Earning her bachelor’s degree in film, television and media arts, Mommsen took every opportunity to leave her mark on the Bobcat community. As an exemplary student, she was a member of Lambda Pi Eta Communications Honor Society, earned a directing award at the Quinnies Film Festival and was awarded the Film, Television, and Media Arts Leadership Award for the Class of 2018.

Fostering her leadership skills at Quinnipiac, she participated in and served as an ambassador for the Quinnipiac in Los Angeles program, a peer catalyst, an orientation leader and was on the Dean of Communications Student Advisory Board. Additionally, she was heavily involved in Quinnipiac Film Society (QFS), organizing the annual Sundance Film Festival trip.

From serving as a student leader to filming a documentary in South Africa, as well as writing and directing her senior thesis project, Mommsen credits her experience at Quinnipiac to providing invaluable skills that would set her up for an accomplished career.

“All of these activities gave me valuable, real-world experience working effectively with others to see a project to fruition,” said Mommsen. “I learned to manage funds, facilitate conflict resolution and adapt to unforeseen obstacles. Quinnipiac offers a variety of ways to get involved at a university level and within the larger community. These opportunities are not only beneficial to those who are being helped but are formative experiences for undergraduates who wish to become well-rounded professionals.”

Upon leaving the Mount Carmel Campus to pursue a full-time career, Mommsen joined The Walt Disney Company as a programming strategy and content planning associate. In this position, she was responsible for brainstorming linear and multi-platform content strategy, organizing large-scale events, evaluating acquisitions and managing content beats calendars.

When looking for her next chapter with increased responsibility, a former Disney colleague connected Mommsen with a role at Mattel, marking the beginning of her journey to working at a leading global toy and entertainment company.

“My Disney content strategy experience combined with international film sales knowledge from a previous role gave me the tools to land the job,” she said. “Joining the Mattel platform strategy team has allowed me to leverage my research skills and creative acumen to help guide the vast portfolio of Mattel-owned IP.”

In her current role at Mattel, Mommsen is part of a team that studies macro trends in content consumption, culture and toys in order to engage audiences and promote the company’s brands. Working across Mattel’s iconic portfolio, Mommsen focuses on creating entertainment-first programming for distribution platforms like YouTube for brands including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Monster High, UNO, Disney Princess, Jurassic World, Barney, Masters of the Universe and more.

“I work across the Mattel portfolio, so every day is a new adventure,” she said. “Working closely with production, account management and brand marketing teams, we propose content formats, cadence, themes and visual styles that will appeal to our viewers. The audience for Barbie is very different from Barney, or the Masters of the Universe, so I get to learn about all types of people and their content preferences.”

Leading content strategy for some of the most beloved and world-renowned brands, Mommsen bridges creative vision and strategic thinking

“I love my job because it is equal parts creative, collaborative and mad science,” said Mommsen. “Our work requires an ability to tell great stories, but also an eye for audience research, spreadsheets and time management. We’re often programming against an audience that doesn’t exist yet. We anticipate what the world will be like when our content launches and what audiences will want to watch. Due to production timelines and multi-year franchise planning, that can be a few years in the future. Balancing entertainment goals plus driving impact to toy sales is a moving target, but an incredibly fun challenge.” 

Translating her skills, leadership and talent from the Mount Carmel Campus to Mattel, Mommsen embodies the saying ‘Once a Bobcat, always a Bobcat.’

“I’m equally proud to be a Bobcat and a Barbie,” said Mommsen. “I’ve been working on so many exciting projects – some of which level up to upcoming Mattel films. I’m sworn to secrecy until they are published, so you’ll just have to wait and see!” 

Working in such a fast-paced and ever-evolving industry, Mommsen prioritizes creativity in her everyday life and recognizes the value of maintaining inspired both inside and outside of her career.

“I stay creatively inspired primarily by watching a lot of content,” she said. “I love television, movies, shorts and articles – having a finger on the pulse enables me to be an authority on what audiences like. Beyond that, I also pursue creative activities in my free time. I love sewing, writing, drawing, designing and taking pictures. A creative mind is one that is always on!”

As a woman helping to shape the future of entertainment at a prestigious brand like Mattel, Mommsen remains both humbled and grateful for the opportunity to inspire the next generation through her work.

“At a time when diversity, inclusion and representation is under a microscope, I am reminded of how privileged I am to work in this industry,” said Mommsen. “Mattel is a global brand that not only adapts to, but shapes pop culture. Having a seat at the table which enables me to influence content for the next generation of kids is a responsibility that I take very seriously.” 

For students looking to follow a similar path and make their mark, Mommsen encourages Bobcats to seize every opportunity, build essential skills and make meaningful connections.

“Quinnipiac has amazing, student-led content organizations, like the Quinnipiac Film Society, Q30 Television, QU Tonight, The Quinnipiac Chronicle and Barnacle,” she said. “I’d encourage students to join these organizations and get a feel for the creation and distribution process. I’m biased, but I think our students are among some of the best in the communications sphere. They take their projects very seriously. Being involved at Quinnipiac was a great primer for me beginning in the entertainment industry and allowed me to forge connections that I still have today.”