Tag Archives: ble 2021

BLE online event starts tomorrow

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There’s just one day to go until the start of the BLE follow-up online event.

The perfect place to kickstart productive conversations and gain new knowledge in preparation for a successful year ahead, the digital event runs from 30 November – 1 December. Over 170 brand owners are taking part, and there will be some familiar names from the show floor as well as some additional big brands like Mattel, Bavaria Sonar Licensing and Pokemon that can only be met with virtually.
Log on to view 33 content sessions recorded from the live show, including the live Keynotes and Retail Lounge talks, 13 educational Licensing U sessions and new exclusive on-demand content.
With 1,000+ meetings booked already, calendars are very quickly filling up so reach out to the brands you want to meet with now to avoid disappointment.
Register now to take part by clicking here.

The show that keeps on giving: BLE goes digital on 30 November and 1 December

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Attendees to Brand Licensing Europe, which took place at ExCeL London last week, participated in 2,669 pre-booked meetings and many hundreds more arranged spontaneously during the three-day show, resulting in one exhibitor hailing the event a ‘triumphant return’.

BLE was back in person after more than two years away to reconnect thousands of retailers, manufacturers and designers with over 150 exhibiting companies and a marked increase in retailer attendees compared to 2019 (11 per cent to 15 per cent).

BLE 21 networking continues online

A further 870 (and rising) meetings have now been booked on the BLE platform for the follow-up online event, which takes place on 30 November and 1 December. Attendees unable to attend BLE in person, and those who did attend but want to book overflow meetings, will be able to connect with most of the in person exhibitors as well as 53 online-only exhibitors, including Mattel, The Pokémon Company, Playmobil, ITV Studios, Bavaria Media, Brigitte Bardot, Edutainment Licensing, Metrostar, Mondo TV, Princess Sam, and more.

The event’s online content programme will expand BLE’s ‘What’s Next’ theme, including three online-only ‘In Conversation’ sessions with senior executives from ViacomCBS Consumer Products; a sustainability panel with Products of Change, and Licensing U, alongside the option to watch recordings of the Team GB and ViacomCBS live keynotes, five ‘What’s Next at Retail’ sessions and the Kelvyn Gardner License This! final, which took place at the show. All of this content will be available to watch on demand for free until 28 February 2022.

 Online-only content includes:

‘D&I In Conversation’ sessions with ViacomCBS executives

  • Diversity in the Workplace
  • Diversity in Content
  • Diversity in Products

Brands for Social Change: Join Products of Change as they talk to Yellow Octopus, Newlife, Preloved Kilo and George at Asda to discuss how they are diverting clothes from landfill and building a fully circular fashion industry.

Licensing U: Featuring 14 presentations across three tracks – Basics, Spotlights and Tactics & Strategies – Licensing U is a one-stop-shop education programme about the $292bn licensing industry for newcomers and experienced professionals. Tickets start at £145 if purchased ahead of the event, or £160 in the platform, and can be purchased when registering for BLE. (Licensing International members can enjoy a 10% discount).

Anna Knight, VP licensing, Informa Markets, says: “What can I say? A massive thank you to everyone who not only made it possible for BLE to return in person this year, but who delivered a top-quality event that delivered on its promise to reconnect the European licensing industry for three days of incredible networking and content. We couldn’t be prouder or more delighted with the feedback we’ve received from exhibitors, visitors and partners.

“Next stop BLE online on Tuesday 30 November and Wednesday 1 December. This is the last real opportunity for the European licensing industry to connect en masse in 2021, so book those meetings now. And then next year we’ll be travelling over to Vegas for Licensing Expo and finally – just 10 months from now – BLE 2022, which will take place 20-22 September at ExCeL London. Despite the sore feet, we can’t wait.”

 

 

 

 

The show that keeps on giving: BLE goes digital on 30 November and 1 December

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Attendees to Brand Licensing Europe, which took place at ExCeL London last week, participated in 2,669 pre-booked meetings and many hundreds more arranged spontaneously during the three-day show, resulting in one exhibitor hailing the event a ‘triumphant return’.

