Category Archives: People

Acamar Films appoints EMEA Licensing Director and Head of Agent Management

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Following the continued European success and expansion of International Emmy Award-winning pre-school series Bing, Acamar Films has promoted Laura Clarke to Licensing Director, EMEA and Luca Bonecchi to Head of Agent Management.

Reporting to Executive Director of Sales, Natalie Harvey, Laura will oversee the overall EMEA licensing strategy in conjunction with managing Acamar Films’ agents in Northern Europe, and will continue to manage and lead the European toy distributors under Golden Bear’s master toy agreement.

Laura joined Acamar Films in 2016 from Mattel, where she was Group Director for EMEA. Since then, Laura has taken Bing from strength to strength in EMEA with her wealth of experience working across all categories in the preschool sector.

Luca joined Acamar Films last year from Entertainment One where he worked as VP Licensing EMEA on major preschool properties including Peppa Pig and PJ Masks. Luca will continue to support and report to Laura, and with his new role will be responsible for the management of existing agents in Southern Europe and new agents outside of the US, in line with Acamar Films’ market expansion.

Natalie Harvey says: “Laura Clarke embodies all the values of Acamar Films in everything she does and with Bing‘s growing international footprint, it is essential we remain focused on servicing the needs of each of our markets and their respective audiences. We are thrilled she has the brilliant support of Luca Bonecchi, who we are very lucky to have as part of our team and who has in a short time has contributed greatly to the ongoing success of Bing in EMEA.”

Kartoon Channel! makes senior hire for newly announced KC! Kidaverse

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Genius Brands International has announced the appointment of Todd Steinman to the Kartoon Channel! Executive Team as Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer of the Company’s recently announced Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse.

Growth-marketing expert Steinman most recently served as Vice President in the Direct to Consumer and International division at The Walt Disney Company, which included Disney+ during its launch. He helped create solutions to leverage the Walt Disney Company’s  portfolio of linear and digital brands, including DISNEY, HULU, ESPN, ABC, FREEFORM, FX, and Nat Geo, while setting strategy for ad sales and revenue teams.

Prior to his role at The Walt Disney Company, Steinman co-founded the digital media agency M80, and then led the NBC Universal media team for WPP after they acquired M80. He negotiated multi-million-dollar annual media deals with Google/YouTube, Amazon, Hulu, Disney, Twitter, Snapchat, Spotify, and others, while managing an annual budget north of $1billion.

Steinman will report to Jon Ollwerther, President of Kartoon Channel! and KC! Kidaverse, who stated: “Todd has a history of driving growth for the most important names in entertainment. With the announcement of the KC! Kidaverse, and the acquisition of Ameba TV, Kartoon Channel! has reached a new inflection point, and I could not be more thrilled to welcome an executive of Todd’s calibre to help take our business to the next level.”

“There is an electric excitement about the Kartoon Channel! and KC! Kidaverse in the kids and family market,” said Steinman, “It’s a breakthrough concept, and I’m looking forward to bringing all my expertise to help drive it forward.”

Character World names new CEO

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James Walker has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Character World.

James combines 25 years’ experience in retail, licensing, brands and digital commerce and has held global senior management positions at Disney, Hasbro and McArthurGlen.

Danny and Mark Schweiger will continue in their roles as Joint Managing Directors and will work alongside James in delivering the Company’s business plan.

Danny and Mark in a joint statement said:

“Over the last 17 years many of the team have worked closely with James both at Disney and Hasbro. More recently, James has been working with Character World to develop a growth strategy with plans to take the company to new levels.

“We enter 2022 looking forward to unlocking this exciting new chapter of our business with our brand and retail partners with James’ experience and leadership.”

James said: “I am delighted to be joining Character World at such an exciting time for the business. Both the industry and sectors Character World work in are in a strong position and we see exciting growth opportunities across multiple areas.”

The company will be targeting growth in its core business as well as accelerating the evolution of e-commerce and digital, distribution opportunities and expanding its success in Health and Wellness.

Character World dreams big with £14.5m Secure Trust Bank finance deal

 

 

Licensing International launches global mentoring programme

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In honour of National Mentoring Month, the leading trade organisation for the global licensing industry, Licensing International, and its sponsor Octane5, have announced today the licensing industry’s first ever global mentoring programme, aimed at bringing the expertise of global industry veterans to young professionals.

With an initial focus on regions including the United States, UK, France, Germany, Japan and China, industry professionals and Licensing International members can sign up to join the programme directly at LicensingInternational.org beginning today. Following sign-up, participants will be matched up by Licensing International with their mentor or mentee through the programme.

Licensing International’s new programme will allow mentees to build skills and knowledge while working toward attaining career goals. At the same time, it will provide an opportunity for mentors to further enhance skills and knowledge areas through exposure to fresh perspectives.

