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ZAG appoints MGA’s Lisa K Foster to vice president of licensing, North America

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The global independent animation studio, ZAG has bolstered its senior executive once more, with the appointment of Lisa K. Foster to the role of vice president, licensing, North America. The announcement was made by Julian Zag, EVP, of global operations at the firm.

In her new role, Foster will report directly to Kirk Bloomgarden, the company’s SVP of global licensing, and will work alongside Rebekah Belzer in her own new position as VP, new business and retail development. Both Foster and Belzer will work to develop and execute the US consumer prodiucts strategy for the properties under the ZAG Heroez label.

“We are at unprecedented time of growth at ZAG, with seasons four and five of Miraculous currently in production, as well as two big-budget animated specials to be available globally (except for Brazil and China) this fall and next Spring on Disney Channel and Disney+, and a major US$70m theatrical release,” said Zag.

“Our new brand, Power Players, is airing around the globe, and Ghostforce, is currently in production for Disney Channel EMEA, TF1, and Discovery Kids Latin America.

“Our new content, together with the commitment of our global broadcasters, has made a significant impact on our licensing business around the world, and this is the perfect time to bolster our team. Lisa brings over 25 years of licensing and brand management experience in the toy and entertainment industries to her new role, and we are confident that she will be a great addition to our team.”

ZAG’s flagship brand, Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, sold over 150M products during the past three years. Seasons four and five 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+, and a major US$70m 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 number one in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Brazil and Mexico, and top-ranked in the U.S. on Disney Channel.

Meanwhile, a new toy line from Zag Lab and Playmates Toys for Power Players recently debuted in the US. Power Players currently airs on Cartoon Network US 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.

The company’s newest property, Ghostforce, is currently in production for Disney Channel EMEA, TF1, and Discovery Kids Latin America.

Before joining ZAG, Foster oversaw the licensed hardlines and publishing categories at MGA Entertainment. She was instrumental in launching the licensing program for L.O.L. Surprise!, and spearheaded licensing initiatives for Little Tikes together with several other brands in her five years with the company.

Prior, Foster was vice president of client services at boutique marketing and creative agency The Equinox Group. She joined Equinox in 2014 following a nine-year stint at Random House Children’s Books, serving as Director of Brand Management, and handling their portfolio of entertainment brands for top studios.

Foster began her career at Mattel in 1993, where over the course of her seven-year tenure she was responsible for leading the management of licensed categories and developing long-term strategic marketing plans for Barbie.

 

Endemol Shine taps Sagoo for Simon’s Cat. MasterChef, and Peaky Blinders in France

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The independent licensing agency, Sagoo has struck up a partnership with Endemol Shine Group to represent the popular Simon’s Cat, MasterChef, and Peaky Blinders brands across select categories in France.

The brands join Sagoo’s impressive portfolio, which includes Rilakkuma, Care Bears, Miffy, Emily the Strange and a number of music brands, including The Beatles, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Led Zeppelin and more.

The popular animation, Simon’s Cat, made its debut ten years ago in viral video Cat Man Do, by illustrator and animator, Simon Tofield. The charming yet mischievous cat now stars in 100 short black and white shorts, which are watched worldwide in over 100 countries, with 7 million fans on Facebook, 2 million followers on Instagram, and more than 1 billion views on YouTube.

MasterChef, meanwhile, aired for five successful series on TF1 in France and the show has been produced in 63 countries worldwide, broadcasting in more than 200 territories. MasterChef has become a number one rated show from the UK to Australia, Italy to Israel, U to Brazil and beyond. Created by Franc Roddam, the culinary talent show is watched globally by over 250 million viewers, transforming over 100 amateur chefs into professionals. 

Peaky Blinders is an award-winning series for BBC One and Netflix produced by official brand owner Caryn Mandabach Productions and by Endemol Shine Group’s Tiger Aspect Productions. Distributed by Endemol Shine International, five series have aired on the BBC and Netflix with a stellar cast of actors including Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory and Paul Anderson.

Endemol Shine Group represent a range of global ancillary rights for Peaky Blinders and already has an emerging licensing programme in France, attracting a loyal fan base on Arte where it airs alongside Netflix. Endemol Shine already partner with Larousse in France with retail book and gifting ranges. 

