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MGM to host third annual virtual licensing summit

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MGM Consumer Products announced today that it will host its third annual virtual licensing summit on 3 May, following up on the success of the previous year’s event. Upcoming initiatives and sneak peeks will be unveiled for iconic brands including Pink Panther, Wednesday, Creed III, Vikings: Valhalla and more.

In addition, MGM plans to discuss how the studio’s licensing division is building out its popular sci-fi and horror portfolios and reimagining those categories with the expansion of Midnite Movies and the introduction of Sci- Fi Stories. MGM will also spotlight several other iconic properties, including Pink Panther’s 60th anniversary and the expansion of licensing programmes around Creed III, Wednesday and Vikings: Valhalla tied to recent and upcoming series and movie debuts.

MGM continues to evolve and expand its strategy around an extensive roster of licensees and other strategic partnerships in apparel, accessories, gaming, home and collectible categories, as well as live events and location-based experiences. During the presentation, attendees will get an overview of the breakout events and anniversaries that lie ahead, opportunities for collaboration, and some special announcements.  Brands that will be presented during the virtual event include:

  • Creed III Creed is in the spotlight this year with the highly anticipated third installment, starring Michael B. Jordan in his directorial debut, set to hit cinemas on November 23, 2022. The MGM team is actively building a licensing programme around the tentpole after its success with the VR game, Creed Rise to Glory and the recently launched console game, Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions.
  • Vikings: Valhalla Following the immense success of Vikings, which transported viewers through the epic adventures of the world of Viking warrior Ragnar Lothbrok, with the series reaching an incredible 625 million cumulative views across its six seasons and 89 episodes, MGM Television’s Vikings: Valhalla is the newest chapter to thrill the franchise’s army of fans. Set 100 years after the original series, the heart-pounding, unstoppable action dramatically tells the story of family, loyalty, power and the most famous vikings who ever lived: Leif Erikson, Freydis, Harald Harada and Norman King William the Conqueror. Vikings: Valhalla Season One premiered February 25 and ranked #1 on the Netflix Top 10 for the week of 2/28/2022 with 113.38M hours viewed, making the Top 10 in 90 countries. Stemming off that success, MGM has exciting plans in the works for the new Vikings: Valhalla licensing programme, including apparel and accessories from Hot Topic, C&A Modas, Marketing Licensed Products, Hybris Productions, TatooedNow!, Nastrovje and Ecell Global. Viking inspired costumes are also available from Fungilobal Development, along with collectibles, toys/games and decor from GB Eye and Winning Moves International.
  • Wednesday and The Addams Family The Addams Family’s appeal spans generations with fans loving the timeless theme song and relating to the diverse cast of characters in their multigenerational family. Later this year, the new Netflix series, Wednesday, is set to debut and is focused on the beloved character  Wednesday, with Tim Burton as director. Wednesday follows Wednesday Addams’ misadventures as a student at Nevermore Academy, a very unique boarding school in New England.  This series introduces Wednesday not only in a new boarding school environment, but also as a teenager, where she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago – all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore. Wednesday and The Addams Family offer unique opportunities for licensing and merchandising and MGM will look to expand everyone’s favourite Halloween family into a year round seasonal programme.
  • Pink Panther MGM’s iconic character, Pink Panther, started life nearly 60 years ago in the front and end credits of the legendary detective series of the same name. Its popularity spawned TV series, specials, comics, merchandise and has even become associated with the colour pink worldwide. In 2020, MGM unveiled a brand-new shade of pink with Pantone for the beloved character, Pink Panther pink, which is a vibrant hue with undertones of blue and yellow, embodying the character’s famously smooth style that has helped to establish his place in the larger cultural zeitgeist. With a new colour tone, and a film in development, MGM is taking Pink Panther to exciting new heights and will be discussing special moments planned for 2023, including the first annual Pink Panther Month in June, ahead of its 60th anniversary in 2024, with a roster of new and first-time partners, as well as opportunities across merchandising, gaming, and other licensing categories.
  • MGM Horror Portfolio MGM has one of the most sought-after horror libraries and the studio’s  unique “Midnite Movies” umbrella branding provides licensing opportunities featuring retro-style designs inspired by MGMs cult classic gems including Killer Klowns from Outer Space. In addition to their expansive plans around “Midnite Movies,” the team also has plans heading into the next year around unique retail activations, robust merchandising, gaming products and more tied to their large portfolio of iconic films including Carrie, Poltergeist, Silence of the Lambs, Teen Wolf, and Amityville Horror. While MGM has a vast collection of classics, it also has newer breakout hits and upcoming debuts including recent box office hit Candyman, which earned nearly $60M in box office ticket sales, as well as Jeepers Creepers and Army of Darkness.
