Hasbro Entertainment’s Gabriel Marano on SCRABBLE and TRIVIAL PURSUIT, bringing MAGIC: THE GATHERING to the small screen with Netflix, and how to create content that resonates with both new and existing fans.

Gabe Marano has what many would consider the dream job: “I oversee TV development and production – across scripted, unscripted, and premium animation – for Hasbro Entertainment.” That means partnering with writers, creative partners, and brand leads across Hasbro to develop premium content based on Hasbro’s iconic franchises, and working with buyers (broadcasters and streamers) to bring these to fans’ living rooms around the world.

Lately, the team is on fire. In the past month alone, Hasbro has announced an adult animated series based on MAGIC: THE GATHERING in production at Netflix; and premiered not one but two new unscripted game shows on The CW in the U.S.: TRIVIAL PURSUIT, hosted by LeVar Burton, and SCRABBLE hosted by Raven-Symoné. Both series have seen strong performance out of the gate, with TRIVIAL PURSUIT ranking as the #2 new series premiere for the year, and SCRABBLE ranking as the 5^th best new series premiere for The CW this year. The team has also seen a great response from viewers and international buyers alike.

The MTG series had been long in the pipeline with Netflix, and Gabe and the team – not to mention MAGIC’s millions of global fans – are stoked to see it come to fruition under the creative direction of showrunner and executive producer Terry Matalas. 

“Looking at our overall slate, we’re thinking of the game shows as our fun, early releases – and next, we have some ambitious projects with plans to build big narrative worlds. We don’t want to create one-off viewing experiences; we are aiming to bring audiences real immersive scripted shows.”

Gabe and the TV team – which includes Kris Henigman, Zach Edwin, Steven Gelberg, Lauren Chavez-Myers, Maddie Kaspar, and Alanis Rivera Rodriguez - bring years of strong industry relationships and direct expertise working on TV shows that have resonated strongly with fan-driven audiences. Gabe himself has overseen scripted programming and development at major Hollywood networks and studios like A&E, eOne, and Fox – working on shows including THE AMERICANS, LUCIFER, 9-1-1, BATES MOTEL, and Marvel TV’s THE GIFTED. Naturally, the team sets a high bar to create quality content for fans of Hasbro brands – and ultimately, the goal is to create lasting cultural impact for long-time and new fans alike.

“As a medium, what TV does best is build a long-term relationship with fans. Movies can create wonderful moments, but TV is what you bring into your living room week after week. Our vision is to create different connection points to Hasbro’s iconic brands, many of which have passionate fan bases who have grown up with these characters and worlds over many generations. Our work is about more than simply creating a marketing vehicle for the brand. We're always thinking: how can we really activate this franchise, and nurture these deep fandoms? What will resonate best with fans, while also exciting viewers who might be new to the property?”

That’s also why the team strives to ensure the content works on a lot of different levels: collaborating closely with the brand teams, digital gaming or global experiences to consider: what is the best way to not just adapt – but platform – these brands?

An example of this is Hasbro’s partnership with Scopely, the developer behind such mega-hit mobile games as Monopoly Go! and Scrabble Go.

Says Gabe: “For our SCRABBLE show with The CW, we started thinking early on about how to bring Scopely into the discussion, given their connection to the brand with the mobile game. So when people watch the show on TV, they’ll be encouraged to extend the fun through the Scrabble Go mobile game. When you have good partners who aren’t just looking at things in the old-deal mentality...the scale of what you can accomplish becomes a whole lot bigger.”

At the end of the day, everyone is working together to service one very important stakeholder: the fan.

“Our biggest responsibility is to the fans. We're looking to excite them, build resonance, and create a long-term relationship with them for season after season.”