LICENSING EXPO: Q&A with Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products, ZAG

Ahead of this month’s Licensing Expo, Licensing Biz caught up with Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products at family entertainment powerhouse ZAG, to talk about the incredible global success of Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and what’s next for the smash-hit brand in the licensing space.

Can you briefly describe ZAG, and your role at the company?

ZAG is a global independent entertainment studio specialising in world-class storytelling across TV, film and digital platforms. Our foundation is rooted in creating compelling characters and developing masterful storytelling, all infused with original musical scores.

ZAG’s founder and CEO Jeremy Zag is a visionary director and composer. He initially formed ZAG in France in 2009, then expanded the company to the USA in 2012 with the Global Brand Franchise office in Santa Monica, California, and more recently, an additional head office in Miami, Florida.

Our company is home to several world-class entertainment properties under the ZAG HEROEZ label, including our flagship, globally renowned property Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, a 3D-CGI-animated superhero aspirational action-comedy series. New titles include Power Players and, most recently, Ghostforce, which just started to roll out last year.

Miraculous has taken off in a huge way, globally. Why do you think it appeals to kids so much?

Fans across the globe have fallen in love with the series protagonists, Ladybug and Cat Noir. The characters are engaging, likeable and admirable, but most importantly relatable, as family and friendships are always an important part of the storylines. At its core, Miraculous is a coming-of-age series about awkward kids learning about loving themselves and finding their true powers. Ladybug and Cat Noir are faced with discovering their own powers even if it scares them, even when it is hard to do. Core values are family, friendship, courage, love, and girl empowerment.

ZAG has taken great pride in creating breathtaking animation that draws in the audience and keeps them coming back for more. As a result, Miraculous resonates with a much broader audience than we originally anticipated. TV ratings clearly indicate that both girls and boys watch the show (55% to 45% on average). Digital data from YouTube, Tumblr, Netflix and social media from Twitter to Instagram all indicate we index high in the pop culture space with teens and young adults.

Do you have any recent viewing facts and figures/social media stats for the property?

Season four of the series debuted last year. It had its global premiere in April on TF1 in France, garnering an outstanding 47.7% market share amongst kids 4–10 years old, while in the U.S., the new season premiere on Disney Channel garnered incredible #1 ratings for girls 6–11 across all cable channels. In Germany, it achieved a 46.4% share among all kids on Disney Channel and is the #1 series. We are also ranked #1 on Disney Channal in Japan, and on Super! in Italy. Miraculous is still topping the ratings charts in Latin America, and on Gloob in Brazil, Miraculous has remained the #1 series for girls for four consecutive seasons, with the overall audience a 48/52 boy/girl split, highlighting that the show appeals widely to both boys and girls and family audiences.

Miraculous is huge across social. On YouTube, Miraculous just crossed 30 billion views!

Roughly how many licensing partners do you have for the property? I know last year it was around 300, has that number increased?

Yes, we currently have approximately 400 licensees around the globe, including several global and pan-regional partners. Global deals include Playmates for toys; Ferrero for chocolates; Swatch’s Flik Flak for watches; Epopia, which is a unique epistolary letter format that encourages children to read and write through interactive storytelling; PMI for a line of collectibles, impulse, stationery and school supplies; PEZ for candy dispensers, and Spread Group for print-on-demand.  We also recently extended our deal with Rubies for costumes across EMEA. Other pan-regional partners include Crayola and InSpirit Designs.

It’s nice to see a girl superhero for once. Is diversity and inclusion important to ZAG?

What is important to ZAG is that everyone has to be able to connect to the story, from anywhere in the world, at any age. We care about telling honest stories to help people to ”discover themselves”. Therefore, everything has to be grounded in real life, with a little touch of magic to help our heroes to jump through their reality.

Where is growth coming from? E-commerce is clearly strong… In terms of markets, is there one territory that performs better than others? Are there any untapped markets you’d like to enter?

All territories are performing well and we continue to see huge growth across the board.

 In terms of untapped markets, The Middle East and Africa have become a top priority for ZAG, and the Disney/MBC broadcast combination is a perfect duo for us to reach children across the region.  Miraculous is garnering strong ratings, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where the series ranked in the #1 slot on MBC, following its launch in 2018, and has remained in the top 20 programmes ever since.  We recently appointed Carlotta Caracciolo as our first VP, Middle East and Africa, to oversee the company’s consumer products strategy in the region.