BLE was back in person after more than two years away to reconnect thousands of retailers, manufacturers and designers with over 150 exhibiting companies and a marked increase in retailer attendees compared to 2019 (11 per cent to 15 per cent).

BLE 21 networking continues online

A further 870 (and rising) meetings have now been booked on the BLE platform for the follow-up online event, which takes place on 30 November and 1 December. Attendees unable to attend BLE in person, and those who did attend but want to book overflow meetings, will be able to connect with most of the in person exhibitors as well as 53 online-only exhibitors, including Mattel, The Pokémon Company, Playmobil, ITV Studios, Bavaria Media, Brigitte Bardot, Edutainment Licensing, Metrostar, Mondo TV, Princess Sam, and more.

The event’s online content programme will expand BLE’s ‘What’s Next’ theme, including three online-only ‘In Conversation’ sessions with senior executives from ViacomCBS Consumer Products; a sustainability panel with Products of Change, and Licensing U, alongside the option to watch recordings of the Team GB and ViacomCBS live keynotes, five ‘What’s Next at Retail’ sessions and the Kelvyn Gardner License This! final, which took place at the show. All of this content will be available to watch on demand for free until 28 February 2022.

 Online-only content includes:

‘D&I In Conversation’ sessions with ViacomCBS executives

  • Diversity in the Workplace
  • Diversity in Content
  • Diversity in Products

Brands for Social Change: Join Products of Change as they talk to Yellow Octopus, Newlife, Preloved Kilo and George at Asda to discuss how they are diverting clothes from landfill and building a fully circular fashion industry.

Licensing U: Featuring 14 presentations across three tracks – Basics, Spotlights and Tactics & Strategies – Licensing U is a one-stop-shop education programme about the $292bn licensing industry for newcomers and experienced professionals. Tickets start at £145 if purchased ahead of the event, or £160 in the platform, and can be purchased when registering for BLE. (Licensing International members can enjoy a 10% discount).

Anna Knight, VP licensing, Informa Markets, says: “What can I say? A massive thank you to everyone who not only made it possible for BLE to return in person this year, but who delivered a top-quality event that delivered on its promise to reconnect the European licensing industry for three days of incredible networking and content. We couldn’t be prouder or more delighted with the feedback we’ve received from exhibitors, visitors and partners.

“Next stop BLE online on Tuesday 30 November and Wednesday 1 December. This is the last real opportunity for the European licensing industry to connect en masse in 2021, so book those meetings now. And then next year we’ll be travelling over to Vegas for Licensing Expo and finally – just 10 months from now – BLE 2022, which will take place 20-22 September at ExCeL London. Despite the sore feet, we can’t wait.”

 

 

 

 

Kelvyn Gardner License This! winners announced

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The winners of the 2021 Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition were announced at Brand Licensing Europe on Friday afternoon after nine finalists battled it out in three pitches full of creativity, inspiration, laughter and emotion.

The winners are:

  • Brand & Design Category: Sophie Jonas-Hill and Tea for Tattoo
  • Character & Animation: Joel Mercer – SeedFolk
  • New for 2021! Product Design in partnership with Mojo Nation: Wayne Lindsay – Imaginnovation
  • Tea for Tattoo is a series of hand-drawn motifs which bring together the colour palette and style of traditional blue and white ceramics, with the aesthetic and cheeky edge of old-school tattoos.
  • SeedFolk has been developed by the innovative creative team behind Seedlings Cards & Gifts; a lovable range of characters, who care for our native habitats and wildflower seeds.
  • Wayne Lindsay designed a desk tidy based on Aardman Animations’ beloved Morph and Chaz characters, a product inspired by the ‘tension’ and ‘collaboration’ epitomised in their relationship.

When commenting on the final presentations, Ian Downes, chair of the judges and director of Start Licensing, said of the Brand & Design and Character & Animation categories:

“Congratulations to the finalists who presented very strong, well thought through and commercially mindful concepts. Lots of thought had gone into where the brands fit the market and the licensing potential of them.”

Of the Product Design category presentations, he said, “It was genuinely a very close call. The spirit of friendship between the designers – all three are sitting together – is a real credit to them and to design and creative people. It was a really good set of presentations, products and ideas and Aardman and Start Licensing would love to talk to all three designers afterwards about developing their ideas in the future and talk about how we can bring them to life.”