Sagoo will now be working across select categories for the three brands and the team will first focus on apparel, accessories, homewares, gifting, promotions and publishing.

Veronique Pichon, president of Sagoo, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Endemol Shine Group on such prestigious brands across a wide audience and we’re looking forward to presenting them to potential licensees to get the consumer products programme up and running in France.”

Jane Smith, director, brand licensing and strategy at Endemol Shine Group, added: “Sagoo has a fantastic reputation of extending brands with consumer products in France and we are thrilled they will represent the three premium titles of Peaky Blinders, MasterChef and Simon’s Cat. France is a key market to strengthen the growth of our brand licensing business and this partnership proves our ambitions for the territory.”

In July 2020, Endemol Shine Group was acquired by Banijay, creating the world’s largest international content producer and distributor spanning 22 territories with over 120 production companies and a multi-genre catalogue boasting over 88,000 hours of original programming.

Channel 5’s NFL broadcasting partnership will ‘bring excitement of NFL season in the US to British homes’

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National Football League will be touching down on UK television thanks to a new partnership struck between the NFL and ViacomCBS Networks International’s Channel 5. The three-year partnership will bring Monday Night Football to the channel, as well as a Sunday morning NFL magazine show.

The partnership aims to ‘take all the excitement of the NFL season in the US into British homes.’ It also covers ‘new and unique NFL content across MTV International’s digital platforms in the UK.’

“We are very proud to have agreed a new partnership with ViacomCBS and Channel 5,” said Sameer Pabari, NFL managing director, international media. “The range of content available across different time slots and platforms means there is something for everyone – from established fans to those new to the sport.”

James Tatam, VP portfolio operations, ViacomCBS Networks UK, added: “We’re looking forward to bringing high-quality entertainment from the NFL to a free-to-air audience in the U.K. The content has a broad, cross-generational appeal that will not only serve an existing NFL fanbase in the UK, but will also attract new viewers to the sport.”

Monday Night Football, one of America’s most iconic TV sports series, will be broadcast from a studio in Los Angeles, with host Kirsten Watson joined by former All-Pro Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew and other special guests.

The Sunday morning show, called NFL End Zone, will be presented by actress and singer Cory Yarckin and “will delve deeper into the culture behind America’s greatest sport,” ViacomCBS said. It will air at 11:30 a.m. U.K. time on Channel 5, which was previously an NFL broadcaster from 1998 to 2009.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, season coverage kicks off on Sunday, with Monday Night Football launching in the UK on Monday from MetLife Stadium as the New York Giants host the Pittsburgh Steelers on the opening weekend of the season.

Italian motorcycle brand MV Augusta revs up global licensing efforts with IMG

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The Italian motorcycle brand, MV Augusta, has appointed IMG as its exclusive worldwide licensing representative in a move to expand its global presence through a new range of consumer products and partnerships. Its initial focus will be on apparel, motorcycle and fashion accessories, video games, and collectables.

Through the new multi-year partnership, IMG will work with MV Agusta to build a licensing programme focused on brand extensions and lifestyle products that reflect the company’s commitment to performance, quality, innovation and consumer engagement within local communities.

“IMG is the best possible partner for what we have in store for our fans around the world,” said Timur Sardarov, CEO MV Agusta Motor S.p.A.

“This strategic partnership accelerates the execution of our five-year expansion plan. MV Agusta has tremendous brand equity; it’s a truly beloved brand and an icon of design and technology in the motorcycling world. Working with IMG, the most authoritative and experienced specialist in the field, will help take MV Agusta to the next level as a lifestyle brand with a series of thoughtful, high-profile merchandising initiatives.”

Marcelo Cordeiro, associate vice president of licensing, IMG, added: “MV Agusta is an iconic Italian brand with a passionate consumer base who revere the brand for both its performance and design attributes. Amongst true motorcycle fans, its bikes are considered to be nothing less than motorcycle art.

“We intend to deploy IMG’s global reach and specialised licensing expertise in the automotive space to extend the brand into a range of consumer products through selective brand partnerships and collaborations.”

WildBrain CPLG signs raft of UK and European partners for Line Friends’ Brown & Friends

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WildBrain CPLG has secured a raft of new European deals on behalf of the Line Friends brand’s Brown & Friends, an off-shoot IP that features the brand’s signature characters Brown, Choco, Cony, Sally, and others.

