Ep 85. SHIRIN SALEMNIA, PlayWerks - "One Unstoppable Woman’s Yellowbrick Road”

Entrepreneurial Thinkers with Rob Ryan

In this episode, Rob is joined by the dynamic and high energy Shirin Salmenia, CEO of PlayWerks. Shirin is an indefatigable example of knowing what your dreams are and then being relentlessly single minded in pursuit of them. Her early career found her working on some of the most iconic toy brands in American history. Shirin is more than just a successful entrepreneur, she’s an anchor of the Los Angeles entrepreneurial economy. She epitomizes a #LongLA having moved to the city when she was 2yrs old and having turned down early career opportunities to move away from LA. She’s building at the Uber creative intersection of interactive media, gaming, technology, childhood development and public policy. Shirin is a fierce advocate for women, women of color, women entrepreneurs and young people.

Before founding PlayWerks, Shirin spent several years as the Research Manager and Bratz Brand Manager at MGA Entertainment, where she seamlessly blended her expertise in child and youth marketing with her deep understanding of the toy industry. She also played a pivotal role in the development of MGA's Play Lab. Shirin's journey into the toy industry began at Mattel, Inc., where she worked in Worldwide Consumer Research for the Barbie/Girls Division. Shirin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child/Family and Consumer Sciences from California State University, Northridge and is deeply involved in various organizations and initiatives locally, including Women in Gaming, the LA FILM School Video Game Department, Girls in Tech, Women in Film, Next Gen Femmes, and the Entertainment Division of the Jewish Federation.

Feel free to follow and engage with SHIRIN here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirin-laor-raz-salemnia-a95381

Instagram: https://instagram.com/shirinsalemnia?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShirinSalemnia

Website: http://shirinlaorrazsalemnia.com

Consulting booking: https://findyournorth.co/advisors/shirin-laor-raz-salemnia

We're so grateful to you, our growing audience of entrepreneurs, investors, builders, influencers and those interested in the entrepreneurial economies of Latin America and the under-represented entrepreneurial communities in the USA!

Plug in, relax and enjoy some Spanish, English and a fun dose of spanglish as always. We're here to help inspire, educate and empower you, so that you can build the future!

¡Salud y gracias!,

Mentors Today's Team