The Kelvyn Gardner License This! final can be viewed again during the online Brand Licensing Europe event, which takes place 30 November – 1 December. Brand Licensing Europe returns in 2022 from 20-22 September at ExCeL London.

Kids Industries to reveal new research on sustainability at Brand Licensing Europe

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Family-focused marketing agency Kids Industries (KI) is launching a new report today at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) exploring the relationship children and their parents have with the environment.

Hot on the heels of COP26 and the announcement that Government is planning to change the primary curriculum to include climate change science and sustainability studies, the survey of 2,001 children and parents in the UK and US shines a light on current perceptions today and what families would like to see change.

It showed that the current understanding of climate concerns and topics is limited:

  • 65 percent of children aged 5-15 do not know what ‘sustainability’ means – this includes 80 percent of 5–7-year-olds and 50 percent of 12-15 year olds
  • 65 percent of children aged 5-15 do not know what ‘sustainability’ means – this includes 80 percent of 5–7-year-olds and 50 percent of 12-15 year olds
  • 87 percent of UK children don’t know what ‘greenwashing’ means
  • 86 percent don’t understand the term ‘bioplastic’
  • 42 percent of UK children are confused about environmental issues (this confusion reduces with age) – this rises to 53 percent amongst US children

Children do think the environment is important: 

While 63 percent of UK children (67 percent in the US) aged 5-15 believe our impact on the environment and wildlife is the most important issue we face today, the specifics vary by country.

In the UK, they are:

  1. Plastic waste (53 percent)
  2. Climate change (50 percent)

In the US, they are:

  1. Pollution (41 percent)
  2. Saving endangered species (39 percent)

Children are trying to do their part – even if it is small: 

  • 94 percent of UK children (92 percent US) have done something for the environment, most commonly recycling (63 percent UK, 36 percent US).
  • 83 percent of UK and US children US agree everyone can be environmentally friendly if they try hard enough.
  • 70 percent of UK children (76 percent US) agree it is important to them that their lifestyle is more environmentally friendly.
  • 69 percent of UK children (77 percent US) would do more for the environment if they had more time and money.

The circular economy and product reuse, recycle, repurpose

 It’s clear that plastic is still king, but planet-friendly toy options are catching up.

Plastic toys were the most popular toy category purchased in the past 12 months by UK parents (40 percent) and US parents (52 percent), followed by second-hand toys in the UK (37 percent) and wooden toys in the US (38 percent)

In the US, plastic toys are also the most frequently bought (32 percent) but in the UK, more parents buy second hand (25 percent) over plastic (22 percent).

What happens when toys outlive their use:

  • Thrown away and heading to landfill (14 percent UK/16 percent US)
  • Given to charity (32 percent UK/26 percent US)

Interestingly, 25 percent of UK parents said that they had bought a ‘sustainable’ toy in the past year (rising to 37 percent of US parents).

 What next? 

Parents want to see…

  1. Products that are easier to recycle (48 percent UK/41 percent of US)
  2. Cheaper sustainable product options (45 percent UK/32 percent US)
  3. Products that are easier to refurbish or fix (37 percent UK/35 percent US parents).

Gary Pope, CEO and Co-Founder at Kids Industries and Children’s Commissioner for Products of Change, commented: “The introduction of a new environment-based curriculum couldn’t come at a better time. Children need supporting in their knowledge of the issues at hand and what they can do to make a difference – never underestimate the power of collective responsibility. That said, parents don’t want more information, they want it to be easier and they’re looking for companies that can facilitate this.

“The demand for new solutions from children and their parents is evident – and just as recycling is at the forefront of children’s minds, it’s playing on their parents thinking, too, and best of all, it’s the easiest solution. There’s now a genuine desire too for toys that are produced more sustainably – a consciousness to see less waste. The toy industry has a responsibility to review these figures and adjust accordingly. The time to take action and listen to wants and desires in these areas is now.”

Meet Gary Pope at the BLE Sustainability Activation 17-19 November, ExCeL London. He is also presenting in the Retail Trends Lounge at 10am on Friday 19 November, which is accessible to retailers and press badge holders.

