Brand Licensing Europe 2020 to be all-virtual event called Festival of Licensing

Brand Licensing Europe will not be taking place in its physical form this year, but has transitioned to an all-virtual, four-week long global event called Festival of Licensing.

Running from October 6th to 29th this year, the large scale virtual gathering promises to be ‘the most inclusive global licensing event to date,’ and a ‘never-before-seen celebration of the business of brand licensing,’ that will be held in partnership with the industry trade association Licensing International.

Festival of Licensing builds off of the momentum of the Global Licensing Group’s Licensing Week Virtual event which took place in June this year in place of the Las Vegas Licensing Expo. The Festival of Licensing will comprise of four regionally tailored events in key licensing territories.

Week one will run 6th to 8th of October with its focus on the European market, powered by Brand Licensing Europe. Week two will be Asia focused running from 14th to 15th October and powered by Licensing Expo China and Licensing Expo Japan. Week three will be powered by Licensing Expo and will place its focus on the North America and Latin America markets, running from October 20th to 22nd. The fourth week will be a Global C-suite virtual conference, powered by the Licensing Leadership Summit and will be held on October 28th to 29th.

  • Week 1: 6-8 October – Europe, powered by Brand Licensing Europe
  • Week 2: 14-15 October – Asia, powered by Licensing Expo China and Licensing Expo Japan
  • Week 3: 20-22 October – North America and Latin America, powered by Licensing Expo
  • Week 4: 28-29 October – Global C-suite virtual conference – Licensing Leadership Summit

The first three events will be time-zoned around the respective territories they serve and deliver visitors and exhibitors the chance for IP discovery with exclusive brand and property showcases from up to 200 exhibitors and the virtual take on the annual License This! and Pitch the Brands competition finals.

Content wise, Festival of Licensing will host live keynote headliners from the world’s most influential brands that address the most pressing topics of the current and changing business environment, more than 100 hours of live and on-demand, territory and category specific content to guide businesses through the new consumer landscape, and a retailer only space with exclusive content and expert Q&A sessions.

While it won’t entertain the usual Hand and Flower networking sessions, the virtual event will offer ‘thousands of opportunities to meet, do business and strike deals’ through the Festival Matchmaking Service, enabling both pre-planned online video meetings and impromptu exhibitor booth drop ins.

Ticking the Experiences box, while the planned theme of fashion will be postponed until Brand Licensing Europe comes back in its physical form next year, the Festival will host Fully Licensed! a programme of special live daily evening entertainment and experiences in each region. It will also host Community & Wellbeing, a celebration of the global licensing industry, a wide range of career/business advice and mentoring, an industry fundraiser and wellbeing workshops focused on our physical, nutritional, creative, psychological and social needs.

The festival will conclude with Licensing Leadership Summit taking place 28th to 29th October. Originally scheduled as an in-person, senior-level, global gathering of the industry’s C-Suite and thought-leaders from brands, agents, manufacturing and retail, the new virtual offering will draw on key learnings from the previous three weeks and future-looking topics that will facilitate debate and shape the future of the global licensing industry.

Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group Vice President, Anna Knight, said: “We are incredibly excited to announce Festival of Licensing and proud of the opportunities and experiences it offers to the global licensing industry. Although the decision to transition Brand Licensing Europe to an all-virtual event was a difficult one and we will miss seeing everyone at ExCeL this year, I’m proud that we have a comprehensive offering in its place and look forward to the European event kicking off Festival of Licensing.

“We have had great feedback from June’s Licensing Week Virtual, so we know that there is huge potential and appetite for industry connection during this challenging time when meeting face-to-face is difficult. Our partners are telling us that driving domestic and international connections, discovering new IP and brands and learning how to navigate the new consumer landscape are paramount to the health of forward-planning for the business of brand licensing, and Festival of Licensing will support all of these needs.

“We also want Festival of Licensing to offer amazing experiences for everyone who joins us. One of the joys of virtual is that it can make the previously impossible possible, and we plan to use the power of the platform to fuel the imagination, delight and inspire in a fitting celebration of this industry and the people within it.”

