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Licensing International appoints new Director of Content and Communications

Licensing International, the leading trade organisation for the global licensing industry, has announced the hire of Elizabeth Foster as Director of Content and Communications. In her role, Foster will lead editorial planning and development for the organisation along with media relations, and social media strategy.

Based in Toronto, Foster has more than a decade of experience in journalism, having started her career in newspapers before making the move to magazines. She has worked at Thomson Reuters, and most recently served as Copy Chief & Special Reports Editor at Kidscreen, the leading international trade publication serving children’s entertainment professionals.

“Following a successful career in journalism, we’re proud to add Elizabeth’s talents to our organisation,” commented Maura Regan, President of Licensing International. “Her expertise will be critical as we look forward to the continued growth of Licensing International’s editorial and communications departments.”

Following the recent announcement of the return of Licensing Expo to Las Vegas in May, Foster joins the Licensing International team at an exciting time. Her expertise will be invaluable to the organisation in developing data-driven content, analysis, and insights across industries to help Licensing International members grow their businesses.

“I am ecstatic to be joining the team at Licensing International and begin this new milestone in my career,” said Foster. “It will be a privilege to work alongside some of the most respected individuals in the licensing industry.”

For more information and updates from Licensing International, visit LicensingInternational.org.

TRENDS I WildBrain CPLG’s Jasen Wright on where the licensing industry is headed in 2022

“There’s a real wave of enthusiasm from across the licensing industry as we emerge (once again) from pandemic restrictions. The impact of the last two consecutive pandemic-driven years has brought many challenges, but it’s also accelerated the evolution of consumer engagement with brands, creating new opportunities. As we emerge from these difficult times, I think it’s an incredibly exciting time to be in licensing.

Two of the biggest sectors to feel the impact have been physical retail and live events, so we look forward to a resurgence of these two pivotal areas of the industry in the coming year.

We’ve explored five key trends for global brand owners, retailers and licensees alike for 2022 and beyond:

Multi-layered approaches to retail:

Physical retail continues to be hugely important – and the holiday shopping scenes in-stores underscored this – but there’s also been a significant boom, in no small part by necessity, of digital retail. Consumers will continue to demand a multi-layered shopping experience and physical and digital retail will evolve in new ways to continue to co-exist together. We’ll see more digital experiences in-store to draw customers in, as well as unique events that offer increased engagement or touchpoints with brands and products that the digital world cannot create. Going forward, we’re likely to see a brand’s overall consumer products and retail strategy embracing both digital initiatives and innovative retail activities that drive consumer experiences over and above a product purchase, such as the impressive Chupa Chups Room in Dubai.

The emerging world of NFTs:

Another interesting component in the consumer relationship with brands is NFTs and, by extension, digital currencies. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are the buzz word for brands right now, and an increasing number of companies want to be in this space to drive brand relevancy and be at the forefront of something that will eventually be regulated and part of our everyday life. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops – it could move very quickly, and we could see digital currency and NFTs become mainstream in only a few years. Another attraction of NFTs is how they play into the collectibles trend, which has been a key part of consumer products for many years. As brands look to enhance their consumer engagement strategy through digital platforms, NFTs have become a new commercial avenue.

Innovation in location-based entertainment:

An area of the business that I believe will also emerge transformed post-pandemic is location-based entertainment, which is also the theme for Licensing Expo 2022. We were seeing the start of consumers wanting to experience brands differently before COVID-19 hit, but I think we’ll now see much more innovation in those bigger consumer experiences with brands. Crayola recently announced plans for outbound licensing of its famous Crayola Experience which will see new locations installed around the world starting in 2023. It underlines the importance of the category to a brand as it creates more consumer touchpoints – location-based entertainment provides a brand destination to extend the consumer journey.

The importance of corporate and social responsibility:

A further area that will continue to grow in 2022 is the importance of corporate responsibility and brand values. Consumers, and particularly Gen Zs, are becoming more considered in how they interact with and consume brands – it’s not just about a product’s quality or how it’s marketed, but a company’s social and corporate responsibility. Themes such as wellness and sustainability are much more engrained. Inclusivity, too, is at the forefront and not just at a corporate level, but in terms of representation, ensuring kids and families today can see themselves reflected in content and products. Corporate and social responsibility is an important business pillar, not just a passing trend.

Fresh approaches to corporate brands:

One of the ways this heightened awareness of brand values has played out is that corporate brands are entering the licensing arena in new ways, while established brands are looking for collaborations and extensions into new aisles and channels that align with their businesses. For example, we’re seeing several CPG brands now looking at how they expand from the grocery channel to become present in other places, and this is driving innovative partnerships with other brands.

