The Toy Guy® & Global Toy Experts Launch "The Playground" Podcast Series

NEW YORK - April 12, 2019 - PRLog -- Toy industry thought leaders Chris Byrne and Richard Gottlieb are thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of their exciting new podcast, The Playground.  Set to be released on April 23, 2019, this will be an ongoing podcast series that will offer a diverse, engaging and entertaining platform to promote play and the business of play among professionals and people of all ages.

Combining information about the toy industry with insights on play, products and conversations with some of the most significant people in the toy business, The Playground will be an engaging omnibus program. It will cover the history, the people, the culture, the creation and the sheer joy of playing with the tools of play: Toys.

As the creators say, "if it concerns toys, play and kids, we'll be kicking it around in The Playground."

The Playground is hosted by Christopher Byrne, aka The Toy Guy® and Richard Gottlieb, president of Global Toy Experts®. Both are noted authors and experts covering the toy industry for decades. Byrne is widely experienced in the toy business, child development and parenting, and is an established media personality. Gottlieb has consulted and spoken internationally and is highly knowledgeable about the toy business and its history. Together, the two have an easy rapport, and the episodes will be as fun as they are informative.

For more information about The Playground: https://www.theplaygroundpodcast.com/

The Playground will be hosted on Anchor and will be available on the following platforms:  Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher.

About Chris Byrne – The Toy Guy®
As an independent toy analyst, researcher and consultant, Chris brings more than 30 years of industry experience in the toy industry to his role. He is an acknowledged expert on toys and brings his extensive knowledge of toys, education and child development to his work.

In 1988, Chris formed Byrne Communications, with broad-based consulting in the toy, children's entertainment, financial and consumer products industries. He was one of the founders and creative director for the web site TTPM. Today, Byrne Communications works with companies of all sizes and entrepreneurs, helping them to develop and launch products..

Chris was featured in the Netflix series, "The Toys That Made Us."  He is the author of a number of books on toys and play.  They include: Toy Time; An Introduction to the U.S. Toy Industry: Serious Fun; Funny Business: Harnessing the Power of Play to Give Your Business a Competitive Edge;  Toys and They Came to Play: A History of the Toy Industry Association (2017).

Chris is extensively quoted in the media and appears regularly on local and national television commenting on toys and demonstrating new products. He appears regularly on "Live! With Kelly & Ryan," and has been seen on "Marie" with Marie Osmond, "Oprah, "Soap Talk," "The Today Show," "Good Morning America," "The CBS Evening News," "ABC Nightly News," "Fox & Friends," "CBS This Morning," "Good Day New York," CNBC, CNNfn, MSNBC, ABC, "The Motley Fool," National Public Radio, Bloomberg Television and Radio, and on countless other national and local market business and consumer programs around the country and internationally.

For more information visit:
https://www.thetoyguy.com

About Richard Gottlieb – Global Toy Experts
Richard Gottlieb is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Global Toy Experts®, a consultancy to U.S. and international toy companies since 1994.  Richard is also the publisher of Global Toy News®, a web-based magazine founded in 2009 that covers toy industry news and provides resources to the toy industry.

At Global Toy Experts, he provides a full range of consulting services on all aspects of the business of play. His roster of clients includes Hasbro, D.C. Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Rubik's Cube, Zuru, Rose Art, and Rockstar Games. He also works closely with major national toy industry trade associations including those of the United States, China, Hong Kong and Germany.

Richard co-produces the annual Toy Talks Forum in Guangzhou China regularly attends and participates as a guest speaker at various toy industry events and trade shows.  Due to his experience and expertise in the toy industry, he has been featured in documentaries and been interviewed by global media outlets like ABC News, CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Forbes, CBS, BBC, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, China Daily, and The Times of India. In fact, he has, to date, been quoted in over 1400 media stories. Richard is a proud voting member of the National Toy Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

For more information visit:
https://www.globaltoyexperts.com
https://www.globaltoynews.com

Media/Interview inquiries, contact:
Chris Byrne: chris@thetoyguy.com
Richard Gottlieb: richard@globaltoyexperts.com