After first getting online in the early 1990s it didn't take me long to realize that there was a decided lack of information regarding the toy industry. Having recently started toy collecting I figured I was the guy to do something about it. So I cofounded and ran Raving Toy Maniac which immediately became the leader of all online toy coverage (we were even profiled on CNN!). After a few years of keeping current a daily news site, I took my skills and knowledge and made the leap to the other side: actually designing toys.
Since then I have designed toys & merchandise for many companies, from Lucasfilm and Wendy's, to Pepsi and Disneyland. I really, really like creating actual physical things, but after a decade of non-stop work I was getting a bit burned out. So I switched gears and now create promotions and marketing for big corporations like Walmart, Hershey's, 7-Eleven, and Bank of America. But through it all I've kept up my presence here at toyotter.com. I stopped actively collecting some time ago, but being here keeps me involved in the industry and aware of what is going on, something that has proved invaluable when dealing with fan properties in my marketing job.
I love what I do. This website has given me a career, a reputation, and the opportunity to experience things most people never will like living in a factory in China and attending Hollywood premieres with the stars. I've written articles for books and magazines, appeared on DVD extras, and been featured on NPR, CNN, Wired.com, Gizmodo, Fark, Geekologie, Digg, Boing-Boing, National Review Online, Cnet, G4, and the official Star Wars blog, among others. It hasn't always been easy to juggle this thing and "real life", but it's been worth it.
- Jason Geyer