Maura Regan, President, Licensing International, added: “This global virtual event is an exciting platform to provide our members and the broader industry with the connections and tools to continue to move their business forward. Our industry is truly global, and this event promises to bring us all together (while apart) designed expressly to engage and facilitate smart business in real time, regardless of where in the world you may be.”

Brands who are interested in exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities should visit www.festivaloflicensing.com

 

 

Licensing International to unveil findings of its diversity in the industry study this August

The industry trade association, Licensing International, will unveil the findings of the first global study into diversity within the licensing industry in special webinar to be held on Monday, August 3rd. The study was conducted by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University and was commissioned by Licensing International’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Committee in February this year.

Licensing International will use the research to benchmark the industry and evaluate progress in the years ahead. The study also serves as the starting point for development of a Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit, providing guidance and resources for companies as they tackle this important issue.

The study is part of the ongoing work of the Licensing International IDEA committee, which is sponsored by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), with additional support provided by Sony Pictures, Sybo Games and USAopoly.

“The findings of this study bear out what I think we all already know – there is work to be done when it comes to ensuring inclusivity and equal representation across our industry,” said Maura Regan, president, Licensing International. “This is a moral and a business imperative. Our goal is to provide the leaders of our industry with the knowledge and tools they need to take action and change the status quo. Sharing the findings of our research is just the first step in that process.”

“We applaud Licensing International for taking a leadership role by committing to this ground breaking research, which can serve as a blueprint as they build a more inclusive and equitable environment for their members,” said Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

“Given the global reach and impact that the licensing industry has on consumers, and particularly children, embracing and building a culture of cultural equity and inclusion will drive relevant strategies around product development which will ultimately benefit our global society.”

Licensing International member companies from around the world participated in the study, and their responses were combined with supplemental research and data analysis by the Geena Davis Institute. Key learnings include:

  • 30.2 per cent of survey respondents report that their organization has a D&I program.
  • 17.8 per cent of small organizations (1-50 employees) have a D&I program, compared with 67.5 per cent of large organizations (501+ employees).
  • In the U.S., people of colour account for 38 per cent of the population, but only 13.5 per cent of CEOs among member organisations.
  • Women make up 51 per cent of the global population, yet 24 per cent of member organization CEOs are female, compared with 76 per cent who are male.

The full results will be presented by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University in a free webinar Monday, August 3 at 9 am PDT / Noon EDT.

The event will also include a discussion about the path forward with experts and corporate leaders. Licensing International’s new Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit will be made available after the event and is also being shared with a number of other related trade associations.

Formed last June, the Licensing International IDEA committee, chaired by Jamie Stevens, Sony Pictures Entertainment EVP of Consumer Products and Licensing, also plans to launch a diversity recruitment program that will attract and grows a diverse talent pool to brand licensing right out of college. Through partnerships with universities, Licensing International aims to develop and implement a targeted internship program, formalized mentorship opportunities and quarterly speaker series.

 

Acamar Films expands its licensing and marketing units to meet global demand for Bing

Acamar Films has created a dedicated UK team and strengthened key global roles within the outfit to better service the growing demand for its flagship property, Bing, on the world stage.

As pre-school property’s popularity continues to increase in the UK, Louise Simmonds has joined Acamar as head of UK licensing and merchandising, reporting into executive director of sales, Natalie Harvey. Her experience includes 15 years with 20th Century Fox, where she led the UK CP Business and most recently was the vice president for EMEA across the Fox portfolio, working across brands such as The Simpsons, Family Guy and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

The dedicated UK licensing team also includes Claire Shaw and Janna Kirkby, who has recently been promoted to UK associate licensing manager.

Caroline Payne has also joined the team as UK marketing manager, covering both consumer and trade, and reporting into head of marketing Ruedilyn Schwegler. Most recently marketing manager at CinemaLive, Caroline was also at StudioCanal and Simon & Schuster and has worked on popular family entertainment brands including Paddington, Shaun the Sheep and Octonauts.

