Beanstalk extends global reach with new offices in Mexico and Brazil

Brand licensing agency Beanstalk has further extended its global reach by establishing offices in Mexico City, Mexico, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, to directly service its global clients and the growing demand for corporate brands in the region.

In addition, Beanstalk has established a licensing team dedicated to servicing the Caribbean, Central American, Andean and Southern regions of Latin America. The agency is developing licensing programs in Latin America for several of the world’s most recognisable brands.

Beanstalk’s on-the-ground presence in Mexico and Brazil will provide direct, localised licensing expertise to assist clients in expanding their brands’ presence in the territory. The agency is also actively identifying opportunities for native Latin American brands that can benefit from utilising licensing as part of their marketing strategies.

Allison Ames, president and CEO of Beanstalk, says: “The culture at Beanstalk has always focused on empowering teams to identify trends and opportunities that keep the agency and our clients’ licensing programs at the forefront of the licensing industry. As Beanstalk approaches its 30th anniversary, we continue this tradition with the expansion of our on-the-ground presence in Latin America to service our clients and to capitalize on the growth of brand licensing in the region.

“According to Licensing International’s annual Global Licensing Survey, licensing in Latin America grew nearly 10% from 2018 to 2020, and despite the global pandemic, licensing in the region will continue to be a source of new opportunities for world-class brands.”

To learn more about Beanstalk’s services in Latin America contact LATAM@beanstalk.com or visit www.beanstalk.com.

Fanattik strengthens senior team with new appointment

Pop culture brand Fanattik, a licensing partner for Hasbro, Universal Studios, Capcom, Bethesda, Studio Canal, Konami and many more leading video game and film studios, has appointed Melissa Tudor as Creative Director. She will take control of the company’s creative strategy which is integral to the company’s continuing success.

Anthony Marks, M.D of Fanattik, says: “I am delighted to announce Melissa’s new role. She has been with Fanattik for more than three years, helping to shape our creative team, which in turn has made Fanattik into a fan favourite brand within the world of pop culture.”

The promotion comes at the end of a year that has seen phenomenal growth for the award-winning gift and collectible manufacturer, which supplies gift retailers throughout the UK, Europe and beyond with everything from SpongeBob Squarepants bottle openers to Jurassic Park playing cards, and sees them in good stead for 2022, the company’s self-proclaimed ‘Year Of Export’.

Fanattik strengthens senior team with new appointment

Pop culture brand Fanattik, a licensing partner for Hasbro, Universal Studios, Capcom, Bethesda, Studio Canal, Konami and many more leading video game and film studios, has appointed Melissa Tudor as Creative Director. She will take control of the company’s creative strategy which is integral to the company’s continuing success.

Anthony Marks, M.D of Fanattik, says: “I am delighted to announce Melissa’s new role. She has been with Fanattik for more than three years, helping to shape our creative team, which in turn has made Fanattik into a fan favourite brand within the world of pop culture.”

The promotion comes at the end of a year that has seen phenomenal growth for the award-winning gift and collectible manufacturer, which supplies gift retailers throughout the UK, Europe and beyond with everything from SpongeBob Squarepants bottle openers to Jurassic Park playing cards, and sees them in good stead for 2022, the company’s self-proclaimed ‘Year Of Export’.

Jazwares expands footprint in Europe with new sales office in Paris

Jazwares, a global leader in toys and licensing, has announced the opening of its new French office in Paris, as part of its global expansion plans.

The Paris location adds to the existing group of European offices in the UK, Germany and Holland, and is a reflection of the company’s current growth momentum.

The Paris office will have local sales staff to support the growing business in France and will be led by newly appointed Sales Director Vincent Vandamme (above).

He joins Jazwares after 18 years at The LEGO Group, most recently as Head of Field Sales, France. With more than 25 years of experience, servicing the most important customers and channels in France, Vincent brings extensive expertise and in-depth knowledge of the local French toy market.

Jonny Taylor, SVP, Europe, says: “We have meaningful direct to retail businesses in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Benelux region. France is a critical business market in Europe and we are thrilled to have Vincent on board to lead the business. We now have the right commercial team and product ranges to drive exciting growth within the region. It’s time to take our business in France to the next level, another exciting step in the company’s journey.”