 

Scan the QR code to download the full report for FREE

The Point.1888 launches dedicated retail services arm

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The Point.1888 has launched a new business arm, Spotlight.1888, dedicated to helping brands and licensees with retail services, and retailers with licensing strategy.

Based on an extension of its market leading retail-first model – whereby The Point.1888 creates new products for its brands based on the gaps it sees at retail as well as what it thinks the brand’s target demographic might like – Spotlight will work directly with retailers and brands to help them fill the gaps themselves using the agency’s retail team expertise.

The new business comprises a dedicated account team, with a mix of buyer experience across a number of retailers (Harrods, John Lewis, Sainsburys and Kingfisher, to name a few), along with dedicated licensing retail professionals.

Heading up the new business arm will be The Point.1888’s Head of Retail, Hannah Stevens, who has been working on the idea of Spotlight.1888 for many years alongside leading retail expert and Managing Director Will Stewart.

“We are constantly discussing with retailers, licensees and brand owners the different ways to activate licensed brands at retail and are delighted to finally provide an official channel for this, in the form of Spotlight.1888,” says Hannah. “There couldn’t be a better time to launch, and the full team will be at BLE to discuss our approach with any prospective licensees, retailers or brands.”

Spotlight.1888 is the second new business The Point.1888 has launched this year. Story.1888, which launched in August, provides clients with creative services such as product branding and style guides, product marketing, strategy, content creation and campaign management.

To hear more about Spotlight.1888, visit stand C183 at BLE or contact the team at spotlight@thepoint1888.com.

Q&A: Natasha Dyson, co-founder of ARTiSTORY

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A specialist in cultural IP licensing, ARTiSTORY was co-founded a year ago by industry trailblazers Yizan He and Natasha Dyson. Over the past 12 months the company has secured major partnerships with some of the world’s leading cultural institutions, including the National Gallery, London; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Dunhuang, China, and the Brooklyn Museum, New York.

We caught up with Natasha ahead of the company’s appearance at Brand Licensing Europe this week to talk about how arts and culture licensing works in practice, and the company’s plans for 2022.

You’re a fairly new business. Can you give us a bit of background on you and Yizan and why you founded ARTiSTORY? 

We are indeed, we’re celebrating our 1st birthday at BLE.

Both Yizan and I have been working in the licensing industry for many years, gaining experience that compliments the other. I have a varied background working for agencies and brand owners, as well as my own consultancy, covering all sectors and age groups for the EU market. In fact, this year is my 20th anniversary in licensing.

Over the last 18 years Yizan has developed award-winning licensing programmes across Greater China and North America. He was voted one of the top 250 IP Strategists in 2011 by Intellectual Asset Management Magazine and regularly sits on the judging panel of the Premier Asian Licensing Awards and China Licensing Awards.

There are two key reasons that Yizan and I decided to set up ARTiSTORY. Firstly, art and culture licensing is one of the fastest growing sectors in the global licensing space at the moment.  Secondly, Yizan has spent the previous five years building multimillion dollar licensing programmes for the V&A, British Museum, National Galley, MFA and the MET in China, but his dream was to expand globally. When Yizan and I reconnected just before the start of the Covid pandemic, the idea to set up a business in Europe was born. This rapidly expanded into becoming the global business that we are today.

Can you explain how ARTiSTORY operates? What are your core areas of business? 

ARTiSTORY is a master licensee for our museum partners.  Our license provides us with an extensive range of product categories, everything from fashion to home goods, through topop-up stores and themed hotels, which we can sub-license to retailers, brands and manufacturers.

There are three core pillars to our business: creative development, licensing, and content developer.

ARTiSTORY invests in developing usable artwork that transforms “Artefacts to Merchandise” and appeals to our core target audience: Gen Z and Millennials, art fans and overseas audiences. We have an extensive team of creatives including researchers, designers, content writers and immersive experts, who not only create beautiful designs but ensure that we tell the story of each artefact or artwork though the content we develop.