Most importantly, the Licensing International Mentoring Program aims to bring value and career growth to licensing experts of all levels across a multitude of businesses and categories. Participating mentees will have an opportunity to gain wisdom from an experienced professional, while mentors have the chance to invest in an up-and-coming professional who can benefit from their skilled guidance.

“Knowledge sharing and mentoring are such powerful tools that have the potential to transform lives, and so we knew as industry leaders we wanted to create a platform to encourage just that,” says Maura Regan, President of Licensing International. “Our mentorship programme will not only build meaningful connections between longstanding professionals and young newcomers, but also offer important opportunities for growth and development.”

“When we connected with Licensing International to sponsor the upcoming mentorship programme, we were delighted to be able to facilitate connections between professionals in our industry,” says Mike Dunn, Co-Founder and President of Octane5. “Partnering with Licensing International allows us to offer a space where professionals new and old can form working relationships that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.”

For more information, visit LicensingInternational.org or contact Licensing International SVP, Global Partnerships, Gisela Abrams at gabrams@licensing.org.

Opinion I Can brand merch have the best of both worlds – in-store and online?

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In-real-life and online shopping are both important retail strategies, but for brands in particular, they throw up different problems. Is embracing a ‘clicks and mortar’ approach the way forward, wonders Spread Group’s Head of Licensing Sven Burscher

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The last two years have seen a huge shift in consumer behaviour. Some colleagues in the industry argue that the move to online shopping is complete. Those consumers who were reluctant to buy online made the move during 2020-21. According to Salesforce’s Shopping Index, European e-commerce grew by 47% in 2020. That said, other colleagues see that the hunger for an in-real-life shopping experience remains strong.

There’s nothing like the brand store of course. The excitement of having merchandise in one place, all the on-trend products, the brand ambassadors, maybe a pop-up experience too. The consumer-interest can be countered by risk for the brand however. There’s the investment risk of having a wide range of sizes and colours, which might not sell. Whilst for the fan there’s a lack of customisation options. An opportunity to engender further loyalty is lost.

Personal human contact in store is key to the engaged customer experience, and often missing online. One industry trend is the idea that pure-play online retailers will need to embrace ‘clicks and mortar’ to truly engage with the consumer.

So how can brands have the best of both worlds? Can brands integrate online licensing sales with an in-store offering, or are they separate strategies? The way forward is to take the choice, control, and sustainability of online and use it to support the experience of in-real-life.

Choice

Online the customer has access to the full range of styles, sizes, products, accessories. There’s no risk for the brand in over-ordering XXS and the XXS customer has a greater choice of styles and colours than in-store.

This level of style customisation can be particularly important for women. Too often the styles in-store don’t include a variety of flattering necklines and different fits but are just a smaller version of a men’s t-shirt. Giving consumers this choice of fit can make the difference between a loved and a worn-once piece of clothing.

Control

Online brands can maintain some control by offering limited customisation. This doesn’t have to be completely free reign, or brand inappropriate. A grown-up TV series can still keep its mysterious look and feel with dark colours. A children’s brand can make sure they only allow products that are relevant to young people and offer them in colours to match the age-range. Within these limitations, there is still scope for fans to choose a t-shirt style, fit or colour that suits them.

This usually works through our Spreadshop or Spreadshirt brand. It allows brands and entrepreneurs to run their own online shop or offer merchandise on our marketplace. Partners can focus on their brands while we handle the technology, inventory, production and customer service.

With an online offering supplementing the in-store range, brands retain control of their image, but customers get something they want too. Even small brands can now offer their followers a little personalisation, giving their devotees something special and receiving valuable feedback on what they like.

Sustainability

A print-on-demand online service can help brands with their sustainability goals. Nothing is printed until it’s ordered which means there is no over-ordering and very little waste. This helps to manage the brand’s exposure to the difficult-to-manage sizes.

It also means products can also be tested without incurring high costs. A design can be added to new products, launched online and the data analysed to see what actually sells. There won’t be a warehouse full of unwanted sizes or images, gathering dust and not earning revenue.

In the 20 years since the rise of ecommerce, we haven’t shaken off the in-store experience. Two years of more intense online shopping may only have increased the desire for shopping as entertainment. For brands, a clever combination of both elements of commerce can build loyalty with fans, offer a wider range, build their sustainability credentials and test new ideas. It’s time for clicks and mortar 2.0!

This article appears in the Jan/Feb issue of ToyNews. Read it here.

www.spreadgroup.com

Spread Group launches Game of Thrones print-on-demand collection

 

 

 

New role for Joann Acevedo at ViacomCBS Consumer Products

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Joann Acevedo has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Softlines Licensing, North America, ViacomCBS Consumer Products.

In this role, Acevedo will lead strategy and growth across multiple categories of business including apparel, accessories and home furnishings, reaching fans of all ages through the Company’s portfolio of franchises including PAW Patrol, Blue’s Clues & You!, SpongeBob SquarePants, MTV and Star Trek.