Jazwares appoints new commercial and licensing director amid continued ambitious plans for European growth

Genius Brands appoints Zrinka Dekic as Chief Financial Officer

Following a major year of expansion with the recently announced acquisition of Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media, Inc., and a major stake in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG, Genius Brands International, Inc. continues to strengthen its global operations and strategy with the appointment of Zrinka Dekic as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions.

Ms. Dekic brings nearly 20 years of entertainment industry and financial markets experience, including corporate strategy, investment banking, investment management and corporate finance at The Walt Disney Company, and before that, Goldman Sachs.

At The Walt Disney Company, she held posts in Corporate Strategy, Strategic Planning and Business Development, where she was involved in a number of high-profile projects and strategic initiatives for the company. Prior to joining Disney, Ms. Dekic served as a Vice President in the Investment Management division at Goldman Sachs in New York, on the U.S. Fundamental Equity Portfolio Management team overseeing nearly $30 billion of assets under management.

Most recently, she served as Vice President of Houlihan Lokey’s Investment Banking Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT) Group, where she was responsible for business development and execution across the sector, including media and entertainment, digital media, streaming technologies, animation and video games. Ms. Dekic holds a B.A. from Amherst College and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School.

“We are excited to welcome Zrinka as Chief Financial Officer of Genius Brands at this major inflection point in the company’s development, given the rapid revenue growth, expanded distribution, and a powerful slate of new content,” says Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands. “With the recently announced acquisition of WOW! Unlimited Media in Canada and our strategic investment in Your Family Entertainment traded on the Frankfurt Exchange, providing us control over one of Europe’s largest animation catalogs and now a global channel footprint, the addition of Zrinka, with her impressive professional pedigree… will empower us to maximise value for shareholders.

“In particular, Zrinka brings a proven track record in M&A, which will continue to be an important component of our strategy as we execute on our vision of becoming one of the world’s leading global children’s entertainment companies. In support of this goal, she brings extensive relationships across Wall Street and the entertainment industry, spanning animation, media and entertainment, sports, and consumer product companies across North America and globally,”

Bob Denton will assume the new role of Executive Vice President of Finance and Accounting at Genius Brands.

Heyward continues: “Bob Denton has made tremendous contributions to the Company as CFO over the past years, as we transformed Genius Brands from an emerging children’s entertainment company to a diversified global organisation with a solid balance sheet, positioned for long term growth. We look forward to his continued contributions as Executive Vice President of Finance and Accounting, as we accelerate our focus on expansion.”

Genius Brands expands into Europe with acquisition of German company Your Family Entertainment AG

 

The Big Interview I Getting under the skin of the National Trust

Established over 125 years ago, the National Trust is the largest conservation charity in Europe. The organisation and its volunteers help care for 780 miles of coastline, more than 250,000 hectares of land, over 500 historic houses, castles, parks, and gardens and one million works of art. With so much heritage and history to draw upon – and so many different aspects to its work – how does the Trust ensure that its licensing agreements reflect its core values, visually and ideologically?

That was the task facing brand extension agency Skew Studio, who were commissioned to devise a new licensing style guide for the organisation earlier this year. Licensing Biz sat down with Skew Studio’s Oliver Dyer and the National Trust’s Clare Brown, Head of Brand Licensing and Retailer Development, and Michaela Davies, Brand Licensing Manager, to talk about the process, and why every National Trust product has a story to tell.

Ultimately, what’s the most important thing about a National Trust product?

Clare:
For me, the most important thing is to create products that are inspired by and intrinsically linked to the Trust in some way, which allow us to use the storytelling behind our properties, our places and people to emotionally engage with our consumers. Hopefully the products help people identify with the Trust, but equally, we want consumers to be inspired to become a part of it all, because at the end of the day we rely on people’s benevolence to volunteer to be part of our cause and help us carry on the important conservation work that we do.

How do you select your retail partners?