Laura Clarke has been promoted to head up licensing and merchandising in EMEA following successful CP launches, strong YouTube performance, optimum broadcast placement and the expansion of Acamar Films’ agent network in the last 12 months. Clarke joined Acamar Films four years ago from Mattel, where she was group director EMEA, and her wealth of experience working across all categories in the pre-school sector with major licensees also includes stints at HIT Entertainment and BBC Worldwide. She reports into executive director of sales, Harvey.

With an increasing appetite for Bing publications worldwide, Etta Saunders Bingham has joined Acamar Films in a global role as senior publishing manager, bringing an in-depth understanding and impressive track record of managing children’s brands from her work in licensed publishing and product development for a variety of successful companies including Half Moon Bay where she was head of licensing and publishing, and Parragon Publishing where she worked on an assortment of publishing titles.

Sandra Vauthier-Cellier, chief commercial officer, Acamar Films, said: “We are delighted to welcome such experienced new talent to Acamar Films, and also to recognise with these promotions the fantastic work our teams are doing to move and delight our audience, who are at the heart of everything we do.

“This new structure will enable us to strengthen our engagement with them via a multitude of touch points and expand that audience even further internationally.”

ToyAid raises over £140,000 for Global’s Make Some Noise covid-19 charity campaign

Toy Aid, the charitable initiative set up by KidsKnowBest’s Joel Silverman and Wow! Stuff’s Richard North, has revealed the total money raised as part of Global’s Make Some Noise charity campaign to be an impressive £143,075.

The Toy Aid movement’s aim was to raise money for charities that support disadvantaged children, young people and their families – those most vulnerable during the recent pandemic.

Founders Silverman and North have seen ‘massive support from allies all over the toy and licensing industry’, with companies pledging support via monies from the sale of ‘Toy Aid-able’ toys, video games and entertainment products as well as licensing fees and business services.

“There are so many individual thank yous that myself and Richard wish to make (hopefully in person in the not too distant future), commented Silverman. “And special thanks must also go to Ian Downes, Tracey Richardson and Norton PR who all stepped up to show their support from the outset.

“Of course the biggest thank you goes to every single company that has donated money and products to this amazing cause, in no particular order: Smyths Toys Superstore, SEGA, Playmobil, TOMY, Spin Master, ViacomCBS, Ravensburger, Golden Bear, EPOCH, Rubies, Plum Products, Rubik’s, Interplay, KidKreations, Canal Toys, WickedVision, Topps, Winning Moves, Big Potato Games, Retail Monster, Dr Zigs and Products of Change.

“Now Toy Aid is complete, I really hope everyone has positive times ahead and the toy industry as a whole is remembered for the support they gave in a time of need for many families. I never in my wildest dreams thought this would reach £10,000 so to raise over £140,000 is just fantastic.”

HRH The Princess Royal closes out Save the Children’s Save With Stories with Thomas and the Royal Engine

Save the Children Patron Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, has marked the end of Save the Children’s successful Save With Stories initiative with a reading of Thomas and the Royal Engine.

The video has been shared on Save the Children UK’s Instagram page and is the final installment of the fundraising initiative which has seen over 70 well-known faces reading an array of bedtime stories. As well as keeping millions of families entertained during lockdown, the initiative has helped to raise funds for the charity’s Emergency Coronavirus Appeal.

The appeal has so far raised £1.4m to support families in the UK and around the world, those whose lives have been devastated by the pandemic.

The Princess Royal became the Patron of Save the Children in 2017 after serving as President since 1970. She chose to read Thomas and Friends: The Royal Engine, a story which sees Thomas overcoming various obstacles to get The Fat Controller to collect an award from the Queen.

The Princess Royal said in her video: “It has been my pleasure to read this book to you today, one I enjoyed when I was young.”

Having travelled to over 20 countries with Save the Children The Princess Royal goes on to note that “there are many more similarities than dissimilarities particularly amongst the things that children enjoy, and story-telling is very high on that list.”

Following the success of the US campaign led by actors Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams, Save the Children Ambassador Poppy Delevingne launched the UK version of Save With Stories in mid-April at the height of lockdown.

