead for Disney / Pixar licensed product, growing business by Soft Goods $25M. Innovated Finding Nemo Seas of Activities Jumper, Mr. Ray Premiums & Promotional Ocean Lights Activity Gym and Disney Go-Grippers Specialty & Gift Landed Sesame Street 50th Anniversary license through building rela- Animation Media tionships with SSW creative team, putting forward fresh design con- cepts and partnering with business development Plush Key team contributions to design language of BE brand relaunch Greeting Cards & Paper Goods Conceived and managed multiple toddler play products for Bright Starts Gaming brand with sales projections of $3M+ EXPERTISE
The Walt Disney Company SENIOR DESIGN PROJECT MANAGER 2014 – 2016 Disney Pixar SCHYLLING INC. New Andover, MA Generated novel concepts for specialty toys and oversaw product and Lucas / Marvel packaging design. Worked closely with operations, purchasing and far east Sesame Street Workshop vendors (mechanical, metalsmithing, wood engineers and manufacturers). The Jim Henson Company Concept generation for Disney’s Lucas Film and Pixar classic tin collec- tables Nickelodeon Cartoon Network CREATIVE DIRECTOR 2012 – 2014 DreamWorks SASSY BABY INC. Attleboro, MA Warner Brothers Teamed with executives to strategically position brands and increase mar- ket share through internal intellectual properties and major licensors (The Carter’s Walt Disney Company, The Jim Henson Company, Carter’s and Garanimals). Hape Directed global cross-functional teams including project engineering and Ford operations, and managed domestic and far east vendors (sculptors, product engineers and manufacturers). John Deere Identified white space by nurturing and securing significant partner- ships adding $10M in bath category and $15M in plush W. VINT GONSER Principal Designer & Ideator
www.vintgonser.com
WORK EXPERIENCE
TOY-TERTAINMENT CONSULTANT 1990 – Present CLIENT LIST GONZ’ CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT & ILLUSTRATION Walt Disney Company Innovate functional concepts and presentations for major retail leaders and independent developers in toy, gaming, gift and consumer products indus- Hasbro Toy Group tries. Specialty in styling and ideation for boys, girls, preschool and infant Fisher Price / Mattel product lines . Spin Master DESIGN CONSULTANT Target SIMON MARKETING INC. Sassy Baby Creative rendering and direction for McDonald’s Happy Meal toys and fran- TOMY / First Years chise promotional programs. Conceived and generated age-appropriate premium and specialty toys for licensors including Disney franchises, SSW, Kids2 Henson and Hasbro brands. Nickelodeon Bark! SENIOR DESIGN MANAGER, PLAY TEAM Genie Toys SUMMER INFANT INC. American Greetings Concept and stylistic development for baby and toddler brands with a con- Crayola / Binney & Smith centration on expanding Disney licensed business and internal IP. Little Kids SENIOR INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER Evenflo HASBRO TOY GROUP MGA / Little Tikes Originated toy product lines from concept to initial design, model making Simon Marketing and coordination with marketing and engineering for infant and PlaySkool groups. Character development, soft goods and product illustration for McDonald’s Weebles, Wuzzles and Nosy Bears (TCFC). Equity Marketing Burger King SENIOR MASTER DESIGNER Playmates THOSE CHARACTERS FROM CLEVELAND – AMERICAN GREETINGS INC. General Mills Presented unique concepts and ideas for character and product develop- Dorel Juvenile Group ment encompassing brainstorming sessions, sketches, renderings sculpting and prototype planning and execution. Cross-functional team included edi- Chevron torial department, in-house mechanism group, soft and hard sculptors, Little Brownie Baker freelance artists and other production staff.
Principal designer for AmToy’s original My Pet Monster, My Monster Pets SKILLS and select MadBalls
Creative development for core TCFC brands: Ziggy, Strawberry Short- SketchBook Pro cake, Care Bears, The Get Along Gang, Lady Lovely Locks and Toys R Us exclusives Adobe Photoshop Traditional Media & Sculpting Story Boarding EDUCATION Style Guides UNIVERSITY OF AKRON, AKRON OHIO Brainstorming BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS, ILLUSTRATION