Samantha Juneman named Head of Music at Mattel, arriving from Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group

Samantha Juneman named Head of Music at Mattel, arriving from Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artists Group

Samantha Juneman has been named Head of Music at Mattel.

She took up the role on August 31, reporting to Natalia Premovic, Mattel’s Chief Consumer Products and Experiences Officer.

Premovic confirmed the appointment in a post on LinkedIn.

In the role, Juneman will lead Mattel’s push to make music a more strategic part of its franchise and commercial strategy, spanning content, products, marketing, and experiences, according to the announcement.

She arrives from Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artists Group, where she served as Senior Vice President and led legacy artist management for a roster including Wu-Tang Clan, Cher, and The Beach Boys.

She brings more than 15 years of music and entertainment experience, Mattel said.

Before Iconic, Juneman joined Warner Music Group’s ADA Worldwide as Head of Marketing & Services in December 2021.

She came to ADA from Universal Music Group, which she joined in 2016 and where she most recently served as Vice President of Music Strategy & Tactics.

At UMG, she worked across marketing, content, and commercial partnerships for artists including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Big Sean.

Iconic Artists Group holds a controlling stake in The Beach Boys‘ intellectual property, acquired in February 2021, and bought Cher‘s full interest in her past sound recordings and compositions in 2023.

In October 2025, the company reportedly acquired Frank Sinatra‘s name, image and likeness rights.

Iconic and LL Cool J‘s Rock The Bells entered into a partnership with RZA in July 2024 to extend the Wu-Tang Clan brand into film, TV, merchandise, and brand partnerships.

Juneman‘s hire was one of three announced by Premovic.

Gerardo Leon returns to Mattel as Head of Consumer Products for the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, after five years at Netflix.

He reports to Meredith Norrie, Mattel’s Head of Global Consumer Products.

Rahul Lakhwani joins as Head of Strategy and Operations for Consumer Products and Experiences, arriving from Fever Originals, and reports to Premovic.

The three appointments, Mattel said, reflect the company’s investment in the leadership and capabilities needed to build its brands into wider cultural and commercial platforms.

Premovic herself joined Mattel on January 5, 2026, from Netflix, where she built the streaming company’s consumer products business.

Her title there was Head of Consumer Products for the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the same title Leon has now taken at Mattel.

She reports to Mattel Chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz, who said of her appointment: “We welcome Natalia to Mattel at an exciting time for the company, as we continue to expand our entertainment offering and capture more value from our IP.

“Her expertise building and scaling global consumer products businesses at pace bodes well for Mattel’s next chapter as we accelerate our growth in entertainment.”

Kreiz has also served since May 2016 on the board of Warner Music Group, which distributes Mattel‘s music catalog. WMG‘s proxy statement lists him as an independent director and a member of its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Noreena Hertz, a WMG director, sits on Mattel‘s board and chairs its Governance and Social Responsibility Committee.

WMG‘s Arts Music division has distributed Mattel‘s music catalog since May 2020, when the two companies signed an exclusive, multi-year global music licensing agreement.

The catalog ran to more than 1,000 songs at the time, drawn from Mattel brands including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Thomas & Friends, American Girl, and Fisher-Price.

“Music is an important part of Mattel’s DNA, and has been integral to our brands’ ability to connect with children of all ages to help them learn and grow,” said Fred Soulie, then Mattel’s Senior Vice President of Content Distribution and Business Development, when that deal was announced.

WMG‘s proxy statement discloses the distribution arrangement as a related-person transaction, citing Kreiz‘s position as Mattel’s CEO and Hertz‘s seat on the Mattel board. WMG earned approximately USD $2.3 million from it in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, up from $2.2 million a year earlier.Music Business Worldwide