Jesyca Durchin and Nena Media have been associated with Mattel since the mid-90’s. Jesyca was the fourth hire at Mattel Media-essentially a tech start up created to explore the new world of “play software” based on Mattel’s biggest brands. This small group of passionate executives went on to create some of the biggest selling family CD-ROMs of the decade because they explored how to extend natural play from a physical toy to a computer screen. As part of the Software for Girls team Jesyca produced and managed over twenty software titles in five years. Her obsession creating play experiences on new platforms (especially for girls) helped forge and deepen Mattel relationships with Sony Playstation, Microsoft, Apple, Nintendo, Digital Domain and software developers all over the world. The software for girls team reached further, integrating toys with personal computers, including the first children’s digital camera.
In 2000 Jesyca left Mattel to form Nena Media (Nena means little girl in Spanish) and Mattel asked her to be part of a new adventure-as producer of the first full length animated Barbie movie Barbie in the Nutcracker. As creative producer, Jesyca acted as liaison between Mainframe (now Rainmaker) Entertainment in Vancouver B.C., Mattel, the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, Lionsgate and Universal Pictures and voice talents such as Tim Curry. The movie was a hit and Jesyca produced more films, working with the Mattel team who were always willing to try something new-musicals, anaglyphic 3D, original music and more. Movies stars such as Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston and Martin Short lent their voice talents to more six more Barbie films. Jesyca managed the process from ideation, production through post production and international delivery. In 2007 Jesyca stopped hands-on producing and Nena Media assumed management of brand quality assurance for all Barbie media products world wide including films and webisodes such as the incredibly popular Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse. It is estimated that the Barbie movies and their story-inspired toy lines have created over one billion dollars in revenue.
Here are a few of the trailers from this amazing series.