Clare: We’re very selective about who we partner with. As a conservation organisation we’ve been talking about nature and how important it is for a very long time and even more so now with the challenge of climate change; we have plans to establish 20 million trees across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and reach carbon net zero by 2030, for instance. So, we are very clear on our criteria for licensees, and sustainability is at the top of the list. We do a lot of research, and we actively then go out and target organisations that are strong in this area.

The three large product category areas that the Trust is known for are home, garden and lifestyle gifting, but we do have other categories outside of that, such as children’s products.

Creating a coherent ‘look and feel’ for National Trust branded collaborations seems like such a mammoth undertaking. What were the first steps?

Clare: We’re a massive organisation, and we mean an awful lot of things to a lot of people. So you’re right, translating all of that into a licensing programme was a huge task.

The point about our purpose is that we protect and care for our places, so that people and nature can thrive. We believe nature, beauty, and history can benefit everyone. So we exist ‘for everyone, for ever’: that’s at the core of our mission.

Our membership audience is also becoming younger and more diverse – that’s because our offer is so broad and we’ve been engaging with different organisations, like Sports England; we are the largest host of Park Run in Europe, we have a growing number of campsites we also have children’s playgrounds in all our properties now… Also, we are one of the biggest art commissioners in the UK; we use art to move, teach and inspire people. More and more people are enjoying our places for different reasons. So initially we passed all that over to Oliver and his team, we did a bit of brainstorming, and Skew really took it by the horns and got under the skin of what the National Trust is about.

Oliver: I wrote down and double underlined that phrase, ‘for everyone and for ever.’ As a target, from a creative point of view, that’s pretty big! But as an organisation the National Trust is really clear about what it is, and who it’s appealing to.

Our first job was to try to join the dots, to match up the Trust’s visual, tangible assets with its intangible assets – what people think and feel towards the properties and towards the Trust as a whole. And once we’d done that, it was a case of looking at what consumer trends are coming up, then translating them in a way that will work well for the Trust and serve all the different segments of its audience, and also work well for retail, so that by the time the Trust get to the point of dealing with licensees and retail buyers, we know there’s going to be a real appetite for what’s been developed.

Clare: At first I thought that translating everything the National Trust is about was going to be an almost impossible task, but Skew’s designers are so clever. They not only picked up on all the key points, but they made it contemporary, which was just wonderful.

Can you explain how the new style guide works in practice?

Michaela: The majority of our licensed products have been developed to reach audiences beyond those that visit our locations, as a way of broadening our appeal and allowing more people to connect with our charitable activities. They’re for everybody and are just as likely to be on sale in a local garden centre, or in John Lewis.

The style guide is such a useful tool; not only has it got fantastic design assets in there that are really inspiring, but it also has packaging ideas as well. Packaging may not be hugely exciting but it’s a big part of how we present our charity messaging to consumers, and flag things like our sustainability criteria. The style guide gives guidelines on where and how we put our messaging on the packaging, so that we’re giving a consistent message across all our licensed products, because they can be very diverse.

If you’re a consumer, shopping in a supermarket with the kids in tow, you might only have a split second to make a decision about what to buy. You might pick up a National Trust product and think, ‘Oh look, it says here that they give a donation from the sale of this product back to the National Trust”. So having that consistency of message on packaging is important for us. Buying a National Trust branded product could be the first touchpoint non-members have with us.

Oliver: I’d actually use the word coherence rather than consistency. What the National Trust has to offer is so wide, while you want to be able to present products that all work together on a shelf, they can be quite different visually, depending on the type of item and who it’s for. I think that the work that we all did together was to try to give retail partners the opportunity to take what was on offer and make it their own, and even take it in new directions, but ultimately have it make sense and be coherent overall.

Michaela: When I started working in brand licensing at the Trust in 2019, the only assets we had were photographs of our amazing places and landscapes. But now, our main style guide has six diverse themes [see below]. We not only have downloadable assets in the guide that our licensees can use and create products with, but it’s inspirational, too.

For example, last year we signed Sarsen Stone Group, who make interior wall and floor tiles. From the guide, they picked up on one of the themes that Oliver’s team came up with that we’ve called Under the Canopy; it’s based on looking up into the woodland tree canopy and the patterns, light and colour you see through the leaves, and Sarsen Stone took that as their starting point. They also visited one of our beautiful arboretums, Winkworth, and took photographs of it back to the design team, who were really inspired by it. They even named that particular collection after the Arboretum. So, it’s a lovely bit of storytelling; they’re not just interior tiles with leaves on, there’s a great link back to the National Trust.