Once the creative assets have been developed, we license these to global retailers, brands and manufacturers. Our licensing partners have access to exclusive pre-approved artwork that is delivered as layered files to allow customisation, and can immediately be used on products and packaging, thus reducing the time that licensees need to spend on the design and approval process.

Finally, we support our licensees by creating various forms of content such as narrative, live streaming from museums, short-form videos and social media challenges on TikTok. Licensees and retailers can break down the content to use for packaging, swing tickets, in-store POS and for digital marketing purposes. We also work with retailers and brands to create in-store immersive experiences.

Why do you think heritage licensing is such a strong sector at the moment? 

A key appeal to brands and retailers is the longevity and security that art and cultural licensing provides. The global pandemic has sped up the digitalisation of the museum and cultural sector and this digital shift is changing the way that younger demographics engage with art and culture. At ARTiSTORY we are designing digital, sharable tools and engagement strategies which are opening up the cultural world to entirely new audiences.

ARTiSTORY produces twice-yearly theme launches. Can you give us a sneak peek of what’s up and coming next year?

We have four trend led themes for next year:

Botanical Affairs – Taking inspiration from flora and fauna, the harvests from our land; bringing the outdoors in, we engage all senses, to appreciate the natural world around us.

Gathering of the Greats – With over 8,000 years of history within our museums, we catch a glimpse of some of the most creative, innovative makers of the art world.

Let’s Play – Theatre tickets ready, parties to celebrate, dancing across the floor and imagination galore… Entertainment is back, the 2020s can begin, Let’s Play!

Dunhuang – A UNESCO World Heritage site where spices were traded for knowledge, silks for imagination.

What would you like to achieve from BLE this year?

We’ve taken a stand (B219) to ensure we are visual to those who have read about us, but not yet met us. Our focus is on securing licensing partners, retailers and brands that can not only benefit from our having access to our exclusive designs, but also the content we provide for digital marketing.

We’ll be announcing our first licensing partners in the next month or so. I can’t give away too much now, but I can tell you these are multi-territory partners for us across apparel and home electronics. And we have some exciting new artist collaborations coming soon, so watch this space!

ARTiSTORY to celebrate its first birthday at Brand Licensing Europe

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Exhibiting for the first time at BLE, licensing agency ARTiSTORY will be marking its first anniversary at the event.

The company was established last year in the middle of the global pandemic by licensing entrepreneurs Yizan He and Natasha Dyson, with support from Sinofaith IP Investment Company (SIPIC). Twelve months on, ARTiSTORY employs nearly 50 sales, marketing and creative staff in offices in London, Barcelona, Shanghai, Singapore, Beijing and Boston, and has launched its first creative trends and themes ready to be licensed on behalf of its cultural partners.

ARTiSTORY’s first museum partner, The National Palace Museum, Taipei came on board in February 2021, quickly followed by cultural institutions across the world: the National Gallery, London; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Dunhuang, China and most recently, the Brooklyn Museum, New York.

By securing multi-year master licenses with its museum partners, and through its unique “Artefacts to Merchandise” business model, ARTiSTORY creates and licenses on-trend, contemporary prints and patterns inspired by some of the most celebrated artworks in the world. In addition, ARTiSTORY helps global retailers and consumer brands tap into the growing interest in art and cultural content from younger audiences, by providing storytelling content in engaging formats, such as videos, live streaming from museums, immersive shop windows, and pop-up stores.

ARTiSTORY is looking forward to welcoming retailers, brands and manufacturers in all product categories to its stand, B219, which features artwork from its latest style guides.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved in a year”, says Natasha Dyson, Co-Founder and Licensing Director of ARTiSTORY, “Securing five fantastic museum partners and building a global team has been hard work, but at the same time very rewarding. Now we can’t wait to ‘wow’ licensees with our 2022 global creative themes at BLE”.

Yizan He, Co-Founder & CEO of ARTiSTORY, adds: “It’s been my vison for many years to bring art and cultural licensing to a global audience.  Setting up ARTiSTORY has been an incredible journey so far, and with more museum partners joining us soon, and artist collaborations in the pipeline, we’re set to have another busy year ahead.”

Golden Goose to showcase new licensing admin system BrandXL at BLE

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Strategic licensing boutique Golden Goose has announced the launch of BrandXL, a new licensing admin aystem that will form part of the agency’s consultancy offering.