  • The Launch of Sci-Fi Stories, Robocop 35th Anniversary, + The Expansion for the Sci-Fi Portfolio New for 2022, MGM’s licensing team is introducing a new umbrella brand called Sci-Fi Stories, including beloved hits like Robocop, Stargate SG-1, War Games, Cyborg, Species and Outer Limits.  With Sci-Fi Stories, MGM aimes to partner with licensees to build out programmes that not only have nostalgic appeal for fans who grew up with the franchises, but also introduce this treasure trove of content to a new generation of fans. Among the properties in the Sci-Fi Stories collection  is Robocop, one of Hollywood’s most iconic film franchises, with five films that transcend pop culture and IP with a strong legacy in the gaming space.  Robocop is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and continues to appeal to fans globally through a robust consumer products and licensing programme, along with timeless movies that introduced this pop culture phenomenon. Additionally, Stargate-SG1, which has captured the imaginations of sci-fi lovers and inspired legions of fans around the world, is turning 25 this year, and MGM is leaning into the gaming category for this property with recent launches of highly anticipated titles including Stargate: Timekeepers and Astrokings x Stargate. Beyond Stargate-SG1 and Robocop, MGM will be building out programs around the Sci-Fi Stories brand and the amazing IP within the portfolio.
  • Rocky The Rocky franchise has remained a global phenomenon because it presents moviegoers with universally relatable themes – ambition, passion, determination and giving it your all to be a champion, even when the odds are against you. MGM’s Rocky and Creed films have generated more than $1.3 billion in worldwide box-office sales, three Academy Awards, and 10 nominations. In addition, the Rocky franchise kicked off its 45th anniversary in November 2021 with a number of activations and new products set to roll out over the year, including a movie-themed concert series from TCG Entertainment, Rocky Tour Experience with the Bounce app, and Rocky-themed athletic run. Exciting new merchandise will also be available throughout the year, including footwear from Foot Locker x Diodoro, a stylish clutch from Olympia LeTan, Rocky apparel from Contenders, a new video game, Creed: Big Rumble Boxing, and collectibles from Funko and Fanatics.
  • Legally Blonde The box-office smash continues to resonate with new fans, and with Legally Blonde marking its 21st anniversary in 2022, MGM has planned a Legally Blonde Turns 21 licensing celebration built around the movie’s key tenets: empowerment, education, humour, and pink fashion. MGM has some exciting licensees on board, such as Olympia Le Tan, Park Agencies and Funko, and will also be launching a movie-themed concert tour later this year with TCG Entertainment to celebrate the fun music of this widely loved franchise. In addition, the first ever Legally Blonde mobile game will launch this year, combining puzzle and choice-based narrative mechanics with the empowering themes and positive messages of the films. Legally Blonde is also set to return to the big screen with Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor co-writing the script for the film’s third iteration, Legally Blonde 3, which will see Reese Witherspoon reprise her role as the beloved Elle Woods.
  • Reimagination of the MGM Logo– In 2021, MGM’s logo got a CGI makeover reimagining the beloved “Leo the Lion” for a new generation.  The team decided to reimagine the logo in anticipation of MGM’s 100th anniversary in 2024.  The new logo leans into the history of MGM’s iconic portfolio, while also giving the brand a fresh, modernised look. It has already inspired several new lifestyle guides starting this year with the MGM Trademark Licensing programme.  MGM will continue to grow their robust licensing program around the new logo, which in the past has included deals with popular fashion brands like Zara and H&M.

Robert Marick, Executive Vice President, MGM Global Consumer Products & Experiences, says: “MGM’s iconic roster of properties have resonated with generations and continues to be at the forefront of pop culture. We are always looking for new and exciting ways to connect with fans and build licensing programs and partners that bring these beloved stories to life.”

MGM is looking to continue to grow the brand’s licensing portfolio across multiple categories including collectibles, publishing, games, interactive, and more.  For more information on the Licensing Summit, contact consumerproducts@mgm.com.

MGM powers up Vikings: Valhalla licensing programme following successful Netflix debut

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On the heels of the recent Netflix series debut of Vikings: Valhalla, MGM is building momentum for the legendary brand with an action-packed licensing programme spanning all merchandise categories. 

Following on from the immense success of Vikings, which transported viewers to the world of Viking warrior Ragnar Lothbrok, and garnered an incredible 625 million cumulative views across its six seasons and 89 episodes, MGM Television’s Vikings: Valhalla is the newest chapter to thrill the franchise’s army of fans.

