The global licensing community is powered by an incredible group of professionals whose diverse backgrounds and creative energy drive innovation and excellence. Each week we’ll be profiling one of these professionals in this ongoing series developed in partnership with MyMediaBox.

How did you get into licensing (or how did licensing find YOU)?
I found licensing through my love for gaming, landing a job as a junior artist at a small apparel startup in San Diego. They produced all of the officially licensed merchandise for Blizzard Entertainment, which had always been one of my favorite developers. I didn’t know much about apparel, and even less about licensing, but I was passionate about making products that tell a story for some of my favorite franchises.

What’s your biggest personal and professional accomplishment?
When I finished undergrad I packed up my things and moved across the country to California, sight unseen. Starting fresh was something that felt a little scary but also incredibly exhilarating. I think of this experience as the start of my career, and it played a tremendous role in my personal and professional growth.

What are the most significant trends or changes that you’ve seen in the business in recent years?
The commoditization of tee’s and fast fashion. When I started in the licensed apparel industry, quality tees and embellished hoodies were the staples of a good softlines program. With the emergence of direct-to-garment manufacturing and shifts away from inventory ownership, a lot of brands reliant on screen printed tees and hoodies have scrambled to stay relevant.

What’s your biggest challenge these days?
This one is a toss up between wondering how my mic sounds over Zoom, and whether or not my wedding will be impacted by COVID.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? OR What is your favorite quote?
I was talking with a good friend about the labor of attending events that don’t sound appealing, when he gave the advice to “always go”. Once you get there, you can always decide it’s not worth staying. But if you never go in the first place, you will miss out on opportunities you never knew existed. Perhaps Woody Allen said it best: “90% of life is just showing up”. I think there is a lot of truth in that message.

What is your favorite licensing deal of all time? (doesn’t have to be one that was signed by you).
I had the pleasure of working on a deal with the original Mojang team in Stockholm to make some of the very first Minecraft products ever created. Pitching Notch, Junkboy, Lydia, and Jens our ideas in a San Francisco hotel lobby is a memory I’ll always cherish.

The last licensed product I bought was…
I don’t think it was an official license, but the Grinch Hot Chocolate Bombs we tried last night were great!

THE 2021 PEOPLE PROFILE SERIES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MYMEDIABOX
MyMediaBox is the leader in providing online solutions that streamline every stage in the brand licensing lifecycle, from contract management and rights tracking, through style guide delivery, product approvals, security tag management and royalty reporting. With over 54,000 global professionals logging in from 125+ countries, Mediabox is by far the world’s most thoroughly tested and widely trusted licensing software.