Beanstalk’s Digital Media Division, Tinderbox, Commemorates and Reflects Upon Milestone

New York, NY  – Tinderbox, Beanstalk’s digital media licensing division, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Founded in 2013, the division has evolved to specialize in extending digital brands – including gaming, esports, streaming and Web3 – into the world of consumer products, and is partnered with major gaming studios Microsoft, Activision®, Atari, Ubisoft and ESL. In recognition of this milestone anniversary, Tinderbox reflects on its decade of history and plans for celebration.

At the time of the division’s inception, Beanstalk identified that gaming was becoming a larger part of mainstream entertainment and beginning to command a significant portion of consumer leisure time. Already brokering in-game licensing deals on behalf of the agency’s automotive clients, Beanstalk identified a void in the licensing industry for a brand licensing agency expert at extending digital properties into the consumer products space. In response, Tinderbox was born.

“When Beanstalk was founded in 1992, entertainment licensing was not a primary focus for the agency,” says Allison Ames, president & CEO, Beanstalk. “As gaming launch weekends began mirroring the revenue and audience engagement of blockbuster film releases, we quickly recognized the opportunity to apply our strategic approach to cultivate gaming brands into evergreen properties, while also creating pop culture moments around tentpole events.”

Upon Tinderbox’s inception in 2013, the purpose of the division was to work with the most innovative and biggest gaming properties in the world. Tinderbox first found success working with popular mobile gaming properties, and then began to garner attention from some of the most acclaimed console and PC game development studios in the world, forging long-term and highly successful partnerships that still exist today.

Tinderbox’s partnership with Microsoft commenced in 2014. Since then it has represented over a dozen of their largest and iconic gaming properties including Xbox, Halo, Sea of Thieves, Ori, Killer Instinct and Banjo-Kazooie.

In 2017, Tinderbox’s collaboration with Activision® was announced, expanding its roster with the global mega-hits Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot® and Spyro the Dragon®. Shortly thereafter, Tinderbox’s first foray into e-sports was marked with the representation of the esports league, ESL.

More recently, Ubisoft joined the client roster with Just Dance, Far Cry and their upcoming Netflix original anime, Captain Laserhawk, marking a first for Tinderbox with digital-first streaming content. In 2022, Tinderbox was announced as the global agent for Atari and its iconic gaming titles, honoring the legacy of the brand and building upon its success to be a source of joy for generations to come.

Combining its passion for gaming with Beanstalk’s best-in-class brand management services, Tinderbox has been a key driver in helping to establish a 365-day-a-year retail presence for its clients over the last 10 years. Tinderbox has also served as a frequent thought leader, educating the licensing industry on the power of gaming.

Looking forward, Tinderbox will continue to explore new ways to react to the ever-evolving trends within the digital space. Its recent partnership with Global Merchandising Services to activate in-game partnerships for their music and entertainment icons confirms this. Tinderbox will be celebrating its milestone year at the Beanstalk booth at Licensing Expo in June and Brand Licensing Europe in October.

“The last 10 years has seen Tinderbox achieve great things with our clients and their fantastic brands. We thank them for their support and belief in us,” says Dave Tovey, AVP, Head of Digital Media Representation. “As we look to the next decade, we will continue to play our part in creating innovative experiences and products for digital-born properties, while driving new areas of growth connecting brands to gaming and the wider digital environment.”

To join in the celebration and discuss licensing opportunities with Tinderbox, visit Beanstalk’s Licensing Expo booth, #G134, or visit www.beanstalk.com for more information.

About Beanstalk  

Beanstalk, a global brand extension licensing agency, works closely with our clients to unlock brand equity and create many of the world’s most recognizable products and services. We help leading brands, celebrities, media properties, manufacturers and retailers creatively find ways to strengthen their relationship with their most important stakeholder – the consumer. Beanstalk offers a breadth of services across our practice areas, including brand representation, digital media representation (Tinderbox), manufacturer representation, cultural intelligence, creative services, legal and financial services, and royalty auditing. The company is headquartered in New York, with offices in London, Miami, Cincinnati, Mexico City and Sao Paulo, and affiliates throughout the world. Beanstalk is the recipient of the 2022 Licensing International Excellence Award for Best Licensing Agency. For more information, please visit www.beanstalk.com. Beanstalk is a member of the Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group.

About the Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group

Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group (OSMG) aligns the growing demand for highly specialized consumer and retail marketing services with integrated solution teams consisting of the best talent to address clients’ needs. OSMG provides global services that include: point-of-sale marketing and merchandise technology, field marketing and sales support, brand extension and representation; talent management; Purpose; and consulting and fundraising for non-profit organizations. Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines, including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.

About Omnicom Group Inc.
Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 70 countries. Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.