We’ve recently seen this with the Froot Loops and Sweethearts cereal collaboration as well as Sweethearts and Crocs coming together for a sweet colourful collaboration. At the premium end, Tumi, a corporate brand known for luggage, and McLaren, an automotive brand, have teamed up to offer a co-branded collection inspired by their shared values of meticulous design and durability. Looking to capture new consumers or buzz-worthy headlines, brands will continue to reach across aisles to form unexpected partnerships, leaving plenty of room for creative marketing campaigns and new product innovation.

From the toy aisle to the catwalk:

We’re also seeing a resurgence in creativity, particularly in the relationship between toy and kids’ brands and high-end fashion – encapsulated in the recent Balmain and Barbie collaboration, amongst others. These partnerships reflect and embrace popular culture and add value to offerings for both parties.

In part, this has to do with nostalgia – tapping into the original consumer demographic who grew up with a now iconic toy brand. Some major children’s brands have been around for many decades and there’s an intersection where the parents, who now consume premium brands, see their children playing with a toy they themselves loved. This offers opportunities across both the luxury and toy markets in playful and surprising ways, positioning the younger brand as aspirational, which then has a halo effect to the rest of the brand and licensing programme. From our own stable of IP, we see many examples of this: Peanuts, especially, has signed many diverse but brand-relevant fashion collaborations; LEGO has collaborated with YSL fashion; and Teletubbies has expanded from its core preschool audience to reach an older Gen Z fanbase through activations such as appearances at New York Fashion Week.

I feel we’re at the start of a new phase in licensing, where there’s a willingness and openness from brands to explore new and creative paths augmented by retail and technological evolution. Lockdown may have been a time of introspection, but it has also driven innovation, and as a result I believe there are many reasons to be optimistic about 2022 and beyond.”

Jasen Wright, VP North America for WildBrain CPLG, has developed consumer product and licensing programmes for some of the world’s leading brands across food & beverage, home improvement, automotive, art, sports, lifestyle and entertainment. Wright leads a team responsible for growing WildBrain CPLG’s North American portfolio of entertainment and lifestyle brands, as well as growing licensing business for WildBrain’s proprietary properties, including Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Teletubbies and Chip & Potato.

 

 

ZAG appoints Carlotta Caracciolo as Consumer Products VP for MEA

Animation studio ZAG has appointed former MGA Entertainment and Warner Bros executive Carlotta Caracciolo as its first VP, Middle East and Africa, to oversee the company’s consumer products strategy in the region.  The appointment was announced today by Julian Zag, SVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products, to whom Caracciolo reports.

In her new role at ZAG, Caracciolo, who will be based in Dubai, will focus on building a consumer products programme for the Middle East and Africa for properties in the ZAG Heroez portfolio, with an initial focus on Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and the company’s newest series, Ghostforce.

Miraculous has broad reach across the Middle East, with the series available on Disney Channel and MBC, whose MBC3 channel for kids is the most popular and biggest in the region. Combined, Miraculous reaches kids in Arabic across Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, West Bank and Gaza, Qatar, Saudi, Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Aran Emirates and Yemen. In Turkey, the series is available on Disney Channel. South and Sub-Saharan Africa is covered by Disney; with MBC reaching Northern Africa.

“The Middle East and Africa have become a top priority for ZAG, and the Disney/MBC combination is a perfect duo for us to reach children and families across the region,” says Julian Zag. “Miraculous is garnering strong ratings, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where the series ranked in the number-one slot on MBC following its launch in 2018, and has remained among the top programmes ever since. Carlotta will lead our market expansion in the region and drive the development of licensing partners for our portfolio of brands.”

Caracciolo served for the past three years as Head of Sales and Licensing, Middle East and Africa, at MGA Entertainment, where she was instrumental in launching the licensing and toy programme for L.O.L. Surprise! across the region. Prior, she was a Category Manager at the licensing agency Shooting Stars, where she managed and developed the softlines accounts for clients including Warner Bros and NBC Universal for the GCC region, following her earlier role with Warner Bros as a category manager based in Italy. She started her entertainment career with Warner Bros in Italy in 2011 as marketing and retail assistant.

Caracciolo says: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with ZAG, and I look forward to growing the licensing and toy footprint in MEA Region, bringing new and exciting collaborations  across multiple categories for consumers to experience the brand.”