Blueprint Collections has signed up with the IP for a stationery range, Gund will develop new plush lines, Kokomo is working on a health and beauty collection, Misirli is developing its signature socks, and Poetic Brands is readying a collection of daywear and nightwear.

WildBrain CPLG – which represents Line Friends across Europe and in the UK – has also struck up partnerships with Portico Design for calendars, and Zak Designs for melamine. For France, WildBrain CPLG has secured a deal with Undiz for an underwear and nightwear range, and in Switzerland with Confiland for confectionery.

The new products have already started to roll out at retail and will continue to launch throughout the year, joining Line Friends’ existing global deals with Funko and Uniqlo.

Additionally, Atomic10 has been appointed as the PR agency for Line Friends in the UK. The agency will work with influencers and media partners to support licensees’ product launches and expand Line Friends’ fan base in the market.

John Taylor, VP Northern Europe and managing director UK and France at WildBrain CPLG, said: “Instantly recognisable, the Line Friends and Brown & Friends characters have quickly become part of Gen Z and Millennials’ daily lives internationally.

“We’re excited to be expanding the brand’s European licensee base with bold new products which are ideal for fashion conscious fans, and having Atomic10 on board in the UK will provide invaluable support as we get the word out to tweens, teens and young adults in the market.”

These new partnerships follow Line Friends’ recent win at the Licensing International Excellence Awards 2020, where Brown & Friends was named the Best Digital / App / Video Game Brand.

Emoji Company partners with Redbubble to allow fans to curate their own licensed merchandise

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The Emoji Company has partnered with the world’s largest fan-driven artist marketplace Redbubble in a partnership that will allow fans to develop their own Emoji products by selecting the artwork and the product options they want to see it on.

The official Emoji marketplace and Fan Art Partner programme includes a variety of artwork and product options for fans to choose from. The partnership is the latest move in the customisation movement, bringing fans of the brand exclusive product that can only be found on the Redbubble marketplace.

The deal was brokered by Retail Monster LLC, the emoji company’s North American licensing agent. 

In response to the current recommendations from the CDC and other health organizations regarding face masks, Redbubble has also added the new essential accessory to the Emoji brand merchandise store.

“We know that the creativity of the Emoji branded masks – both the ones in their official store and those designed by independent artists – can help brighten people’s day in these challenging times,” said Redbubble SVP of content partnership and general manager of global licensing, Eric Morse.

“Redbubble is committed to helping make the transition to widespread mask use a bit easier.” 

“Our companies are both rooted in creative expression, building the perfect synergy,” said Marco Hüsges, CEO and founder, The Emoji Company. “We are so excited to see the designs our fans will create. This is the perfect place for people to be able to express themselves and their individuality through high-quality, everyday products they love.” 

The Emoji face masks are now available worldwide on the marketplace. 

bRAND-WARD teams with Sonic Vault to offer content producers access to premium music and audio assets

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Trudi Hayward and Jean-Philippe Randisi’s bRAND-WARD has been tapped by the music production unit Sonic Vault in a move to offer music, special effects and voice-over services to the international content producers.

Under the partnership, the Sonic Vault platform will enable kids’ animation and live action producers to commission premium quality music and administer and monetise these audio assets. The venture will also propose fully integrated English voice over production services.

Sonic Vault has been founded by Deddy Tzur and Gigi Meroni. Tzur has been credited for the music of The Golden Compass, Transformers, The Avengers, Digimon, and Priates of the Caribbean. His business partner Meroni is an Emmy award-winning composer whose music credits include What’s New Scooby Doo, Lala Loopsies, Norm of the North, and Yoohoo and Friends.

Meroni said: “We always try to raise the bar when working on kids movies and series as it is so gratifying to create emotions that will stay with our audience for their whole life.”

Jean-Philippe Randisi, added: “Music, voices and sounds are critical to the success of a series, and we felt that they are often treated as a necessary evil rather than a brand signature and asset, mostly because some producers struggle with costs and complex processes. This is why we feel that it is important to give the industry an opportunity to compete with major studios on leveled playing field thanks to top talents, honest pricing, and professionally managed rights administration.”