The Princess Royal joins niece-in-law Meghan Markle, who marked her son Archie’s first birthday with a reading of Duck! Rabbit!, and an array of other famous faces from the world of film, TV, theatre, music, fashion and beyond, who have all taken part. Amongst the names are actors Paul Mescal, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Michael Ward and Benedict Cumberbatch, singers Rita Ora, Liam Payne and Jade Thirlwall, presenters Fearne Cotton and Jon Snow, activists Sinead Burke and George the Poet and Oscar winner Rachel Shenton, who signed a Peppa Pig story.

Save the Children UK ambassador Poppy Delevingne added: “It is an honour to have The Princess Royal reading the last book in our Save With Stories initiative. I was so delighted to launch the campaign here in the UK, not only to raise money for those so badly affected by the pandemic but because all these joyful readings have offered children and parents alike some respite and enjoyment during lockdown.”

Gemma Sherrington, executive director of fundraising and marketing at Save the Children said: “We are thrilled that Save With Stories has captured the imagination of families across the UK over these past 11 weeks. It feels right that after 50 years of support for Save the Children it is Her Royal Highness who read the last story. We are incredibly grateful for her unwavering support.

“We must also thank all of our famous friends who have brought these stories to life every day, along with all the publishers for providing the incredible array of books, and most importantly all those who have generously donated money to help us support the millions of vulnerable children here in the UK and across the world who are feeling the impact of Coronavirus.

“What started as a simple idea to entertain families across the country and raise money for children around the world has turned into an incredible shared experience and the money raised by Save with Stories will be vital for families in the UK who continue to face severe hardships including food poverty and a lack of essential items.”

In the UK, Save the Children is supporting families with a new emergency grants programme – providing household items and help with bills to families in crisis. And around the world Save the Children is working to keep essential programmes going – whether through strengthening infection prevention control in a child-friendly space, making sure health facilities have the right supplies or ensuring education programmes can continue remotely.

Save With Stories has been supported by the publishing community, with Scholastic, HarperCollins Children’s Books, Andersen Press, Walker Books, Egmont and inclusive children’s bookshop, Little Box of Books, supplying books from their libraries to be featured as part of the initiative.

The videos are currently available on Save the Children UK’s Instagram and Facebook pages. To donate visit savethechildren.org.uk/savewithstories or you can text STORIES to 70008 to give a one-off donation of £5*.

All money raised will support the most vulnerable families in the UK and around the world, helping to provide supermarket vouchers, essential household items, virus protection and early learning packs.

Gaumont appoints Michelle Sullivan to role of VP creative executive

Gaumont, the film company and producer of the award-winning Narcos series and the upcoming animated series, Do, Re, & Mi, and High in the Clouds, is expanding its animation and family efforts with the appointment of Michelle Sullivan.

Sullivan most recently served as development executive for Amazon Studios, where she helped develop and oversee the production of Amazon Kids Originals scripted animated series, including Clifford The Big Red Dog, Click Clack Moo, and Bookaboo. Prior to that she led the National Geographic’s kids and family digital initiatives.

Sullivan will officially join the US team in August this year as VP, creative executive based in Gaumont’s Los Angeles offices. She will report to Terry Kalagian, SVP, creative development, animation and family and work alongside Kimberly Dennison, VP of creative development to source projects to be developed into animated and live action series.

“I am so excited to have Michelle Sullivan joining our team,” said Kalagian. “Her creative vision is aligned with Gaumont’s and the energy and expertise she brings to the group will further inspire us in our ongoing quest to develop meaningful stories and compelling characters.”

Among the upcoming series from Gaumont is the animated feature, High in the Clouds, developed together with Paul McCartney for Netflix.

Licensing International helps small businesses impacted by COVID-19 with Small Business Global Grants Fund launch

Licensing International is looking to lend a helping hand to the industry’s small business employers that are struggling during the COVID-19 outbreak with the launch of its Small Business Global Grants Fund.

With small businesses making up 59 per cent of its membership, Licensing International recognises them as the ‘foundation of the industry’s communities, economy, and its lifeblood.’ The new Licensing International Small Business Global Grants Fund will therefore provide $5,000 grants to as many small employers across the globe as possible.