Genius Brands promotes Kerry Phelan to Chief Brand Officer

Genius Brands has announced the promotion of Kerry Phelan to the newly created position of Chief Brand Officer.  This follows the company’s recent acquisitions of Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media and Ameba TV, major investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment (YFE) to build a global footprint, as well as the worldwide rollout of Kartoon Channel!/Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse.  

Phelan joined Genius Brands in July 2021 as Executive Vice President & General Manager of Global Franchise Management after serving for 30 years in consumer products and retail executive roles at numerous studios, including  Lucasfilm, Dreamworks Animation and Pixar, where she built global campaigns for multi-billion dollar brands such as the Star Wars and Cars franchises, as well as ShrekKung Fu Panda and Madagascar, among many others.

As Genius Brands has expanded significantly over the past year with multiple acquisitions, Phelan’s role is expanding to include global brand building across all Genius Brands’ businesses. As Chief Brand Officer, Phelan is charged with building out a 360° ecosystem with multiple consumer touchpoints while driving significant incremental revenue for the company. She will be responsible for overall global brand strategy, consumer products, brand partnerships and collaborations, brand experiences, retail development and more, for Genius Brands’ roster of kids’ properties, including Stan Lee’s Superhero KindergartenShaq’s GarageStan Lee UniverseRainbow Rangers, among others in development.

“It’s a tremendous privilege for us to have an executive of Kerry’s calibre, with her successful track record of launching some of the most successful brands in entertainment history… leading the charge as we continue to launch new IP into the market and roll out existing brands on a global scale,” says Genius Brands’ CEO Andy Heyward. “Genius Brands is experiencing its most significant growth to date with our slate of acquisitions further bolstering our content catalogue and giving us a greater worldwide footprint, and we are in a solid position to take our company to the next level and achieve our goals of delivering quality children’s franchise to the marketplace and revenue to our shareholders.”

“In less than a year of joining Genius Brands, I am excited to be a part of a company that is leading the charge in the kids’ space to deliver innovative, purpose-driven brands to the marketplace while building a global platform to reach kids anywhere, anytime with quality content,” adds Phelan. “It is truly amazing to be a part of the team at Genius Brands and to play a role in the growth of the company, and I look forward to the years ahead as we continue to build our brands and platform on a global scale.”

 

 

Genius Brands promotes Kerry Phelan to Chief Brand Officer

Genius Brands has announced the promotion of Kerry Phelan to the newly created position of Chief Brand Officer.  This follows the company’s recent acquisitions of Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media and Ameba TV, major investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment (YFE) to build a global footprint, as well as the worldwide rollout of Kartoon Channel!/Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse.  

Phelan joined Genius Brands in July 2021 as Executive Vice President & General Manager of Global Franchise Management after serving for 30 years in consumer products and retail executive roles at numerous studios, including  Lucasfilm, Dreamworks Animation and Pixar, where she built global campaigns for multi-billion dollar brands such as the Star Wars and Cars franchises, as well as ShrekKung Fu Panda and Madagascar, among many others.

As Genius Brands has expanded significantly over the past year with multiple acquisitions, Phelan’s role is expanding to include global brand building across all Genius Brands’ businesses. As Chief Brand Officer, Phelan is charged with building out a 360° ecosystem with multiple consumer touchpoints while driving significant incremental revenue for the company. She will be responsible for overall global brand strategy, consumer products, brand partnerships and collaborations, brand experiences, retail development and more, for Genius Brands’ roster of kids’ properties, including Stan Lee’s Superhero KindergartenShaq’s GarageStan Lee UniverseRainbow Rangers, among others in development.

“It’s a tremendous privilege for us to have an executive of Kerry’s calibre, with her successful track record of launching some of the most successful brands in entertainment history… leading the charge as we continue to launch new IP into the market and roll out existing brands on a global scale,” says Genius Brands’ CEO Andy Heyward. “Genius Brands is experiencing its most significant growth to date with our slate of acquisitions further bolstering our content catalogue and giving us a greater worldwide footprint, and we are in a solid position to take our company to the next level and achieve our goals of delivering quality children’s franchise to the marketplace and revenue to our shareholders.”

“In less than a year of joining Genius Brands, I am excited to be a part of a company that is leading the charge in the kids’ space to deliver innovative, purpose-driven brands to the marketplace while building a global platform to reach kids anywhere, anytime with quality content,” adds Phelan. “It is truly amazing to be a part of the team at Genius Brands and to play a role in the growth of the company, and I look forward to the years ahead as we continue to build our brands and platform on a global scale.”

 

 

Pocket.watch appoints Manuel Torres Port as Global Head of Consumer Products

Pocket.watch, the kids and family entertainment company that creates global franchises from the YouTube stars and characters loved by Gen Alpha, has announced the appointment of Manuel Torres Port as Global Head of Consumer Products, effective immediately.

