Catching Up With... Archives - Page 7 of 11

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Catching Up With Elie Dekel, President of Saban Brands

Saban Brands, a subsidiary of Saban Capital Group, was formed in 2010. Founder Haim Saban quickly brought Elie Dekel on board as president of Saban Brands. As many in the industry may remember, Dekel previously worked with Saban as president of Saban Consumer Products/Fox Family Worldwide. The first order of business was to re-acquire the Power Rangers property, which Saban had originally brought to the U.S. in 1993. The property was a powerhouse throughout the 1990s. The latest owner of the property was Disney, which acquired it when it purchased Fox Family Worldwide, a company Saban co-owned. Dekel discusses building Saban Brands’ portfolio and executive team, as well as the enduring Power Rangers, which has a new series—Power Rangers Samurai. It began airing on Nickelodeon on February 7.

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Catching Up With Will Thompson, Vice-President, Changes

Apparel manufacturer Changes works with a staggering amount of licensees, from preschool favorite Thomas & Friends to adult properties such as Family Guy. This year the company adds even more licenses to its lineup. Will Thompson, vice-president of Changes, reveals these new licenses and explains how the company produces such diverse fare.

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Catching Up With Dee Farrell, Senior Vice-President, Neat-Oh!

Neat-Oh! launched in 2005 with one dad’s idea for storing his son’s toys. The ZipBin was launched and is now sold around the world in both licensed and non-licensed versions. Neat-Oh! is now in a position of growth through licensing, line extensions, and new product development.

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Catching Up With Brian Jablon, Executive Vice-President, Pacific Play Tents

Pacific Play Tents, born out of the camping equipment company Stansport, started more than 15 years ago when the employees’ children would come to the Stansport facility and play in the tents. The next logical step was to create a line for children. That line, now a separate company, encompasses tents, play chutes, folding furniture, toy tunnels, and so much more. This year the company is introducing a line of products based on Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train property. In addition, a line of environmentally conscious items made of bamboo will also be available.

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Catching Up With Carole Postal, President of CopCorp

Jim Benton might best be known for his award-winning property It’s Happy Bunny, but there’s more than sarcastic bunnies in Benton’s arsenal. From The Misters, Just Jimmy, Franny K. Stein, and Meany Doodles to newer properties such as Kissy Doodles, jOkObO, and J.K. Monster, CopCorp Licensing brings Benton’s work to audiences through a variety of products. Carole Postal, president of CopCorp, spoke to aNb Media about helping Benton launch these licensed properties.

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Catching Up With Laura Zebersky, Jazwares Executive Vice-President of Sales

Jazwares, Inc., which launched in 1997, has taken on a number of high-profile licenses over the past few years. The company offers a wide array of toys, electronics, and stationery products featuring Sonic the Hedgehog, WWE, Strawberry Shortcake, Ben 10, Hershey’s, and many others. The newest addition is Star Wars. Also, the company has developed proprietary lines such as this year’s Mix Pups.

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Catching Up With Michelle Minieri

Celebrity brands are still one of the strongest categories in licensing today and companies such as Bradford Licensing are well aware of the draw that the right name can have for the right licensing deal. Bradford Licensing president Michelle Minieri talks with aNb Media about one of Bradford’s newest clients to enter the celebrity licensing category: Denise Richards.

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Catching Up With Glenn Rutherford

About a year and a half ago, the father and son team of Glenn and Travis Rutherford opened the door to The Rutherford James Group, a brand extension, licensing, and strategic consulting firm. The company is an amalgamation of Glenn Rutherford’s Logan James, Ltd., and Travis Rutherford’s Travis James, LLC, companies. Both principles bring decades of experience in the licensing business to the new company, which already has offices in California, Colorado, and Dubai. Glenn Rutherford, chairman and co-founder of The Rutherford James Group, takes a moment to talk to Royaltie$ about what sets the company apart and what’s on tap for a new company run by industry veterans.

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Catching Up With Lisa Streff

If you’ve ever wanted to be friends with John Wayne, now you can—on Facebook. John Wayne Enterprises is reaching out to new audiences and using social media, such as Facebook, and new licensing programs to do it. Lisa Streff, recently named senior vice-president, global partnerships and licensing at John Wayne Enterprises, talks about two new John Wayne licensing initiatives—a new lifestyle licensing program and a kids licensing and entertainment program—and the company’s plans for expanding the brand.