And, most recently, our consumer products programme in Japan is becoming very successful, especially now that Miraculous has become number #1 on TV on Disney Channel Japan, which is incredible since Miraculous is not a Manga property.  We see seeing increasing requests from companies wanting to join our licensing programme every day.

Are you able to give details of any licensing deals around the release of the Miraculous Awakening movie this autumn?

The movie release will be supported by a major QSR programme; an expanded toyline from ZAG Lab and Playmates which will be available online and at bricks-and-mortar stores and incorporates new characters, the first vehicle featuring a convertible scooter, a collectible line of Kwamis, a movie 2-pack, and Movie Collector Ladybug; the launch of the first Miraculous Console Game from ZAG Games, developed by Magic Pockets and published by GameMill Entertainment, to be available on XBOX, Playstation and Nintendo Switch; a new mobile puzzle game from ZAG Games, developed with Crazylab; and several co-branded partnerships with some more of the most influential companies across the globe for numerous consumer products categories, including one with one of the biggest automobile companies in the world.

What are your goals at Licensing Expo? If you have your ‘dream’ show, what would that involve?

We have so much good news to share with our partners who we haven’t seen in person for over two years, and we want to celebrate our success with them. For example, we hit over $1billion in retail sales, sold over 250 million products, and just hit 30 billion views on YouTube. We also have big plans in the works to share with partners around the launch of our Miraculous US$100+ million theatrical movie as I mentioned. We know we will have a dream show!

Do you want to talk about the latest viewing figures/licensing deals for GhostForce?

Or course! Disney Channels U.S. acquired the series and premiered it on October 4, 2021, on Disney XD. The series also launched in most European countries and is getting incredible ratings, regularly ranked among the top #3 shows. In Latin America, the series debuted on Discovery Kids in December, except for Brazil where it debuted on May 2.

Looking to the future, are you considering any new ways for kids to engage with ZAG properties, ie, through NFTs or live experiences, or via the metaverse?

We are seeing strong demand for immersive and live experiences. The Miraculous live-action stage tour from Proactiv was very popular in Spain prior to the pandemic, and we’re pleased that this will be relaunching, starting with Latin America this summer, and Europe in the autumn. We’re also close to announcing a U.S. partner to bring a new live show to North America.

Earlier this month, we launched and already sold out of tickets for Miraculous Paris – Tours of Ladybug and Cat Noir, a virtual family getaway to Paris. Led by a travel guide, families can join a virtual tour to visit real Parisian monuments, and the event includes original Miraculous content, behind-the-scenes secrets and games. We will continue the event this summer.

We’re also in negotiation with a theme park – more on that to come!

What trends are you noticing globally among kids? Do you think anxiety is a big factor after covid? 

For us, we are seeing kids wanting to interact with our brands in any way they can, and we want to deliver the very best experiences for them so that they can enjoy themselves even amidst the events of the world around us.

ZAG will be at Licensing Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, from 24-26 May 2022. 

ZAG appoints former Zinkia exec Marie Doolan as Vice President of TV content

Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG continues to build its executive leadership team, appointing former Zinkia executive Maria Doolan, who drove the global growth for the hit Pocoyo brand, to the newly created position of VP, TV Content. She reports to Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, and Julian Zag, EVP, Global Operations and Head of Global Consumer Products.

In this new role, Doolan will be responsible for ZAG’s global strategy of content distribution across all platforms including television, home entertainment and digital media, for select properties in the ZAG Heroez portfolio — an umbrella brand franchise that brings together the superheroes from ZAG’s animated properties. Her first priority will be focused on the company’s newest IP, Ghostforce, which was recently acquired by Disney Channels U.S. and debuted in October 2021 on Disney XD. Doolan will also work in partnership with ON kids & family (Mediawan) for the aspirational brand phenom Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, as well as all future ZAG properties.

“Maria has an extensive brand-management background, spearheading efforts across programme distribution and consumer products, and is an expert at driving strategy, building brands and adding value,” says Jeremy Zag. “In her new TV Content role, she will work closely with our consumer products executives to craft strategies for TV placement with best-in-class partners around the globe to build strong platforms from where we can launch new TV shows under  the ZAG Heroez universe.”

“I am thrilled with the opportunity to work with Jeremy, Julian and the global team at ZAG to further drive brand growth worldwide,” adds Doolan. “This new role will allow me to utilise one of my key strengths, which is to transfer big ideas into viable business plans on a global scale, and I am excited to begin diving in on building a global strategy for the content rollout of Ghostforce.

