EXCLUSIVE: Pocket.watch, the kids and family outfit behind Ryan’s World and Love, Diana, has hired Matt Stein as VP, Marketing and Franchise. Stein joins the creator-focused biz from pay-TV streaming outfit Philo.

The marketing vet will oversee marketing at the pocket.watch. At Philo he was Head of Brand & Creative Strategy. Before that, he held SVP of Marketing roles at BBC America as well as Animal Planet and the Science Channel.

“Matt is a sharp brand builder and has a track record of turning strategy into real audience growth,” said Chris M. Williams, CEO and Founder of pocket.watch. “As we scale pocket.watch’s creator-led franchises across platforms and formats, we need someone who can bring both creative rigor and organizational discipline to that work. Matt is exactly that leader, and we’re thrilled to have him.”

In his new role, Stein’s responsibilities will include managing the consumer products launches for the Toys and Colors and JJ & Mikey brands.

“It’s a really exciting time to be playing in the creator space,” said Stein. “As the industry is catching on to what Chris and the team at pocket.watch have long known, I’m thrilled to be joining the organization as they continue to grow and innovate.”

Pocket.watch distributes creator content on YouTube and via streaming platforms including Hulu, Disney+ and Prime Video. It recently launched the creator-led variety series Rabbit Hole on Disney+ and Hulu. Prime Video also recently greenlit a full series order for pocket.watch’s Love, Diana Music Hunters, an animated series based on Kids Diana Show. 

At a time when the media wants to write the obituary on superhero movies, Spider-Man: Brand New Day wasn’t your run-of-the-mill superhero movie, rather a character-driven, uniquely emotional about friendship, loneliness and connections. It takes a village to break cinematic form and Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO celebrated and extolled the studio’s brass and the creative filmmaking team behind Brand New Day as it spokes to tens of millions around the world with the biggest opening ever in North America at $360M and the second-biggest worldwide with $932 million. Here in the states, box office firm EntTelligence reports that a record number of people in the post Covid theatrical era attended the movie at 24M, ahead of the 20M admissions of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home (this is off of general ticket price of $14.92, and PLF general ticket price of $18.55).

Sony has put their money with their mouth is: They’ve often flown the flag coming out of Covid for theatrical while many others were experimenting with hybrid theatrical-day-and-date streaming releases. Not only does the Culver City, CA lot have the biggest opening in North America here, but we recently told you that the studio is reopening the historic landmark the Cinerama Dome for early 2028.

Below is Ahuja’s note to staff this morning:

Good morning, and what a weekend!

The final ticket count on Sunday night confirmed what once seemed unimaginable: Spider-Man: Brand New Day delivered the biggest domestic opening weekend of all time with $360 million and a remarkable $932 million globally — a historic achievement for Sony Pictures, and a new benchmark for the industry. Audiences around the world have embraced a superhero film that feels grounded, emotional, and unmistakably distinct. 

Congratulations and thank you to Tom Rothman and the entire Motion Picture Group, the extraordinary creative leadership of director Destin Daniel Cretton and producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal, and to Tom Holland for bringing new depth to Spider-Man. Results like this are only possible when our creators and studio have the confidence to find new dimensions with iconic IP through bold creative choices, world-class marketing and distribution, and outstanding execution.  

This weekend is a powerful reminder that moviegoing remains one of the world’s great shared cultural experiences. Let’s keep making history!  

Ravi