Inviting small and growing programmes to enjoy a free trial, Golden Goose Director Adam Bass says: “We’ve concentrated 50+ years of professional licensing experience into a very easy-to-use, intuitive system,” which was developed “because we needed to give our clients and licensees one easily accessible, secure, on-line place for all of their licensing data.”

BrandXL is now available to other agencies and brandowners looking for a management tool and expert advice to support the growth of their licensing programmes. Adam adds: “Golden Goose will use our knowledge, contacts and experience to help BrandXL partners grow their licensing programmes.”

Lead developer Ethan Jamrose is giving demonstrations at BLE (on stand C200) and says: ”We can’t wait to build features for this collaborative community, BrandXL’s simple effectiveness will only improve as more companies come on board.”

As the first licensing admin system designed specifically for small and growing programmes, BrandXL gives multi-level access to stored contracts, uploaded royalty reports and managed approvals.

BrandXL is free for small licensors and agents with a fee per licensee per year added to the system. Companies looking to sign up should arrange a free trial or book a demonstration at BLE.

Golden Goose and Ethan Jamrose will be on stand C200.

Sky’s Obki ties up with Products of Change to launch sustainable character merchandise

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With Brand Licensing Europe just around the corner, Products of Change has announced the launch of a truly sustainable brand champion for the community and planet.

Obki on Sky Kids will be a leading force in driving the sustainability agenda on a global platform through a series of worldwide licensing deals via newly signed licensing agency the Radius Group. Launching at The Brand Licensing Europe Show on November 17, supported by Products of Change, Obki will bring together the most sustainable companies to curate a range of brand lifestyle products, including apparel, plush, toys, food, drink and publishing for children.

The cartoon series on Sky Kids features Obki, a loveable alien, on his journey to be a positive force for good on Earth. The show is part of Sky’s campaign to be net zero carbon by 2030 and its commitment to encourage its customers to #GoZero, by using its content and channels to raise awareness of the climate crisis and inspire viewers with actions they can take to protect the planet.

Products of Change is a global educational hub aimed at driving sustainable change across consumer product markets and beyond and will highlight the inroad that Obki on Sky Kids is making as a sustainable brand. With growing numbers of shoppers calling on retailers, brands and governments to implement change from Cop26, Obki is working with Sky Zero and Products of Change as part of its strategy.

Global licensing expert and CEO of the Radius Group, Damian Hopkins, says: “Obki has a unique ability to command the most sustainable licensing partners and influence what toys, clothes and food consumers buy and how they use their purchases at home. Obki will lead by example, driving change in the character licensing industry, by collaborating with licensees and partners to deliver products with sustainability at their core.”

Obki founder Amanda Evans coined the term “small step sustainability” – the notion that providing customers with a wide range of branded goods that they know and trust as being truly sustainable will make it easier and quicker for them to make multiple sustainable decisions, both in store and at home.

For 2022, Obki will focus on being the voice of positivity and proactivity in the face of climate change doom and gloom and communicate that small changes make a big difference. Customers will be able to view Obki on Sky Kids and obtain detailed information about the sustainability credentials of Obki’s food, clothing, toys or homewares that they are purchasing.

Amanda says: “We want to educate consumers about Obki’s sustainability principles and how they can shop more ethically and reach for the product that they know is better for the planet. Retailers will then be able to shift ethically minded consumers towards these products. Obki will become an active ambassador for climate change by inspiring the next generation to be environmentally intuitive in their thinking and decision making.”

Helena Mansell-Stopher, CEO and founder of Products of Change, says: “Obki is an example of a brand that embeds sustainability into its thinking and operations. To see the ambitions of the team to build a truly sustainable licensed brand from content to product is pretty phenomenal, as well as incorporating a large proportion of the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals within its sustainability framework. It is a real honour to be working with such a progressive team at Obki to bring this to life, and I am really looking forward to watching its success around the world.”

OBKI was screened at COP26 at a special event called ‘World Leaders Listen Up’ and Obki’s animator Simone Giampaolo was chosen as a UK Government ‘One Step Greener’ Ambassador.