Joann will also partner with the Toronto-based ViacomCBS Consumer Products team to expand the softlines business throughout Canada. Joann is based in New York and will continue to report to Jose Castro, Senior Vice President, Softlines, Fashion & Lifestyle Licensing and Global Collaborations.

“Joann skillfully navigates softlines licensing across the beloved ViacomCBS brands and characters while working with a complex and diverse licensee matrix,” says Castro. “She continues to inspire our partners and drive excitement for our biggest priority initiatives, securing some of the largest ViacomCBS licensing deals to date.”

Joann is charged with managing existing partnerships and developing new business opportunities for ViacomCBS’ properties across all softlines categories. She also focuses on speciality and department store retail accounts, executing exclusive campaigns that broaden the in-store footprint of ViacomCBS’ franchises.

A 19-year Viacom veteran, Acevedo most recently served as Vice President, Softlines Licensing. In that role, she secured revenue-building partnerships for some of ViacomCBS’ biggest franchises including PAW Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants, JoJo Siwa and Yellowstone.

Acevedo has generated record growth for the Softlines division, and has also secured larger strategic partnerships that exponentially extend the reach of ViacomCBS’ properties beyond the screen, developing programs like JoJo’s Closet Apparel Collection at Target.

Joann has also doubled the ViacomCBS Consumer Products presence on e-commerce platforms and launched the first-ever subscription box service for ViacomCBS properties. Acevedo has also played an integral role in a myriad of socially conscious consumer products campaigns, including a reusable face mask programme in partnership with Save the Children, which featured Nickelodeon characters on face coverings which resulted in approximately 4 million dollars being donated to the non-profit’s COVID-19 domestic and global response initiative.

Acevedo has also been passionate about spearheading diversity and inclusion efforts for the ViacomCBS Consumer Products organisation to better reflect the brand’s diverse audience. She continues to advocate for new opportunities and partnerships in this critically important space.

Acevedo began her career as an Apparel Coordinator with the Nickelodeon Consumer Products team in 2003.

 

Mighty Jaxx appoints Alex Neal to spearhead European expansion

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Mighty Jaxx, the Singapore-based designer and manufacturer of tech-enabled collectibles and lifestyle products, has announced the appointment of Alex Neal as its Managing Director (Europe) to expand its licensing and retail business across the UK and continental Europe.

Based in London, Alex is an industry executive who brings a wealth of operational experience to Mighty Jaxx, of which the last 15 years was spent at licensed collectible company Eaglemoss, where he served as Managing Director and oversaw the company’s global performance of e-commerce and retail business channels — incorporating end-to-end business functions and overseeing a team of 70 across five countries with a £50m turnover.

Alex will be responsible for the strategy and growth of Mighty Jaxx across the UK and continental Europe, together with a team that he will build and lead. As part of his remit, Alex will spearhead Mighty Jaxx’s on/offline retail strategy while also actively overseeing the prospecting and pitching process as he works to secure new licenses and collaboration opportunities and strengthen the Company’s brand development in the region.

This latest geographical expansion is part of a long-term growth strategy that has already seen China, North America and Southeast Asia form the largest contributors to Mighty Jaxx’s yearly revenue.

Jackson Aw, Founder and CEO, Mighty Jaxx, says: “Europe has been a growing priority for us and 2022 will be a great year for us to finally set up shop and tap into the strong, growing demand for our ‘phygital’ collectibles that we have witnessed over the past 18 months.

“Expansion into Europe has been some time in the works but we believe our patience will reap rewards. Alex is a highly experienced veteran of the collectibles and consumer products industry and comes with a proven track record in building and scaling iconic brands. His passion and knowledge of the industry and more importantly, the region, will enable him to positively impact our business from day one.”

“When we first spoke, Jackson and I clicked immediately,” says Alex, “and when I heard about the plans Mighty Jaxx had for the future, I was immediately sold and knew I wanted to be a part of this project and deliver Mighty Jaxx’s new, innovative phygital experiences to collectors across Europe. I truly believe there’s huge untapped potential and I look forward to helping the Company achieve its goals whilst growing the brand in Europe.”

To further contribute to its global licensing portfolio that already includes the likes of Formula 1, Hasbro, Toei Animation, Warner Brothers, among others, Mighty Jaxx is looking to collaborate with brands / properties in technology, entertainment, music, art, fashion, and streetwear, putting the Company in prime position to continue creating innovative and fully immersive products across different subcultures.