Torres Port will oversee all consumer products licensing for pocket.watch brands, focused on the growth of each franchise and the launch of new ones. With an eye toward international expansion, Torres Port will help pocket.watch navigate new markets around the world and brings with him almost three decades of growth experience at leading companies like Mattel, Nickelodeon, NBC Universal and Zag Entertainment. Under his leadership, his deals have contributed to over $1B US in net royalties throughout his career.

“We are thrilled to add such a seasoned and dynamic global consumer products licensing executive to the pocket.watch family – which truly upgrades our leadership in this important division,” says Xavier Kochhar, COO/CFO of pocket.watch. “Manuel is a force and I am excited to have him by my side as we execute pocket.watch’s long term monetisation growth strategy for our licensing business.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to join pocket.watch at this pivotal moment,” says Torres Port. “I have admired for some time the power of pocket.watch and its disruptive force in the entertainment industry, and I am grateful to Xavier and Chris for inviting me in to contribute to the company’s very bright future.”

While at Zag Entertainment, Torres Port was instrumental in the consolidation of key strategic commercial global deals around their top IP including the worldwide phenomenon Miraculous LadyBug. He oversaw NBCUniversal’s Consumer Products global portfolio of franchises including Illumination Entertainment Animation (Minions, The Secret Life of Pets, and Sing), Jurassic WorldFast & Furious, Universal MonstersTrolls, Spirit, Curious George, among many others, and was instrumental in the consolidation of Dreamworks Animation Consumer Products into NBC. He served in various global roles at Nickelodeon both in New York and Miami, and was key in the relaunch of the worldwide franchise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

 

 

Susan Brandt promoted to CEO of Dr Seuss Enterprises

Dr. Seuss Enterprises has announced that Susan Brandt, an entertainment industry veteran who has been leading the company for more than two decades, has been promoted to president and CEO. 

Brandt, who was previously president of the company, will continue to lead the charge around the iconic entertainment property and oversee the worldwide operations.

During her tenure Brandt has put a focus on finding new and innovative ways to connect with fans. The Dr. Seuss brand has expanded from books to include films, television, stage productions, theme parks, digital games, exhibitions, licensed products, and more while maintaining the integrity of the beloved Dr. Seuss stories and characters. Under Brandt’s stewardship, 2021 was the highest revenue year in the company’s history.

Some of Brandt’s most recent deals for the portfolio include a three-part movie deal with Warner Animation Group, the launch of the first ever NFT experience for Dr. Seuss with Dapper Labs, and conceiving the idea for the highly successful travelling exhibition, the Dr. Seuss Experience, with Kilburn Live. Brandt has also worked closely with Netflix on the hit series Green Eggs and Ham and with PBS-TV on the award-winning show, The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!

“It has been my distinct pleasure to work with Susan Brandt over the last twenty years, so I am delighted that the Geisel-Seuss Enterprises (GSE) Board of Directors has decided to promote her to CEO,” said Brian E. C. Schottlaender, Chair of the GSE Board. “Over the years, Susan has put her heart and soul into Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and under her leadership, the company has expanded into new markets and expanded its suite of products. We look forward to working with Susan to realise the myriad opportunities before us, while promoting our core values of literacy, education, and instilling confidence and creativity in children.”

Susan Brandt said, “I am a lifelong fan of Dr. Seuss and it’s been a privilege to be part of this company, collaborate with great partners, and wonderful employees to expand the Dr. Seuss universe in ways that continue to delight. I’m looking forward to continuing the wonderful work of guiding, innovating around, and protecting this widely beloved property.”

Prior to joining Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Brandt was Vice President of home entertainment at 20th Century Fox Film Corporation where, working with the President, she launched the $500M international video division and then ran the $320M Asia Pacific region while working and living in Hong Kong.

 

 

Boat Rocker announces key hires within its NYC and London offices

Boat Rocker has announced the appointments of EJ Minor as Brand Director for the Americas and Emmanuelle Cadet (pictured) as Licensing Director for the UK, Australia and EMEA for its Brand Management & Content Marketing division.

Minor will be taking the lead for franchise management, brand marketing and retail marketing for the Americas, while Cadet will lead the licensing sales strategy across the key markets of the UK, Australia and EMEA, where there is significant growth ahead. This includes the hit animated preschool series Dino Ranch, which is already seeing widespread global expansion just a year on from launch. Dino Ranch toys launched in the US and Australia late last year with a planned roll-out across the UK & Europe this summer, and Cadet will be working on securing additional partners across all key categories for franchise growth in 2023.

