Princess Sam Consumer Products has announced that it has appointed Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), the number one independent licensing agency in Italy, as licensing agent for the children’s animated adventure-comedy-fantasy hit Tara Duncan.
MDL was chosen because of its success in Italy, which comes from taking a holistic approach that allows it to analyze and respond to the particular business development needs of each individual licensee. The properties MDL manages include some of the world’s best-known and most successful movies, brands and animated children’s series.
The time is certainly right for the Tara Duncan property to enter the licensing arena in this major market. The showing of the first 52×13’ series began in Italy on Rai Kids channel Rai Gulp in April and on DeA Kids a year before.
Total sales of the series now exceed 80 countries, including such major broadcasters such as Disney Channel, Disney+ and Gulli (France), RTS (Switzerland), Télé-Québec and Family (Canada), ITVX (UK), Gulli Africa, MBC3 (Middle East & Africa) and Disney Channel in Latin America. More major sales are due to be announced in the coming months.
Now Head of Licensing for the Princess Sam Consumer Products division Laurent Taieb is bringing more than thirty years of proven operational experience in all aspects of consumer products and licensing to the Tara Duncan licensing campaign. Among the campaign’s first successes has been a licence in the French market awarded to toy company tonies. Tonies will produce a version of its enormously popular Toniebox musical storybox themed around Tara Duncan stories and characters. Many more deals are expected this year.
Tara Duncan is the exciting story of an ordinary girl from Earth with extraordinary powers who discovers she is heir to the throne of the Meme empire. She soon finds herself on OtherWorld, a magical planet where she makes new friends and tries to thwart the ambitions of the evil Magister who wants to steal her magic and conquer her new home.
First published in 2003, tens of millions of Tara Duncan books have been sold worldwide. The animated series, launched in 2022, uses state-of-the-art, 3D CGI motion capture technology, more than 170 artists recruited from the global feature film industry, and advanced innovations to deliver an experience like no other: beautiful, astonishing and fantastic but also exciting, engaging and very, very funny. It also boasts a diverse and engaging cast of characters, led by the very brave, very positive and very slightly accident-prone Tara.
Laurent Taieb says: “Signing MDL to the Tara Duncan campaign is a strong statement of intent. We see Italy as key market for the brand but one in which we need a knowledgeable, experienced and respected partner. We have found that in the number one independent licensing agency in Italy. We’re looking forward enormously to working with MDL.”
Maurizio Distefano, an internationally accredited professional with over 20 years of experience in the sector, is President of the licensing agency and management consultancy that takes his name. He says: “Tara Duncan has deservedly been a publishing and broadcasting phenomenon. We are delighted that Princess Sam Consumer Products saw us as the ideal partner for the Italian market and fully intend to take this exciting and innovative property to the next level.”