Oliver: We also created a lookbook that was like a magazine, to give people something that was quick to look at and focused only on product inspiration, to show how different looks could be interpreted in different product categories for different parts of the market.

Michaela: Our style guide for kids’ products has six categories too. Some of our licensees won’t have time to sit and take in everything the Trust is about, but with six different core designs, it’s easy for them to flick through and think, that one’s not for me, I’ll go on to the next one…

Clare: I have to say, the children’s style guide that Skew produced is particularly fantastic. It takes important issues such as climate change and presents them in a really innovative and playful way.

Oliver: The back story behind the product is really important, but that’s not what people buy, when it comes down to it; they buy really great products. And that’s what the National Trust team are producing. There’s a huge amount of work involving in dealing with licensees to produce something that people really love. What we did was really just the start of that process. It’s the team at the National Trust that are bringing it to life and doing a great job.

THE NATIONAL TRUST’S 6 STYLE THEMES

Architectural heritage

Inspired by the exterior of National Trust properties designed by some of the world’s greatest architects and artists, these designs are characterised by classical forms and symmetry.

Wonderful details

From decorative cornices to elegant sculptures, the Trust’s properties accommodate a wealth of details and grand statement features, each with their own story to tell.

Along the country lane

A tangle of grasses, seed heads and native wildflowers was the starting point for stunning natural designs with striking pops of colour and bold silhouettes, evocative of an afternoon’s stroll in the countryside.

Vibrant landmarks

An homage to the vision of the National Trust’s founders, Octavia Hill, Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley, who pledged to preserve the UK’s historical and natural landscapes so people could reconnect with nature for everyone, for ever.

Along the coast path

Evoking the 780 miles of beautiful, dramatic and diverse coastline managed by the Trust, which is home to a wealth of wildlife and nature.

Under the canopy

A celebration of the beauty and subtle textures found in natural landscapes, with designs that combine fresh, bold colours and pastel shades across delicately layered shapes.

Amazon UK teams with charity In Kind Direct to deliver toys to families in need

Amazon UK is collaborating with charity In Kind Direct to deliver games and toys to children in vulnerable situations across the UK this Christmas.

Customers can donate toys by visiting amazon.co.uk/donateatoy. The items will then be distributed by Kind Direct to families across the UK. Last year more than 6,700 toys were donated in Europe.

In the UK, and across Europe, the initiative is set to deliver smiles to thousands of vulnerable families in the run-up to Christmas. Alongside managing the delivery of toys to In Kind Direct, Amazon will also donate all profits from the sale of the toys to the charity.

In Kind Direct work with charities, community groups, foodbanks and schools who support a wide range of social issues, from hygiene poverty and domestic abuse to unemployment, homelessness and mental health support needs.

“Across the UK, many families are struggling this year with financial challenges and simply can’t afford toys and games to gift to their children, and the resources of charitable organisations are more thinly stretched than ever,” says Rosanne Gray, CEO In Kind Direct. “With the support of companies like Amazon we are now helping over 220,000 people every week feel valued and cared for, and over 3,000 charities, schools and community groups run their vital clubs and services that enable communities to thrive.”

To get involved, customers can visit amazon.co.uk/donateatoy, and choose a toy from the wish list. Once added to the cart, customers only have to select the option “Wish List Address” as the delivery point.

Semaphore Licensing adds travel influencer Drew Binsky to talent portfolio

Semaphore Licensing has broadened its growing portfolio of talent to include YouTuber Drew Binksy.

Binsky has just returned from a journey to Saudi Arabia, completing his quest to travel to all 197 countries, garnering a worldwide following of travel enthusiasts who crave the inside scoop on travel destinations with helpful advice to maximise each experience.