The aim is to create and maintain safe, healthy, and sustainable work environments in response to the global pandemic.

The grants program is being funded by donations made to Licensing International’s foundation (operating under the name LIMA Foundation). Companies wishing to contribute to the cause can do so either by purchasing an ad in the programme for the 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards (taking place virtually on August 13th), or by making a direct donation to the Global Grants fund for any amount.

“If recent events have taught us anything, it’s how absolutely vital community is,” said Maura Regan, president, Licensing International. “The central idea behind the Licensing International Small Business Global Grants fund is industry supporting industry – our hope is that these supplemental funds will give businesses in need a boost to get through the next days and weeks so that the licensing community as a whole emerges from this global crisis stronger and even more united.”

Funds will be available to small businesses in the brand licensing industry that employ between three and 20 people and have been harmed financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants will be asked to submit a short narrative explaining the impact of COVID-19 on their business and the steps they have taken, or plan to take, to mitigate that impact, as well as financial statements from 2019 and the corresponding months in 2020 that show year-over-year impact on your business.

Applications for grants are now being accepted at www.LicensingInternational.org.

Deadline to apply is September 15, 2020.

Dr Seuss Enterprises names new senior director of global marketing and global licensing manager

Dr. Seuss Enterprises has strengthened its senior team with the promotion of Shannon Spisak to senior director of global marketing and communications, and Jenna Marson to manager of global marketing and licensing. The moves come as the company continues to expand on its strategy to develop in-house talent.

Susan Brandt, president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, said: “Dr. Seuss Enterprises remains dedicated to our employees and helping them excel in their careers. Both Shannon and Jenna are exceptionally talented and our organization has gained so much from them. We are so glad that they will continue to be part of our team and we look forward to seeing them flourish in their new positions.”

In her new role, Spisak will manage the sales, marketing, and creative teams and work to develop the company’s product, marketing, creative, social media, and business plans. She will report directly to Brandt. Spisak previously served as director of marketing and communications at Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Prior to joining Dr. Seuss Enterprises in 2016, she served as the director of marketing at Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp and director of community marketing at PETCO.

“Shannon is a great leader and decision maker for Dr. Seuss Enterprises. She is a creative thinker and prioritizes mentoring others in her department. I’m excited to see her take on this new role and continue to expand her horizons at the company,” said Brandt.

Meanwhile, as manager of global marketing and licensing, Marson will focus on international licensing and developing strategic partnerships, while continuing to manage the foreign-language publishing and marketing programs. She will continue to report to Spisak.

Previously, Marson served as coordinator of marketing and communications at Dr. Seuss Enterprises and has managed a variety of partnerships for the company such as the one with Gatorade’s Sisters In Sweat Campaign, in collaboration with professional women’s soccer players, which uses Oh, the Places You’ll Go! to encourage girls to keep playing sports.

Before joining Dr. Seuss Enterprises in 2015 Marson worked for AlpInvest Partners in New York City and Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP in Irvine, CA.

“Jenna is a true strategic thinker who has brought a lot of creativity to her work at Dr. Seuss Enterprises. She also has a strong work ethic that will enable her to thrive in her new responsibilities. First and foremost at Dr. Seuss Enterprises we look to nurture and offer our employees opportunities to grow and she is the kind of talent that embraces challenges and contributes immensely to our organization,” said Spisak.

On the hunt: Kelvyn Gardner’s Asgard Media is on a mission to benefit the licensing industry

Kelvyn Gardner is an individual who really does know licensing. It’s by no accident of course, and only to be expected of a man who has spent over 40 years working in or around the industry, and certainly the trait of a one who has spent the last 13 as the managing director of Licensing International UK – both in its incarnation as LIMA UK and its rebranded moniker.

But if the global response to COVID-19 or the uprising of the Black Lives Matter campaign has taught us anything, it’s that 2020 is the year for change. And with it, Gardner too has found opportunities presented as the result of evolution and coming out of the other side of his role with the industry body.

