in 1998. That same year, Foreman left Galoob, as the company was negotiating its sale to Hasbro. He joined Empire of Carolina in Florida as head of marketing and product development. At Empire, Foreman met Charlie Emby who was head of sales for the company and Foreman's future business partner. Play Along Toys In 1999, Foreman and Emby both left Empire and co-founded Play Along Toys with an angel investment of $3M. Here, Foreman managed marketing, product development and sourcing. The company's first product line was a range of Britney Spears dolls and toys modeled after the emerging pop star. Some of the other product lines from Play Along included the relaunch of Cabbage Patch Kids, Care Bears, Puppy in My Pocket, Doodle Bear, plus licensed lines including The Lord of the Rings action figures. With the addition of these lines, Play Along's sales grew to over $130 Million by the end of 2003. The company's biggest hit came a few years later, in the form of a doll line based on Disney’s Hannah Montana TV show. In 2004, Play Along was sold to Jakks Pacific, and became a wholly owned division of that company. The total compensation for the deal was valued to be an excess of $135 Million if Play Along achieved all of its earnings targets over a 3.5-year earnout period, which it did. Play Along's sales peaked at $240 million in 2007. Foreman and his partners managed the division for Jakks Pacific until January 2008, when they exited the company. Oaktree Capital Management In 2008, Foreman was engaged by Oaktree Capital Management to advise on its plan to acquire and take private Jakks Pacific. Under the terms of the arrangement, once acquired, Foreman would become the Jakks CEO. Together, Foreman and Oaktree pursued Jakks for three years but despite an offer to purchase the company, they failed to break the board's poison pill blockade and were unsuccessful in their acquisition efforts. During this time, Foreman on his own acquired Camp Beverly Hills, a 1980s clothing line. The Bridge Direct / Basic Fun In 2009, Foreman and Oaktree Capital Management founded The Bridge Direct, a consumer products company focused on children's entertainment products. The plan was to grow the company organically through internally conceived product lines, as well as through acquisitions. Initially, the company acted as a licensee and agent for Cepia LLC, maker of the world