Doolan has over 20 years’ experience managing, marketing and selling TV and retail products and properties, spending 17 years with Zinkia Entertainment. During her tenure with the company, she served in several roles, most recently as Global Head of International TV Distribution & Co-Productions, developing partnerships with multinational players. Prior, she served as Executive Producer of the Early Learning Collaborative, securing a US Ready to Learn (RTL) grant with a local non-profit partner, becoming the first non-US brand to get an RTL grant. Twenty-three educational apps covering English-language learning and math for 3–5 year olds were developed. The grant managed a US$34 million development and marketing budget and supervised the project launch with complementary school marketing materials produced for nationwide US distribution.

In her earliest and most long-lasting role as Managing Director of Brand & Business Development, Doolan was responsible for financing, marketing and managing Pocoyo worldwide, defining the brand and product strategy and market positioning, and  developing key L&M partnerships.

ZAG grows its global team ahead of the launch of Miraculous movie and Ghostforce TV series

ZAG is growing its global licensing operations this year in the build up to the release of the Miraculous movie and the launch of its action-comedy series, Ghostforce, with the appointment of Hyde Schram as its first vice president of global promotions, and Betsabe Luna as its retail and licensing director for Mexico and Central America.

A ViacomCBS and Walt Disney Company alumn, Schram will report directly to Julian Zag, executive vice president, global operations, while Luna will report to the recently appointed VP consumer products, Latin America, Angela Cortez.

Based in the US, Schram will helm the strategic planning, development and execution of partnerships for global and regional promotions and sponsorships for ZAG’s portfolio of brands. She will be tasked with expanding current partnerships and leveraging key initiatives to create synergistic opportunities across partner promotional campaigns.

Schram will work closely alongside Kirk Bloomgarden, ZAG’s SVP of Global Licensing, and his rapidly growing team of licensing and retail executives.

Meanwhile, Luna will be based in Mexico City, overseeing retail across Mexico and Central America territories.  She will work in partnership with local agents to develop and implement a retail strategy that will increase market share visibility and shelf space for the company’s brands and establish cross-campaigns with all partners in the region.

In Mexico, the new toy line from Playmates and ZAG Labs, distributed by Bandai Mexico, launched in fall 2020.  In 2021, product sales have increased 266 per cent compared with 2020 numbers.

“Hyde and Betsabe are joining ZAG at a significant time of growth at the company,” said Zag. “Both of these executives bring a wealth of industry experience and skills that will be invaluable as we prepare for the upcoming release of our theatrical US$100MM movie, Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir ‘The Awakening’ premiering starting holiday 2021, season four of the series just starting to roll out around the world, and the upcoming launch of Ghostforce.”

During her eight-year tenure at ViacomCBS, serving most recently as Vice President of Worldwide Promotions, Sponsorships and Licensing, Schram secured multi-million-dollar promotional programs and built relationships with global brands such as Ferrero, Burger King, Kellogg’s, Danone, Zaini Confections, CPW, and Unilever.

She joined ViacomCBS following a career at The Walt Disney Company, where she served as Executive Director of Global Promotions and Sponsorships, securing promotional opportunities with Fortune 500 companies for  Disney, Pixar and Touchstone theatrical/DVD releases and premiere events.  Schram currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Generation Genius Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to inspiring kids in STEM.

Prior to joining ZAG, Luna spent five years with MTV Networks, Viacom. In her most recent role with the company, she served as Franchise Manager for Mexico and Latin America, Consumer Products, responsible for the planning, development, and execution of all marketing strategies related to VIACOM franchises.

She also served a four-year term with the company as the Retail Manager for Mexico, responsible for establishing a strategy to increase Nickelodeon consumer products footprint at point of sale. Prior, Luna worked for Spin Master Mexico as Brand Manager Categories: Boys and Girls.

ZAG Games extends CrazyLabs partnership for new Miraculous mobile game and appoints new creative director

ZAG Games has extended its partnership with the game developer and publisher, Crazy Labs, to create a second mobile game for its hit Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir franchise.

The new Miraculous Ladybug Puzzle RPG will be the second project to move forward at ZAG Games since the division was established in October 2020, led by the industry expert Elinor Schops, who currently serves as vice president. The first project is an adventure quest game for the Roblox platform, scheduled for release this May.