Kids Insights and The Social Store to host webinar on licensing and retail in a digital-centric world

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The market intelligence experts, Kids Insights has detailed a new webinar to be hosted in collaboration with The Social Store that will focus on the emerging opportunities for licensing and retail in a world becoming more and more digital centric. The webinar is scheduled to take place on September 17th at 4pm.

Speakers will include Kids Insights founder and CEO, Nick Richardson and founder and CEO of The Social Store, Ian Shepherd. The session will last around one hour with a Q&A session included.

The free webinar is titles Opportunities for Licensing and Retail in a Digital Centric World and will highlight the impact of technology and social media in the retail and licensing industries over the past few years. The session will look to address the challenges which the retail industry faces with emerging technology, as well as the long-lasting effect of Covid-19 and how the industry can evolve with the increase in online spend during this time.

Shepherd said: “I am very are excited to announce that I will be speaking in a free webinar with Nick Richardson from Kids Insights about the latest trends and developments in the world of retail and what the new normal will look like for the industry with more access to technology.

“There will be an excellent discussion which will help us gain greater knowledge of the digitalized trends in retail and licensing as well as identify the key players of influencer marketing.”

The format of the presentation will aim to deliver understanding to the change in kids’ ecosystems with the shift to digital, the future of ecommerce and retail and the relationship between the two going forward. It will also look at the emergence of influencers as a key marketing channel and how they can be embedded into strategies for a variety of industries including gaming, sport, TV and film.

The data provided by Kids Insights shows why brands needs to pay more attention to influencer licensing. Pre-schoolers are showing a preference for buying clothes related to their favourite YouTuber with a 56 per cent growth in the past 12 months. Also, becoming a YouTube influencer is the fourth most popular career choice for tweens (10-12s), illustrating their influence on career choices.

Nick Richardson, CEO of The Insights People, added: “We are thrilled to announce that we are hosting a free webinar with Ian Shepherd from The Social Store. This session will provide an exciting series of new insights that will help us to facilitate a wider industry conversation about the key players in the world of influencer marketing.”

Those who wish to attend the free webinar can register here: kidsinsights.com/socialstore

Merchantwise Licensing promotes Kerryn McCormack and appoints Natalie De Freitas-Ariente

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Building on its continued growth across the Australian and New Zealand market, Merchantwise Licensing has promoted Kerryn McCormack to the role of general manager of licensing, and appointed Natalie De Freitas-Ariente as its new general manager of licensing and retail.

Having been with Merchantwise Licensing since 2012 and instrumental in the business’ growth in that time, McCormack has over 25 years of experience in the licensing entertainment brand sector having kick-started her career with Warner Bros Consumer Products in London as creative manager, before time at Cartoon Network Enterprises Asia as associate director.

Since joining Merchantwise, McCormack has spearheaded a number of successful consumer product programs, live theatrical events as well as character costume live shows, home entertainment and publishing opportunities for brands including Shopkins, emoji, Shaun the Sheep, Sony Pictures, King Features, The Gruffalo, Sonic the Hedgehog and PAC-MAN which have resulted in record growth for the company’s business.

In her new role, she will continue to develop and execute extensive strategic brand and creative initiatives as well as manage the extensive kids’ entertainment, film, TV and music portfolio. McCormack will continue to be based in Merchantwise Licensing’s Melbourne office.

Meanwhile, and as a senior licensing and retail executive of over 15 years, and with a strong, consistent record in delivering profitable sales growth and leading teams to deliver exceptional results in the consumer goods retail market, entertainment, tourism and leisure and technology, Natalie De Freitas-Ariente has had experience in many markets including Australia, Greater China, New Zealand and South East Asia.

De Freitas-Ariente has worked across various B2B and B2C channels ultimately driving business growth for some of the most iconic brands and companies including Chanel, Berlei Intimates, Goldwell Haircare, Merlin Entertainment Group and Universal Music. In her most recent roles, she was general manager for Bravado Merchandise Group where Natalie represented a roster of over 100 artists, establishing and driving cross-category programs for the likes of Justin Bieber and The Rolling Stones 50th anniversary and was chief executive officer of Australian fashion brand, Karen Gee.

She will now oversee the business’ portfolio of digital and gaming brands as well as select licensee partnerships and promotions. She will drive collaborative programs with the business’ retail partners, licensors and licensees to develop innovative in-store and online brand events. De Freitas-Ariente will be based in Merchantwise Licensing’s new office in North Sydney.