Some 22 years on from the establishment of his own company, Asgard Media – a licensing agency-meets-consultancy business operating predominantly in the collectables, food, and beverage spaces – Gardner is preparing for a relaunch. Or perhaps more accurate, a reacquaintance, with the business that he had always had ticking over in the background, even throughout his LIMA UK/Licensing International years.

Whatever you want to call it, it is Gardner’s moment to put Asgard Media back on the radar for this multi-billion dollar industry, with one very clear message. And it’s one that he suggests works for the licensing industry in its entirety.

“It’s an appeal to the thousands of manufacturers out there who do not use brand licensing as part of their marketing mix,” Gardner tells Licensing.biz.

“Our message is ‘Connect with the world’s biggest brands’, because that is what all of us are about, surely?”

It’s become an industry-wide headline, that the opportunity now for the licensing industry, is that retailers and consumers will retreat to the brand names while it negotiates the ongoing pandemic situation within an uncertain retail environment. It’s a school of thought that Gardner subscribes to, and one that he is ready to take to the next level, all, he says, to the benefit of the industry he loves.

“I am a lifelong believer in the power of brand licensing, and although we are a private company and not a trade body, to a certain extent, what Asgard Media is trying to do is bring new companies into the licensing world, by focussing on the companies or the manufacturers with great product, but for whatever reason, not already in the licensing space, and that should be for the benefit of everybody in licensing,” Gardner continues.

“It’s clear from discussions in the licensing press, and some of the sessions from Virtual Licensing Week, that right now, co-operation and flexibility are required more than ever if we are to make licensing work for existing players.

“This is even more important if we are to attract new licensees, and to persuade reluctant brand owners to open up their IP to the many excellent licensees that we already have.”

The advantage from which Gardner implements his mission plan is that he comes back to the scene without affiliations. He is now what he calls, an honest broker.

“If I find somebody in a category, I am able to approach any brand or any licensor as an agent, rather than someone who has a portfolio to promote,” he explains. “To some degree, I hope not to be bringing in licensees just for me, but licensees and businesses for the wider licensing community.”

It’s the role of guide, then that Kelvyn is looking to adopt through his Asgard Media outfit, braced with the knowledge accumulated over a 40 year career (to date) in the licensing business and the laser-like knowledge of its intricacies (Gardner asked me if I’d spent much time reading licensing contracts – it turns out he has read through a few). In his former role with Licensing International, Gardner was a man passionate about educating the next generation of licensing executives, and opening up the boundaries for new product sectors. It’s a mission statement he has carried on with him.

“I have come across it so many times over the years,” he says. “It’s easy for those inside of licensing to know how it works, but I think it is so misunderstood, or not understood at all, outside of the industry; and we don’t go out of our way to make it easier. But there are ways to explain it to people in simple terms if we take the time to do it, and if, as as part of my world, that brings in business for the whole of the licensing industry, that has got to be a positive thing.”

To that end, he suggests, simplicity is key. Look at the work he has done for the Asgard Media client Harrogate Tipple, helping to broker Universal Studios’ first licensing partnership down the spirits aisle, or the longstanding relationship he has with Topps, the ever-expanding Finsbury Foods licensing roster, or Yoplait – the company who famously stood vehemently against licensing until it recognised the perks it was offering its competitors in the food sector.

“The other strand to it all is that – having been a licensee for ten to 15 years myself – there is a tendency to think ‘we don’t need anymore licensees.’,” Gardner says. “Now, I’ve never believed in the Barbie dollar – the idea that there is a dollar to be spent on Barbie merchandise, which subsequently has to be split between all of its licensees. I still think the market can expand, providing that everybody is sensible, withou having to go down the route of ‘splicensing’ as it is known.

“It is also true to say that there not that many manufacturers and marketing companies who regularly buy licenses. The last time I did an analysis of this, there were only about 700 UK companies listed as working with a license. How many manufacturers are there in the UK? There’s got to be tens of thousands. Licensing is a big business, but most companies aren’t in it. The holy grail for us all in licensing is to find somebody in sectors that aren’t currently doing licensing; and by all accounts there are those people out there.”