Slated to coincide with the holiday 2021 premiere of the Miraculous theatrical movie this year, the Miraculous Ladybug Puzzle RPG is a new take on bubble shooter puzzle games, combining RPG elements that feature challenging fighting levels designed for a new generation of players.

The game will see users form their own superhero team starring the show’s characters as they face different villains in each level and fight them by solving bubble shooter puzzles. Aiming, shooting and popping bubbles will charge the heroes’ special skills and powers. Winning levels will allow the heroes to level up, evolve, and unlock new heroes.

“We are delighted that our first official game has been so widely embraced by our fans, and we’re happy to be partnering once again with CrazyLabs for our second official game,” said Julian Zag.

“Since Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir launched across streaming platforms, we have seen extraordinary demand for Miraculous content, consumer products and games from older audiences. This new game is being designed and will be marketed to Gen Z as the primary audience, while also making sure that the gameplay and onboarding are accessible for everyone to enjoy.”

Schops added: “This older fan base is a group which has been giving Ladybug such love over the past few years. You’ll be amazed by the extent these teen fans go to show their appreciation to the brand and we felt they deserve a game that will be designed for them as a primary demo.”

The first Miraculous Ladybug & Cat Noir mobile game launched three years ago and is an all-ages casual runner, available in iOS, Google Play, Amazon, and Amazon Kids+.  According to App Annie, the game is ranked in the Top 10 globally on both Google Play and iOS for downloads versus other runner games.

“We’re excited to see the phenomenal success of the official mobile game Miraculous Ladybug & Cat Noir and are happy to extend our fruitful cooperation with ZAG Games,” said  Sagi Schliesser, CEO and founder of CrazyLabs.

“The new Miraculous Ladybug Puzzle RPG is the result of an ongoing relationship and a deep understanding of the beloved brand. We look forward to offering life-long fans of Marinette and Adrien a whole new gaming experience, tailored per their gaming preferences.”

Meanwhile, the news of the new mobile game coincides with the appointment of Eran Holzman as Creative Director at ZAG Games, who will be working closely with CrazyLabs on the development of the game.

Holzman joins ZAG from Matific where he served as Senior Game Designer and Producer developing games to make math learning enjoyable for children, overseeing all aspects of the game’s features, rules, story, mechanics and goals.  Prior, he was Product Manager and Game Designer at Jelly Button Games, where he was responsible for innovating and driving the implementation of features and functions to make games more fun, profitable and viral.

Previous roles include Game Producer and Project Manager at Scientific Games Interactive, and Senior Game Producer and Project Manager at TabTale (now CrazyLabs).

“Eran is passionate about creating memorable experiences through fun interactive and engaging products that enthusiasts of all ages can enjoy, and with his extensive expertise across game design and production, we are delighted that he is joining our ever-growing ZAG team,” said Schops.

ZAG names former MGA director Sarah Boyer is new VP or retail for North America

The award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG has named the former MGA Entertainment director, Sarah Boyer, its new vice president, retail, North America. The announcement was made today by Julian Zag, executive vice president, global operations.

“We are entering the next phase of tremendous growth for ZAG and especially our flagship global brand phenom, Miraculous! Given the roster of new licensees coming on board, it is the ideal time to welcome an executive of Sarah’s caliber in the retail space to our robust consumer products’ team,” commented Zag.

“We have a wide range of new products slated to hit retail shelves in 2021 and 2022, culminating with the $100M theatrical release of Miraculous Ladybug And Cat Noir The Awakening and the launch of seasons four and five of the series. Miraculous continues to build across all touch points – television, retail, digital, theatrical – and we couldn’t be more thrilled with how our brand continues to resonate with audiences worldwide.”

Reporting directly to Kirk Bloomgarden, the ZAG’s SVP, global licensing, Boyer will manage strategic relationships across all tiers of retail for all of the properties under the ZAG Heroez label – an umbrella brand franchise that brings together the superheroes from ZAG’s animated properties.

She will continue our work in building best-in-class licensed programs, supporting licensees with product placement and promotion, working alongside our growing team of recent appointments, including Rebekah Belzer, VP, new business and retail development, Lisa Foster, VP, licensing, North America, and Elinor Schops, VP of games and interactive experiences.

“It is such an exciting time at ZAG with the global growth of the Miraculous brand, in particular, and I am excited to work with Julian, Kirk and the ZAG team to develop even stronger retail relationships to bring a wide range of products across all of the  ZAG Heroez™ brands to market in the coming years,” said Boyer.