Binsky’s travel videos are more like short documentaries, and feature unique stories about people, food, and culture, plus travel tips and hacks. His YouTube channel has 2.79 million subscribers and his Facebook page has 4.2 million followers. Additionally, Binsky holds two Guinness World Records: for the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites visited in a 24 hour period, and the fastest time to pack a suitcase – 35.59 seconds.

“Drew allows his audience to see the entire world from the comfort of their home. Fans live vicariously through his travels and have an ability to witness sights they would never otherwise be able to see,” says Michael Bienstock, Founder and CEO, Semaphore Licensing. “We look forward to connecting more fans with Drew, as he inspires them to witness more of the world, one destination at a time.”

 

Interview I Talking strategy with MGM’s Robert Marick

Home to Bond, Rocky and The Pink Panther, MGM is a powerhouse of a studio. We asked Robert Marick, Executive Vice President Global Consumer Products & Experiences, to tell us about developing licensing strategies for some of the most iconic properties in entertainment, and how his stints at Disney, Mattel, Twentieth Century Fox and Discovery have shaped his approach to global brand management.

A lot has been said about how people returned to familiar, “comforting” brands during the Pandemic. Do you think the landscape is now almost back to its pre-Pandemic state, or will nostalgia brands keep on having a moment?

The Pandemic affected companies and people in so many different ways, but I think one of the things that was ultimately a positive for consumers is that they were able to connect with brands, and foods, and time with family – let’s call these things “comfort opportunities” – like never before. And that definitely had an impact in terms of how consumers reacted to our properties. Whether it was the Pink Panther or, in particular, Rocky or Creed, there was a real connection there.

Particularly with Rocky, fans connected with some of the core themes of the DNA of that property: the underdog, the perseverance, how you can find something within yourself that enables you to push boundaries… Those things became more important than ever during that time period, and we saw in the news how consumers would look at properties like Rocky and say, “That is my inspiration.” What we noticed over the past 18 months was a definite resurgence of engagement with our catalogue titles.

Can you give us an outline of your role and responsibilities at MGM?

In essence I’m a global brand manager; my job is to build and grow our properties. We look at them more as franchises now, and less as a catalogue, title or a new release. If you take the example of The Addams Family, which has been around for 75 years, we recently supported it with a new CGI film, and now we’re going to be releasing Wednesday on Netflix. Or in the case of Rocky, which I mentioned earlier, we released Creed I and II, and Creed III is out next year. Vikings is now being supported with a new Netflix series, Vikings: Valhalla. All these franchises have a foundation that fans around the world appreciate in one form or another, and we’re fortunate now to be able to build off that base, and release new content across the board.

There’s also Pink Panther, which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary shortly; we have a new film in development. What you see there is our company really investing in new ways to build out these global franchises.

With some of your IPs having such a long history, how do you market them to the entire fanbase? Presumably younger audiences require a different approach to Boomers?

Without a doubt, Gen Zs and millennials require a different approach to older consumers when it comes to promotional activities. So, how do we do that? If you look at what’s on my radar at the moment – The Addams Family, Vikings, Rocky/Creed, and also Legally Blonde, which is celebrating its anniversary, plus there’s a new film in the works ­–  we have new content coming out that is really supporting the core property. But we can also look at supporting the core properties by genre; so, this year, there was a focus on horror [with the release of Candyman], 2022 is all about sci-fi, and 2023 will be about laughter.

We’re also going to be looking at upcoming anniversaries. Legally Blonde, for example, is turning 21, so that’s going to be a big initiative for us. We also market by decade, so fans of, say, the 80s, or 90s or 2000s, can really buy in to our brands and properties. When you have 4,000 movies in your library, you need to find the common connections that consumers have to your IP.

By taking different approaches we’re able to find connections with our audience, whether they’re genre fans, anniversary fans, or a fan of a particular IP. Research shows that Gen Zs and Millennials tend to get their first source of content from a video game, while Gen Xs and Baby Boomers still get their content from new films or television in development. Our video game business is growing exponentially and that is an opportunity for us to be able to drive awareness in new areas. One example is that we’re developing a Robocop game on console. Bond is another case in point; we’re driving interest in the IP through video games.

MGM has an amazing library of IPs to draw upon – but entertainment is a crowded market. What do you think MGM’s particular strengths are when it comes to licensing?