 

Fanatics strengthens international business with Matthew Primack hire

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Fanatics, the leading global digital sports platform, has announced the appointment of Matthew Primack as Senior Vice President, International Business Development.
Primack, who began in his new role this month, will be responsible for building on Fanatics’ strong international growth through the acquisition of new rights and commercial routes to market.
Fanatics’ international presence has grown significantly in recent years, with the company now operating more than 40 offices, manufacturing facilities and fulfilment centres in 11 countries across the world. Primack, who will be based in London, will look to enhance Fanatics’ world class business development function, capitalising on the company’s innovative business model and global capabilities to establish new long-term partnerships.
Primack was previously the long-term Senior Vice President at IMG Licensing, responsible for leading a global team of specialist sales, marketing, product and operations executives. In his leadership role at IMG, Primack designed and delivered licensed consumer product extension businesses for a broad portfolio of high-profile brands in sport, entertainment, gaming, corporate IP, and celebrity personalities. He will report into Fanatics President of Business Affairs, Gary Gertzog.
“Matt’s experience and extensive network within the world of sport and entertainment will be invaluable as we look to accelerate our international growth,” said Gertzog. “Fanatics has an established global business that serves millions of sports fans across the world every year and Matt’s expertise will help us to build new partnerships to enable us to reach more fans, whichever team they support and wherever they are in the world.”
Zohar Ravid, currently General Manager and Head of Corporate Development for Fanatics’ International business, will shift his focus into a new role to lead Global Corporate Development across all of Fanatics’ businesses. From mid-2022 Ravid will be based out of Fanatics’ New York office and alongside his new responsibilities will continue in his work with the company’s global partners.
Fanatics partners with many of the largest sporting organisations in the world including Manchester United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, The FA, UEFA, NFL, NBA and Formula One.

ARTiSTORY strengthens UK sales team with the appointment of Caroline High

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Global art and cultural IP licensee ARTiSTORY continues to grow its UK team with the appointment of Caroline High, of Caroline High Consultancy Ltd.

Caroline is an established brand licensing expert with 20 years’ experience working with a wide genre of brands across the globe, including preschool, entertainment, lifestyle, heritage and movie.

Having previously worked at Boat Rocker Studios, Fremantle Media and Warner Bros, Caroline brings vast experience in developing licensing and retail strategies across a range of categories, leading on global toy and publishing deals, launching soft lines and apparel collaborations as well as DTRs with major retailers and also managing agencies across EMEA and Australasia.

Working on brands such as Thomas & Friends, the DC Comics portfolio, Harry Potter, and entertainment brands including The X Factor, Caroline has an in-depth knowledge of the licensing industry and most recently developed the licensing strategies for preschool shows Love Monster and Dino Ranch, negotiating the master toy, publishing and soft lines rights with partners and agents across North America and EMEA.

Caroline will play a key role in the UK team to secure licensing deals using ARTiSTORY’s latest on-trend designs inspired by artwork and artefacts from the archives of its partners: the National Gallery, London; the Brooklyn Museum, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the National Palace Museum, Taipei; and Dunhuang.

ARTiSTORY Co-Founder and Licensing Director Natasha Dyson said “Having worked with Caroline previously I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work together again at ARTiSTORY. A huge part of ARTiSTORY’s business is creating unique and exclusive designs, so having someone with Caroline’s creative vison joining the sales team is a big win.”

Caroline commented “Having recently set up my own consultancy I am delighted to work with Natasha and the team at ARTiSTORY and I am looking forward to working on the licensing strategy for their engaging portfolio and bringing their designs to market in new categories.”

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

Nissan partners with Brainbase to drive licensing programme

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Brainbase, the venture-backed company helping licensing teams optimise their partnerships from contract to revenue, and Nissan Motor Corporation have announced a partnership whereby Nissan will unify its global licensing operations on Brainbase’s  brand licensing platform.

“Nissan has a rich history of ingenuity and innovation in the auto industry not only in their home country of Japan, but across the globe,” says Nate Cavanaugh, co-founder and CEO of Brainbase. “Our companies’ combined commitments to excellence and disrupting the status quo brought us together, and the Brainbase team is excited to support their high-growth licensing business with our industry-leading technology.”

“In a space of seemingly many software vendors, Brainbase is in league of its own in the intellectual property licensing industry,” said a spokesperson from the Licensing Business Group, IP Promotion Department at Nissan. “By partnering with Brainbase, we are setting up our licensing team for success in the present and in the future for years to come.”

Brainbase is designed to bring together every feature required to run a global licensing business at scale so licensing teams can 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 and digital asset management to dashboard analytics.

Nissan aims to establish a win-win relationship with its customers through the automotive brand licensing business. From toys to apparel, Nissan will bring licensed product to market even faster to the fans of Nissan vehicles such as Skyline, Z and many more.

Nissan joins a Brainbase customer roster with leading global brands including BBC Studios, BuzzFeed, Chefclub, Crayola, kathy ireland® Worldwide, Moose Toys, Penske Media Corporation, SYBO Games and the Van Gogh Museum.

IP licensing platform Brainbase wins top award