Set 100 years after the original series, it dramatically tells the stories of the most famous Vikings who ever lived: Leif Erikson and his sister Freydis, Harald Hardrada and Norman King William the Conqueror. Vikings: Valhalla Season One premiered on February 25 and ranks #1 on the Netflix Top 10 for the week of 2/28 with 113.38M hours viewed, making the Top 10 in 90 countries. The series garnered 80.5M hours viewed during its first two days the week prior, bringing it to an impressive 194M hours viewed in its first nine days.

For the original Vikings, MGM created a global licensing programme featuring more than 30 licensees across apparel, collectibles, publishing, novelty, and gaming. Now, MGM is building an expansive licensing programme for Vikings: Valhalla, with an extensive list of partners already signed on for the journey.

New products, available in the US and Europe, span all categories  and include apparel and accessories from Hot Topic, C&A Modas, Marketing Licensed Products, Hybris Productions, TatooedNow!, Nastrovje and Ecell Global. Viking-inspired costumes are also available from Fungilobal Development, along with collectibles, toys/games and decor from GB Eye and Winning Moves International.

These products are all designed with colours and styles specific to each Viking “clan,” making it a true Viking experience for fans of the hit series. MGM is also planning to expand Vikings: Valhalla’s international presence with new partners in South America and Brazil.

Robert Marick, Executive Vice President of Global Consumer Products and Experiences at MGM, says: “The franchise has such a dedicated fan base and we look forward to expanding our licensing programme to create exciting new products that allow people to unleash their inner Viking.”

 

‘Vikings’ spin-off ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ to drop on Netflix on 25 February

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Rocket’s stand at Brand Licensing Europe took visitors back in time, as the agency presented the much-awaited new addition to the global sensation that is MGM’s Vikings: brand-new series Vikings: Valhalla. 

Vikings: Valhalla will premiere on 25 February 2022 on Netflix, and fans are already eagerly awaiting the consumer products portfolio.

Following on from Vikings, which transported viewers through the epic adventures of  Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking warrior and farmer, MGM’s Vikings: Valhalla is set to thrill the original series’ army of fans.

The series will feature an all-star cast including Sam Corlett as Leif Eriksson, Frida Gustavsson as Freydis Eriksdotter, Leo Suter as Harald Sigurdsson, Bradley Freegard as King Canute, Johannes Johannesson as Olaf Haraldson and Laura Berlin as Emma of Normandy.

The UK licensing programme is set to combine three key touchpoints, enabling fans to “look like a Viking, act like a Viking, and express their love of the series”. It will cover a range of categories including apparel and accessories, health and beauty, homewares, collectables, costumes, games, figures, publishing and stationery, interactive and gambling, as well as experiential events and collaborations. Existing licensees include GB Eye, Ecell Global and Winning Moves, with new licensees and categories coming on board soon.

A new style guide has been prepared for the new series, offering a wealth of assets across three main themes – Vikingr (harvest colours combined with woodland greens); Skjaldmaer (Rustic moods combined in neutral winter hues) and Meidmar (featuring the logos and Viking treasures).

Charlie Donaldson, Joint MD, Rocket Licensing, commented: “The anticipation for Vikings: Valhalla is palpable. The original series built up such a huge following as the most in-demand historical drama in the world, and the second most in-demand TV series in the world. The series had a stupendous 11.2 million viewers per episode, and all of those people are eagerly awaiting this follow-up now on Netflix, meaning the demand will be off the scale.

“We had a great response from potential licensees at BLE and are now looking forward to welcoming new partners to the Viking clan. There is so much potential for this brand and we’re excited to get the licensing programme into action.”

Robert Marick, MGM’s Executive Vice President Global Consumer Products and Experiences, says: “The Vikings series has been incredibly popular over the years, reaching millions of viewers and inspiring the pop culture lexicon.

“We are thrilled to work with our new licensing partners to bring fans an exciting slate of new products for the latest installment of the story, Vikings: Valhalla.”

During its successful run, Vikings garnered 11.2 million views per weekly episode.  Beginning 100 years after the original series concludes, Vikings: Valhalla, from MGM Television, dramatises the adventures of the most famous Vikings who ever lived: Leif Erikson, Freydis, Harald Harada and Norman King William the Conqueror (also a Viking descendant). Around the world, Vikings has accrued more than 30 licensees across apparel, collectables, publishing, novelty and gaming.

Interview I Talking strategy with MGM’s Robert Marick

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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