I think it really comes down to four things – what I call “the DNA” of MGM. First off, it’s about the lion logo. It’s such an iconic trademark. It represents the Hollywood of yesteryear, but it’s also about today. Another thing that makes MGM different is that when launched, it was all about the latest technology and different ways of working, and artists and directors would come to MGM to be able to try new things. And that still continues today.

The third aspect is quality; we’re immensely proud of the quality of the work that we do, it’s evident in all our shows. And I think the fourth point is storytelling. Everything that we do is about the story that’s being told. In particular, I think that’s what helps us not only in traditional licencing, but in terms of video games, and in location-based entertainment.

I am very selective about where I spend my time and energy; it’s not just a case of pushing the latest release. What’s almost more important is creating a programme during “bridge” years”. For instance, with The Addams Family, we had a CGI film in 2019, we had The Addams Family 2 in 2021, now we’ve got the Wednesday TV series coming in 22. I’ll ask myself, in the “gaps”, what does the programme look like? And that’s where video games come in, that’s where experiential comes in…

You’ve worked for some of the biggest companies in the entertainment sector. How has that wide experience coalesced to influence your licensing strategy at MGM?

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some very significant companies. Each one has provided me with a different lens or perspective that allows me to do the job that I do. Having worked at Mattel for many years, I really understand the idea of product development, and marketing a product. That led into my time at Disney, which was all about how you manage a brand, looking at its different elements to see how they might apply to music, or toys, or film or apparel.

With anything that I look at from a brand franchise perspective, I always ask myself, what’s the DNA of the property? Once I’ve established that, it’s “What can merchandise help amplify? What can video games help amplify? What can location-based entertainment help amplify?” The recent campaign we ran for Rocky’s 45th anniversary is a good example of how we look to create an experience around a property, where you have multiple disciplines [including athletic runs, gaming collaborations, concerts and apparel collections] that come together to create a consumer experience.

Ultimately, I’m hoping that once you’ve done the Rocky Run, or you’ve experienced some new merchandise, you’re going to come back and want to watch the film, or the next film or the third film within the franchise. My job is really about expanding the media experience, and that’s three-fold: first, you watch it. Then you buy it – whether it’s a pencil, a t shirt or a video game. And then you’re going to want to live it, which is where experiential comes in. And by living it, you’re going to want to go back to the original media and watch it again. So the whole thing is cyclical.

Vikings: Valhalla and Wednesday are expected to air in 2022. Creed III is scheduled to premiere in cinemas in November next year.

 

 

 

Penske Media Corporation accelerates consumer products programme with Brainbase

Brainbase, the venture-backed company helping licensing teams optimise their partnerships from contract to revenue, and Penske Media Corporation (PMC), a pioneer in the digital media space and owner of iconic brands including Billboard, Robb Report, Rolling Stone, SXSW, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and WWD, among many others, have announced that PMC will begin using Brainbase’s brand licensing platform to streamline and manage their global licensing business.

“We’re thrilled to combine Brainbase’s leading licensing technology platform with PMC’s innovation in the media and entertainment space to create an elevated consumer products programme,” says Nate Cavanaugh, co-founder and CEO of Brainbase. “Our team is committed to delivering industry-leading technology that will take PMC’s growing licensing business to the next level and contribute to their organisation’s success for years to come.”

“As PMC continues to evolve with its brands’ audiences, we’re excited to expand our licensing programme to new categories including cannabis, health & wellness, food & beverage, apparel and more,” says Rachel Terrace, SVP of Licensing & Brand Development at PMC. “The Brainbase platform will enable us to optimise our processes and in turn launch a diverse range of partnerships across our iconic brands.”

Brainbase aims to bring together every feature required to run a global licensing business at scale to help licensing teams make smarter, faster decisions. With the help of Brainbase, IP owners are able to unify their global operations into a single software platform – from deals, product approvals, royalty reporting, digital asset management, and dashboard analytics.

PMC joins a Brainbase customer roster with leading global brands including BBC Studios, BuzzFeed, Chefclub, Crayola, Moose Toys, SYBO Games and the Van Gogh Museum, among others.