Taking risks has helped Nick Mitchell ’04 build a successful career in the games industry.
This story originally appeared in Lawyer, Spring 2024.
Nick Mitchell ’04 is living almost every child’s fantasy. Hard work and calculated risks have made it a reality.
He works for Hasbro, one of the world’s largest toy and game companies, which owns iconic brands such as Transformers, Magic: The Gathering, Scrabble, Monopoly, Potato Head, Clue, and Dungeons & Dragons, among many others. Most everyone — kids and adults alike — has played with a Hasbro product at least once.
To his young children’s disappointment, Mitchell doesn’t actually build toys. Nevertheless, he plays an essential role in bringing joy and connection to people of all ages. Assenior vice president of Legal and Business Affairs forHasbro’s Games division, hedrives business and legal strategy for digital and tabletop games, as well as managing a global team supporting privacy, data, artificial intelligence, and more.
“Working in this industry is an incredible honor and privilege. We make experiences for fans of all ages that last a lifetime. It’s a unique and rewarding aspect of my practice,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell’s career arcfirst took shape as a University of Washington undergraduate when he worked in event management, which involved negotiating agreements with venues and artists.
“I thought, ‘Maybe I’d like to try this legal thing.’ I initially thought I would go the constitutional lawyer route, but I discovered at Seattle University School of Law that my real interest was in intellectual property and business,” he said.
After a brief stint in general practice, he joined Microsoft to assist with content and technology licensing for the Xbox 360 and Zune music service. He then spent the next five years as anattorney for the Hughes Media Law Group, launched by alumna Joleen Hughes ’99, with clients in music, interactive entertainment gaming, and technology.
“Nick’s demeanor is perfect for a transactional attorney. He’s fair, balanced, even-keeled— but also fun, engaging, and thoughtful,” Hughes said.
Mitchell got his start at Hasbro— which is heavy on intellectual property—as an in-house attorney with Wizards of the Coast, the Renton-based Hasbro subsidiary that produces the hugely popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and Magic: The Gathering trading card game.
When the opportunity arose to become chief of staff for Hasbro’s new CEO, he left the practice of law and Washington state.Though it was not an easy decision to move his family across the countryto nearthe company’s Rhode Island headquarters, the role helped him continue to evolve and add value.
“You have to sometimes do new things and take risks in your career,” Mitchell said. “Because I was able to learn so much about the business side, the new experiences and skills I gained have made me a far better lawyer,” he said.
The move also helped him land his current role, where he once again flexes his legal muscle bypracticing at the intersection of law and business to guide business operations, negotiations, and overall strategy.
“What I have found over the course of many years is that if you have a passion for a certain area of the law, the best thing is to understand the business of that area. This helps you serve as a strategic partner and effective counselor who enables business to move forward,” he said.