HBO’s Game of Thrones Taking Show to Road

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is taking its show on the road. Event services provider GES will launch a touring exhibition of props, weapons, armor based on the show this fall starting in Europe. The 10,000-square-foot exhibit will be divided into separate sections based on Game of Thrones settings. GES has handled similar events in the past including those for Disney, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, National Geographic and Twentieth Century Fox.

Contact:

HBO, Josh Goodstadt, VP Global Licensing, 212-512-1000, josh.goodstadt@hbo.com

Stonyfield Farms Milk Licensing to Continue with New Owner

Organic Valley’s license to sell milk under the Stonyfield Farms brand will continue following Danone’s sale of Stonyfield to the French dairy company Lactalis, Stonyfield officials said. Stonyfield was sold to Lactalis as part of an agreement Danone reached in March with the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with its $12 billion purchase of milk supplier WhiteWave.

Contact:

Stonyfield Farms, Samuel Kaymen, Chairman,603-437-4040

Parental Advisory Launches DTR with H&M

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) launches a new Parental Advisory brand launches a new licensing program for its iconic Parental Advisory trademark in Europe starting with a direct-to-retail apparel deal with H&M. H&M initially sold “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” t-shirts in Europe’s Nordic region through its stores and online, and is expanding distribution to its other stores around the world, says a spokeswoman for CPLG, which signed last year to represent the brand in the UK. Lemur Licensing handles U.S. licensing. Meanwhile, apparel licensee Trademark is selling t-shirts and hoodies through Primark stores in the UK. The RIAA, which introduced the warning label for music in 1985, previously handled UK licensing internally.

Contact:

CPLG, Steve Manners, EVP, +44 20 8563 6111, smanners@cplg.com

Epic Rights Launches New Photo-Based Licensing for David Bowie

Epic Rights launches a new licensing program for David Bowie based largely on a new collection of 50-70 photos of the late singer, says Epic’s Del Furano. Epic started representing The David Bowie Archives along with Perryscope Productions earlier this year. Bowie died of cancer in 2016. The number of agencies representing Bowie was narrowed from three to the one partnership – Epic Rights and Perryscope. And Epic has kept about 80% of the 50 Bowie licensees on board when it took over, says Furano. “We had to go in to get new photos and reach out to clear the rights” from 6-12 photographers, says Furano. Licensees continuing with the program include Freeze (t-shirts) and Pyramid International (posters), says Furano. The first of the products using the new photos are due this fall.

Contact:

Epic Rights, Del Furano, CEO, 310-424-1901, dell@epicrights.com

Agency Updates:  Epic Rights is representing the Zac Brown Band, taking over what had been the band’s internal licensing effort with a goal of expanding into footwear, apparel, jewelry and food, says Epic’s Del Furano. Zac Brown already has his own wine business sold under the Z Alexander Brown label and a licensing agreement with publisher Dabel Brothers for coloring books.…. Merchant Factors Corp. is representing CB Sport, best known in the 1970s for its ski apparel, as new owners seek to revive the brand. CB has existing licensing deals for outerwear and eyewear, but Merchant will seek to expand it more broadly in apparel and other categories… The Art Ask Agency is representing the Jimmy the Bull property in Europe. It was created by Rafael Mantesso, who generated a social media following for his bull terrier Jimmy using a mix of photos and drawings. Jimmy the Bull has 600,000 followers on Instagram. The licensing effort, which also includes The Brand Liaison representing Jimmy the Bull in the U.S., has yielded a book – A Dog Named Jimmy – and a licensing agreement for stationery in Holland with Interstat.

Contacts:

Art Ask Agency, Maria Strid, Owner, +34 936 452 225, maria@artaskagency.com

Epic Rights, Del Furano, CEO, 310-424-1901, dell@epicrights.com

Dabel Brothers, Ernst Dabel, Pres., 404-801-4789, edabel@epicrights.com

Esquire Strikes Deal for Whiskey Lounges in India

Esquire magazine strikes licensing agreement with Franchise India Holdings to open 15 Esquire whiskey lounges across India over four years, starting with the first in Delhi in early 2018, says a Hearst spokeswoman. The lounges, which will have a broad selection of whiskeys, will feature the Esquire brand and provide an “immersive experience,” Hearst said. Esquire plans to expand the format to other markets, says the Hearst spokeswoman. Esquire has dabbled in whiskey in the past, having previously published a guide to the liquor.

Contact:

Hearst Global Brand Licensing and Development, Steve Ross, VP and Global Chief Licensing Dir., 212-649-3259, SRoss@hearst.com