Ronnen Harary

Ronnen Harary (born 1971) is a Canadian entrepreneur, television and film producer, philanthropist, and billionaire.

He is a co-founder of Canadian children's entertainment company Spin Master and the co-creator of PAW Patrol, a preschool series that airs in 160 countries.

Along with childhood friend Anton Rabie, he founded Spin Master shortly after graduating from the University of Western Ontario, and they were co-CEOs of the company from 1994 to 2021.

Harary is now chair of Spin Master's board of directors.

He continues to oversee the company's long-term strategic vision and remains involved in business development and merger and acquisition activity.

Ronnen Harary was born to a Jewish family in South Africa.

He moved to Canada when he was five years old and grew up in Toronto.

He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Western Ontario.

Harary has dysgraphia, which means he has difficulty converting the sounds of language into written form.

Harary and Rabie first teamed up in university, forming Campus Faces, a company that made a profit selling advertising along the side of posters.

In 1994, soon after graduating from university, they founded Spin Master, and were joined by Ben Varadi, a former classmate of Anton's. With an initial investment of $10,000 each, they were able to launch their first product, the Earth Buddy: a nylon-stocking-covered head of sawdust, topped with grass seeds, which grew to emulate hair.

Earth Buddy generated $1.5 million in sales within the first six months of business launch and springboarded Spin Master into the toy industry.

Following the success of Earth Buddy, the founders introduced a number of successful toys into the market, including Devil Sticks, in 1995, and Air Hogs, in 1998.

The Air Hogs Sky Shark put Spin Master became one of the most popular toys in the world.

In 1999, Ernst & Young named Spin Master partners Anton Rabie, Ronnen Harary, and Ben Varadi their Young Entrepreneurs of the Year (World-Canada Ontario Region).

From 2002 to 2007, Spin Master expanded its international footprint, establishing sales and distribution offices across western Europe.

The company also opened a marketing and design hub in Los Angeles, which allowed the company to access local toy design, marketing and engineering talent.

During this time, Spin Master made its first significant acquisition, acquiring X-Concepts, Inc., maker of Tech Deck.

Spin Master's growth allowed the company to expand its licensing capabilities and relationships with major entertainment companies.

One of Spin Master’s most successful toy lines, Bakugan, was launched in 2007.

The Bakugan brand started out as an inventor’s sketch of a ball that could be opened to reveal a character inside, evolved into a television series and a video game, and went on to become a phenom in countries around the world.

Working with Sega, TMS, Japan Vistec, Corus Television, and Nelvana Entertainment, Bakugan was Spin Master’s best example of the strength of partnerships, instituting a revenue sharing model that is now a pillar of the company’s success.

Through a number of major acquisitions, Spin Master has become a steward of several legacy toy brands.

In 2013, Spin Master acquired the Erector Set by Meccano, a line of model construction sets.

In 2015, Spin Master acquired Cardinal Industries, a 60-year-old game and puzzles company, making Spin Master the second largest games company in the U.S. That same year, Spin Master made its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The company continued to diversify its product offering over the next several years with new acquisitions, including the purchase of Etch A Sketch as well as water and outdoor sports company Swimways Corporation, in 2016, and of 120-year old premium plush toy brand GUND, in 2018.

In 2022, Spin Master acquired Rubik’s Brand Ltd., owner of one of the best-selling toys of all time, Rubik’s Cube.

In 2016, as children’s play patterns were shifting to the digital world, Spin Master purchased digital game and mobile app developers Toca Boca and Sago Mini from the Bonnier Group of Sweden, which expanded the presence of its Digital Games creative centre.

Ronnen Harary and Anton Rabie established Spin Master Ventures (SMV) to help keep pace with innovation in the children’s entertainment space.

The focus of SMV is to facilitate growth in each of the company's three creative centers: Toys, Entertainment and Digital Games.

Its intention is to establish Spin Master as a partner of choice for entrepreneurs looking for capital, while also bolstering the company’s product development pipeline.

Ronnen Harary led the development of several programming and entertainment franchises for children, including PAW Patrol, Bakugan, Rusty Rivets, and Mighty Express, as well as more multiplatform entertainment series, which are available in more than 170 countries.

The popularity of the series worldwide is attributed to the fact that they transcend cultural boundaries, with universal characters and storylines that have travelled the globe.

In August 2021, PAW Patrol: The Movie, Spin Master’s first foray into feature film, was released in theatres.

In November 2021, Spin Master announced that the sequel - PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, is set for a theatrical release on October 13, 2023.

Ronnen Harary served as Executive Producer for both films.

Harary also served as Executive Producer for over 10 TV series, including PAW Patrol, Rusty Rivets, Super Dinosaur, and Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

In early 2020, Ronnen Harary spearheaded the creation of a face shield for healthcare workers.

The face shield was created by a team of Spin Master employees, using existing Hedbanz head bands, to which they attached plastic (polyethylene terephthalate or PET) inserts.

Spin Master donated more than 400,000 face shields to over 120 hospitals, shelters and long-term care facilities.