Gardner’s approach from here on can be likened to the old ‘the man who built it’ brainteaser. The clients he is looking for don’t know they want Asgard Media as a service provider; in fact, they probably don’t even know they want to be in licensing. Asgard Media has to fill in all of the gaps for them.

It’s a point Agard Media certainly looks to address in its new marketing material, kicking off with the newly launched company video that highlights the message ‘Licensing is our world, let us bring you into it.’ It’s the metaphorical hand that Gardner is extending to all of those businesses currently not in licensing, to help them along the way.

How does marketing today compare to that of 1998, the last time Gardner actively promoted the Asgard Media name? It’s fewer marketing mailshots, and more video content for a start, suggests Gardner. So we can expect a lot more of that in the coming months.

https://www.asgardmedia.com/media-and-content

 

 

 

Licensing International welcomes six new members to its Board of Directors

Licensing International has elected six new members to its Board of Directors, each taking up their post from July 1st this year.

LMCA’s Alan Kravetz, Miller Kaplan’s Vincent Leoni, and Sesame Workshop’s Valerie Mitchell Johnston join Peanuts Worldwide’s Roz Nowicki, Encantos’ Steven Wolfe Pereira, and IMG’s Miki Yamamoto in taking up the new roles.

On top of this, Jay Asher, partner at Brandgenuity, was elected as Chairperson of the Board for a two-year term, while Steve Scebelo, vice president at the NFLPA was elected as Vice Chair for a one-year term.

“I’m pleased to welcome the six new members of our Board, whose diverse voices and experience will be invaluable as we look for new, agile ways to serve the members of the global licensing community in these challenging times,” said Licensing International president, Maura Regan.

“I’d also like to thank the outgoing members of our Board for their time and dedication – JJ Ahearn, Cindy Levitt, Marc Mostman, Celso Rafael and Jamie Stevens.”

As president and COO of Leveraged Marketing Corporation of America, Kravetz has spent more than 30 years growing brands and monetising IP across the globe. He is an active member of INTA and a frequent speaker on trademark licensing and strategy conferences, trade shows, and continuing legal education seminars.

Meanwhile, Vincent Leoni is a partner at Miller Kaplan with more than 30 years of experience in entertainment, media and technology. He provides royalty, contract compliance, profit participation, litigation support and consulting services on behalf of licensors, licensees, owners of intellectual property, film studios, production companies, recording artists, music publishers, profit participants and software developers.

Valerie Mitchell Johnston, vice president and deputy general counsel at boasts past experience which includes the role of deputy general counsel of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, as well as vice president, business and legal affairs for HIT Entertainment. During her tenure at HIT, the company was acquired by Mattel, Inc. and Valerie served as lead counsel for the Entertainment Distribution Group and head of the New York legal team.

Roz Nowicki, EVP at Peanuts Worldwide  has extensive experience in licensing management in larger corporations. From her early formative years at Disney, and high growth years at Universal, to a longer stint with 4Kids Entertainment she has gained vast knowledge and global licensing contacts.

CEO and co-founder of Encantos, Steven Wolfe Pereira is an accomplished media, marketing and technology executive who established the current business to inspire kids to learn 21st Century skills through play. Focused on kids 12 and under, Encantos’ family brands include the Emmy-nominated and two time Kidscreen award-winning No. 1 bilingual preschool brand Canticos, the food-focused Issa’s Edible Adventures, the Day of the Dead-inspired resilience brand Skeletitos, and the adventure-based travel brand Tiny Travelers.

A female-owned B-Corp that puts diversity, equality, and inclusion at the heart of all it creates, Encantos brings its brands to life via digital and physical offerings including apps, books, consumer products, music, subscription services, videos and more.

Finally, Miki Yamamoto is senior vice president of IMG and is responsible for the development and management of various licensing programs and clients that IMG represents in Asia, including Sesame Street, MGM, Care Bears, Pepsi, NFL, Jeep, Volkswagen, and many other properties.

Prior to IMG, Yamamoto worked for Calvin Klein Japan, managing the local licensing program with more than 500 branded retail shops and related fashion and accessory items.