Stephen G. Berman

Stephen G. Berman is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK), a multi-million dollar company which designs and markets toys and other consumer products.  Berman co-founded JAKKS in 1995, and since its inception the company has grown to become a leading company in the toy industry with more than 850 employees worldwide.  JAKKS has an impressive portfolio of top licensed brands and original intellectual properties. 

Berman is well-known for his keen eye in product design, and for having his finger on the pulse of what will be hot with kids.  The success of the company is attributed to Berman’s visionary leadership, creativity and inimitable ability to forge strategic partnerships here and abroad with entertainment’s biggest names such as Disney, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal and Nintendo, to name a few. 

Berman has successfully navigated the company through 20 acquisitions since 1995.  He has been recognized by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000, and has been awarded the Licensing Industry Excellence Award by Variety Magazine in 2006.   A direct result of his hands-on approach, JAKKS has been named Vendor of the Year multiple times by Target, Walmart and Toys ‘R Us.  The company has been featured in Forbes magazine’s annual list of 200 Best Small Companies in America and FORTUNE magazine’s annual list of the 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in America.

 In addition to his entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen, Berman is a dedicated and passionate corporate humanitarian committed to helping children in need.  He created JAKKS Cares, the philanthropic arm of JAKKS Pacific, granting more than $50 million in monetary and in-kind donations to-date to children’s charities throughout the U.S.  In 2008, not only was JAKKS recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the Top 20 Corporate Philanthropists in Los Angeles, but also Friends of the Family® awarded Berman the Families Matter Vanguard Award for his outstanding contribution to children’s philanthropy. And in 2009, Operation Smile honored Berman with the Corporate Humanitarian Award.

Prior to JAKKS, Berman served as Managing Director of THQ International. He served as president and an owner of Balanced Approach, Inc. a distributor of personal fitness products and services.  

Berman has three children, Ariana, Logan and Sienna Berman, and proudly instills upon them the importance of helping other children around the world.