“Our brand management businesses, Merchantwise Licensing (entertainment) and Asembl (food and lifestyle) are enjoying strong continued growth, so it’s exciting to be adding new high calibre personnel to our teams, as well as establishing a new office in North Sydney,” said Merchantwise CEO, Alan Schauder.

“Kerryn McCormack has been a highly valued senior member of our team for many years and will relish this new opportunity and challenge. Natalie is a great new addition to the business, coming to us with years of experience in licensing, location-based entertainment, retail and consumer products with businesses such as Bravado, Merlin, Berlei and Karen Gee.

“With Kerryn and Natalie at the helm, we really feel we have put together a dream team of licensing, marketing and creative professionals to drive the ongoing success of our clients’ brands and properties in Australia and New Zealand.”

Crunchyroll and Adult Swim partner for anime series based on SEGA video game franchise Shenmue

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It’s been a busy weekend for the global anime brand Crunchyroll who spent the past two days rolling out a roster of new announcements and partnerships as part of its Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, including the renewal of its partnership with Adult Swim for the production of the original anime series Shenmue, based on the SEGA video game franchise.

The year’s expo was the first time Crunchyroll had brought the annual offering to the digital space, taking the opportunity to detail a slate of new partnerships, that also included a new deal with Loot Crate, a home video partnership with Sentai Filmworks, and news of the return of Dr Stone to Crunchyroll.

Leading the announcements, the anime brand will once again partner with Adult Swim for the production of Shenmue. The new anime series will stream worldwide outside of Japan and mainland China on Crunchyroll and will air on Adult Swim’s Toonami in the US.

“The first Shenmue video game was released more than 20 years ago and we’re so excited to be working again with Adult Swim to bring this franchise to life through anime,” said Sarah Victor, head of development, Crunchyroll. “We’re eager to show our fans more of this action-packed adventure series as we move through production.”

Shenmue is an anime series with 13 episodes, following the journey of Ryo Hazuki. After he witnesses his father’s murder at the family dojo, Ryo dedicates his life to finding the man responsible – a mission that takes him from the streets of Yokosuka, Japan to the sprawling metropolis of Hong Kong, and beyond. Soon he’ll learn that larger, mystical forces are at play as he trains to become the ultimate martial artist in his quest for revenge.

“The world of Shenmue is fascinating and unique, and we are so excited to partner with Yu Suzuki to bring his epic creation to anime- and make a kick-ass martial arts epic,” said Jason DeMarco, svp/creative director on-air for Adult Swim.

Shenmue, a Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Production, is being directed by Sakurai Chikara (season two of One Punch Man, Naruto) with animation production by Telecom Animation Film, and production management provided by Sola Entertainment.

Video game creator Yu Suzuki is also onboard as an executive producer.

Meanwhile, Crunchyroll and Loot Crate revealed more details behind the partnership to bring fans more from their favourite anime series. Crunchyroll is curating two different crates with Loot Crate: the Crunchyroll Crate and the Limited Edition Mobile Suit Gundam Life Crate.

The monthly Crunchyroll crate will include items from a lineup of anime titles, including the upcoming Crunchyroll Original series Noblesse, alongside fan-favorites Mob Psycho 100, Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, alongside the brand’s beloved mascot Crunchyroll-Hime.

Also detailed was Crunchyroll’s new home video and electronic sell-through partnership with Sentai Filmworks. The global supplier and distributor will handle four titles to kick off the partnership, including Food Wars! The Fourth Plate, Ascendance of a Bookworm, Granbelm, and World Trigger. These series will appear as a mix of subtitled and English-dubbed content.

“We are delighted to expand Crunchyroll’s partnership with Sentai, and look forward to working closely with them to bring even more anime to fans in the US and Canada,” said Alden Budill, head of global partnerships and content strategy, Crunchyroll.

“Since at least 2011, Sentai and Crunchyroll have collaborated to bring exciting content to anime fans in new and innovative ways,” added John Ledford, Sentai CEO. “Through this latest content partnership, Sentai is thrilled to empower fans to own their favorite Crunchyroll shows on select Blu-rays and our award-winning Premium Box Sets.”

Crunchyroll has a global community of more than 3 million subscribers and 70 million registered users that enjoy the world’s largest collection of anime, including more 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes.