GC Sidebar: Jonathan Anschell, Chief Legal Officer at Mattel

In this GC Sidebar Season 2 episode, Paragon Legal CEO Trista Engel speaks with Jonathan Anschell, Chief Legal Officer at Mattel, about navigating AI’s opportunities and challenges, the power of listening, and leading legal through a company’s creative transformation.

Jonathan shares how AI is reshaping both the legal and creative sides of the business—as an accelerant for day-to-day legal work and an ideation engine for creative teams—while keeping intellectual property, safety, and privacy front of mind. He reflects on one of the most valuable lessons of his career: the discipline of truly listening, letting silence sit, and hearing what’s behind the other side’s position before crafting a response.

He also discusses joining Mattel during a pivotal period of transformation from toy maker to IP powerhouse, and how flexible legal talent has helped his lean team take on new strategic work—like building a rights management system—without sacrificing efficiency or growth opportunities for his internal team.

Teaser now available. Full episode drops on September 16th.