John is Co-Founder and General Partner of Bambini Partners, LLC, a strategic advisory firm focused on companies in the toy, infant/ juvenile, family and pet consumer products industries.
Prior to forming Bambini Partners, he was CEO of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, a publishing and IP development enterprise that spawned winning brands such as Miss Spider, The English Roses and The Sunny Patch brand. In 2010, John co-founded Callaway Digital Publishing, which was one of the first developers of interactive digital “Play & Learning” apps for the launch of the iPad.
John is the former President of Learning Curve International, which he founded in 1993, and grew to a $140 million privately held international designer, manufacturer and marketer of high-quality branded developmental children’s products including Thomas the Tank Engine wooden trains and Lamaze infant development toys, among others. Learning Curve was acquired in 2003 by RC2 Corp, and under John’s continued leadership, the Learning Curve brand grew to more than $400 million by 2006.
Regarded as a leader in the educational and developmental toy industry, he has authored numerous trade articles on brand management, product innovation and merchandising. John is the recipient of the 2004 Playthings Industry Achievement Award for Brand Builder for the Thomas the Tank Engine train brand, and the 2005 ASTRA Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served on numerous industry association boards including the TIA, ASTRA and NRF. John received his B.A. degree in Consumer Psychology.