Licensing International’s UK Young Professionals Network (YPN), together with the UK charity foundation The Light Fund, is announcing a series of Coffee & Connect events. Set to be held over the next year, the series will focus on the theme “From Screen to Shelf.”

Kicking off on 01 August from 10am-12pm at Paramount’s office in Camden, young licensing industry professionals will gain insights into the process of creating an animated series from Love Love Films. The independent production company’s preschool show Pop Paper City is a hit on Milkshake and executives Georgina Hurcombe and George Caton-Coult will discuss the process of bringing an animated series to the screen, covering everything from the development of the initial idea to funding, script development, and sales.

Future Coffee & Connect events will explore strategy, creative, manufacturing, and retail.

“We are delighted to partner with the Light Fund on this new initiative,” said Steve Manners, Head of Global Marketing and UK Managing Director at Licensing International. “I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years and really had no understanding of how a show is financed or the process a production company needs to go through and yet, over my career, I have worked on many animated shows. Similarly, we know the cost-of-living crises, inflation, and shipping costs have really affected licensees. But how? This is a chance to really delve into the realities that different players in the industry face and for our young industry professionals to gain a deeper understanding of every aspect of the licensing landscape.”

“The Light Fund is delighted to be partnering with the Young Professionals Network to offer a series of talks that centre around learning and insight whilst also giving attendees the opportunity to connect with peers in a relaxed setting. Through the Coffee and Connect series, we seek to raise awareness of the work of The Light Fund and our supported charities. We hope to inspire newer members of the industry to support us throughout their careers – maybe even taking on a tough challenge, or two. Licensing International and the YPN Committee have been fantastic partners in bringing it all to life and we’re also extremely grateful to the folks at Pop Paper City for being our first guest speakers of the series”said Alex Salisbury, Senior Licensing Manager, UK & EMEA Toys, Paramount Consumer Products and committee member of The Light Fund.

Spaces for the events are limited, tickets can be booked online and cost £20 per person for each event, with all proceeds going to The Light Fund to support charitable causes in the UK.

About Licensing International
Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the $350+ billion global brand licensing industry. Licensing International’s mission is to foster the growth and expansion of brand licensing around the world, raise the level of professionalism for licensing practitioners, and create greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the business community at large. Founded in 1985, more than 1,500 Licensing International member companies in over 40 countries enjoy access to an array of benefits, including extensive educational programming and worldwide networking events. Visit www.LicensingInternational.org for more information.

About The Light Fund
The Light Fund is a registered charity that raises monies to fund worthwhile charity projects that help children, women, and men. Since its inception back in 2004, The Light Fund has raised over £2.2 million and funded hundreds of different charity projects. The Light Fund’s fundraising activities take place throughout the year. In the Autumn, registered charities are invited to submit projects they would like to have funded. In December of each year, members of The Light Fund committee then individually vote on which of these projects to fund with the successful beneficiaries being informed by the end of the year.