Kate Schlomann, EVP Brand Management and Content Marketing, Boat Rocker, says: “We’re delighted to welcome EJ and Emmanuelle to the Boat Rocker team. With their talent, flair and experience they will play a vital part in further driving our expansion in building global franchises across our growing portfolio in kids and family, scripted and factual entertainment.”

EJ Minor joins Boat Rocker from Wildbrain, where he was responsible for the relaunch of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise, including the all-new YouTube series, Roblox game and CP partnerships including toys from Moose. He also led the push for Teletubbies with all-new music videos and a partnership around NYC Pride this year.

Prior to Wildbrain, Minor was at SpinMaster, Mattel/Hit Entertainment and Hasbro, where he managed brand franchises and played a key role in toy development. He will be based at Boat Rocker’s New York office and reports directly to Kate Schlomann.

Emmanuelle Cadet has extensive experience across toy and consumer products, having held senior licensing and marketing positions across several companies including Disney, Cartoon Network, Rovio and Tomy. Her most recent role was as Head of Marketing, Flair UK, where she led the marketing department for a portfolio of 30+ toy brands. Cadet will be based at Boat Rocker’s London office and reports to Nicola Herrmann who was recently promoted to VP Brand Management & Licensing.

In an additional appointment to the London team, Dwayne Clarke has joined as Brand Manager for the UK, Aus & EMEA, reporting to Nicola Herrmann. He joins from Lime Pictures, where he was Brand Partnership Manager, and his 10+ years’ experience in the media industry also includes brand management roles at the BBC and ITV.

 

Hasbro promotes Sally Carnota to Senior Director of UK Licensed Consumer Products

Hasbro has announced the promotion of Sally Carnota to Senior Director of UK Licensed Consumer Products, effective immediately. Carnota will be based at Hasbro’s Warren Street office in the UK and report to Marianne James, Vice President of EMEA & Asia Licensed Consumer Products at Hasbro. 

“Sally has been integral in expanding Hasbro’s EMEA licensing business,” says Marianne James. “She continues to build strong licensee and retail partnerships across the UK and Ireland and execute at scale, which has helped grow our brands significantly across those markets. We’re confident that Sally will continue making our UK licensing business a huge success in her new role and excited to see how she’ll take our brands to the next level.”

“Products, brands and retail are all passions of mine, along with being with people and building relationships,” said Carnota. “I am a proud mother of two preschool boys who remind me every day what a magical industry I am so lucky to be working in. I am excited to continue growing with Hasbro and proud to lead such a talented team to make our amazing brands come to life.”

In her new role, Carnota will continue to lead Hasbro’s UK Licensing Business, focusing on expanding its brands into new categories and channels of distribution whilst leading and strengthening the company’s extensive base of existing partners and retailers. She will be responsible for the vision, growth and performance of Hasbro merchandise across all categories and brands in the UK. She will also work closely with the Entertainment Brand Marketing team to ensure the UK continues to lead in delivering innovation, consumer relevance and exciting brand campaigns for its licensees and retailers.

Previously, Carnota was the Director of Licensed Consumer Products for UK & Ireland. She joined Hasbro in 2015 where she led the UK & EMEA Retail Development team. Prior to Hasbro, Carnota spent years at Viacom Paramount Pictures where she was responsible for Franchise Activation, Partnership Management and Commercial Business Planning.

Licensing International appoints Steve Manners as Head of Marketing

Licensing International has announced the appointment of Steve Manners as Head of Marketing. Based in the UK, Manners will oversee global marketing efforts for Licensing International, the leading trade organisation for the global licensing industry.

Manners brings extensive industry experience to his new role, having held senior management positions at leading companies including 20th Century Fox, Universal and Beanstalk. Most recently, Manners worked with WildBrain CPLG, where he spent more than ten years as VP Business Development, overseeing strategy development, marketing and client services.

“I am thrilled to be working with Licensing International at a time when the industry is going through significant change due to the challenges of Covid,” Manners says. “Together with [Licensing International President] Maura Regan and the team, we’ll be looking at ways to further support LI members and add even greater value whilst continuing to elevate the industry across the broader business community.”

“We are at a pivotal time within the licensing industry, and Steve brings both new perspective and deep understanding of the industry to our organisation,” says Maura Regan. “Having worked with Steve for years in his previous roles, I am thrilled he’s joined our team, and confident he will help us better serve Licensing International members worldwide.”

For more information and updates from Licensing International, visit LicensingInternational.org.

 

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