NEW YORK (January 2, 2014) – As U.S. anticipation builds for the fourth season of the popular and critically-acclaimed Downton Abbey® television series (due to begin airing on PBS Masterpiece with the Season Four premiere on January 5, 2014) Knockout Licensing Co-Presidents Carole Postal and Tamra Knepfer today announced the two newest Downton Abbey licensees.
Fifth Sun (www.5sun.com – corporate site; www.fifthsun.com – ecommerce portal) has been granted the right to produce screen-printed and embellished Downton Abbey t-shirts, fashion tops, thermal, and fleece as well as seasonal specialty apparel (e.g., cricket sweaters) for distribution through select retail tiers.
As a leading supplier of graphic apparel for the retail clothing industry, Fifth Sun is nationally recognized as a progressive and creative supplier of trend-right and art-intensive apparel that includes t-shirts, polos, fleece, fashion tops, costumes, jackets and more.
“We are committed to aligning our mass, mid-tier, specialty, regional & independent retailer relationships strategically to successfully distribute Downton Abbey branded apparel,” says BJ LaRossa, Executive Vice President, Fifth Sun.
Department 56 (www.department56.com), a division of Enesco LLC, has been granted the right to make and market Downton Abbey miniature holiday villages.
Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn., Department 56 is a leader in the giftware, collectibles and holiday decorating industry and is best known for its hand-crafted lighted villages, figurines and extensive lines of holiday and home decorative products.
“We are looking forward to working with Fifth Sun and Department 56 on a wide range of fun, creative, and beautiful products,” says Brad Wald, Chief Commercial Officer, NBCUniversal International Television Production.
About Downton Abbey®
Downton Abbey® is a Primetime Emmy™ and Golden Globe™ award-winning British television series produced by Carnival Films, part of NBCUniversal International Television Production. The popular period drama is screened in the U.S. on PBS/MASTERPIECE and is transmitted to more than 200 other territories around the world. Downton Abbey’s audience continues to grow each year: the third season drew 24 million U.S. viewers and its season finale earned an 8.1 rating to top everything else on broadcast or cable television that night (February 17, 2013). Downton Abbey is set to return to PBS with the Season 4 premiere on January 5, 2014.
About Knockout Licensing
Knockout Licensing (www.knockoutlicensing.com) is a full-service licensing agency for big name brands including the popular and critically acclaimed teledrama Downton Abbey™; social media canine celebrity Boo, The World’s Cutest Dog™; publishing sensation Fifty Shades of Grey; the adorable Lil’panda™ who always has a positive message to share; the mockbuster film library from The Asylum; and the popular preschool television show Justin Time among others. Formed in 2012, Knockout Licensing is a joint venture between CopCorp Licensing and TK Brand Group. Together Carole Postal, President of CopCorp Licensing, and Tamra Knepfer, President of TK Brand Group, combine forces as Co-Presidents of Knockout Licensing, bringing decades of experience to their agency.
Contacts:
Carole Postal
cop@knockoutlicensing.com
(212) 947-5958
Tamra Knepfer
tk@knockoutlicensing.com
(212) 947-5958