Boyer’s immediate remit is to work with retailers for ZAG’s Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noirfor which over 150M products have been sold during the past three years.

The new toyline from ZAG Labs and Playmates will debut in 2021 in North America.  Additional new products to rollout include books from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (LBYR), a division of the Hachette Book Group; costumes and accessories for wholesale retailers from InSpirit Designs,a division of lifestyle retailer Spencer Spirit Holdings that owns and operates Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween.

Other new products soon to be available include bedding and home décor from Jay Franco, Bentex and Bioworld for apparel, Komar Brands for sleepwear, underwear from Handcraft Manufacturing, Hot Topic for DTR apparel program, PPE Foundation for face masks, Peachtree Playthings for craft and activity, Inkology for stationery, AXNY for smart watches, and Taste Beauty for beauty products.

Boyer will also work with ZAG Lab and Playmates across its portfolio of brands, including Power Players and Ghostforce, the company’s newest property, currently in production for Disney Channel EMEA, TF1, and Discovery Kids Latin America.

ZAG launches new Games and Interactive Experiences division with gaming’s Elinor Schops in VP role

The award-winning independent animation studio, ZAG has launched a new Games and Interactive Experiences division in a move to develop new gaming experiences and interactive opportunities across mobile, PC, online, console games, VR and AR, video and mobile apps. The division will develop new concepts for all properties under the ZAG Heroez label.

Leading the new operation will be Elinor Schops who takes on the role of vice president in order to lead an all star team of creatives from her base in Israel. Schops will report directly to Julian Zag, executive vice president, global operations art ZAG.

ZAG’s first official global mobile game for Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir was released in April 2018 and ranked the number one game in 39 countries with 100 million downloads to date.

“Following the huge success of the first Miraculous game, as well as the phenomenal presence of the brand online with over 20 billion views on YouTube, establishing the ZAG Games & Interactive Experiences division has been an important strategic goal for us, especially in managing the requests from gaming companies worldwide,” said Julian Zag.

“We are thrilled to have found the ideal executive in Elinor to lead this new division and the talented team we are building, while bringing her extensive expertise across entertainment, music, media and mobile fields to this new important role. With a renowned reputation as a ‘Startup Nation’ and a major global player in the gaming industry cross platforms, Israel is a perfect location to launch this new endeavor to manage game development for our phenomenal award-winning stable of brands.”

Schops added: “Gaming has become a tremendous multi-billion-dollar industry globally, and I am thrilled to lead this new division to maximize all of the untapped potential in this arena with ZAG’s amazing catalog of hit properties to develop unforgettable gaming experiences for fans all over the world.”

Schops will drive new opportunities for the company’s key brands under the  ZAG Heroez label, including the flagship brand Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.   

Over 150M products have been sold for the brand during the past three years. Seasons four and five of the number one ranked series are currently in production, as well as two big-budget animated specials to be available globally (except for Brazil and China) on Disney Channel and Disney+, plus a major $70M U.S. theatrical release.

Additionally, season three of the series launches this summer and fall around the world. Seasons one and two currently air in key territories, consistently ranking #1 in the U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Brazil and Mexico, and top-ranked in the U.S. on Disney Channel.

Power Players, which currently airs on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and in key territories across EMEA and Asia Pacific, is available for streaming on Netflix and available on France’s France Télévisions, Germany’s KiKa, Brazil’s Gloob, and Discovery Latin America.

A new toy line from Zag Lab and Playmates Toys for Power Players recently debuted in the US, with an international roll-out commencing this fall. ZAG’s newest property, Ghostforce, is currently in production for Disney Channel EMEA, TF1, and Discovery Kids Latin America.

Before joining ZAG,  Schops served as vice president of business development at CrazyLabs (formerly TabTale), a Top10 mobile casual and hyper casual game developer and publisher. Among other initiatives, she was responsible for establishing the casual IP business for the company, and for the planning and execution of the company’s B2B marketing strategy to expand the company’s reach and recognition, as well as to drive potential partners’ awareness, engagement and satisfaction.

Schops also worked at Israel’s leading sports, media and entertainment company ONE (part of Yedioth Achronoth group) and its subsidiary Mobile1, where she initiated and managed strategic partnerships. As an executive in the gaming industry, Schops initiated the first ever Women In Games event in Israel. She also established an online network and mentoring program for Israeli Women In Games.