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 profile one of these professionals in this ongoing series.  

How did you get into licensing (or how did licensing find you)?
From a young age, I was always aware of brands and was enamored by great packaging and visual ads. After I spent a stint in media buying and sales, I ended up diving into products, working in sales and merchandising for a major cosmetic bag manufacturer in LA. Amongst all the generic travel and dop kits sold at mass and department stores, we produced a line of Caboodles—soft cosmetic bags—which made me pause as I only knew about the iconic hard cases. That is how I learned about licensing. During that period, I learned that an acquaintance of mine, who was at Brand Sense Partners, a licensing agency, was looking for someone to add to his team, and he took a chance on me. He and his wife have been great friends of mine ever since. That chance put me on my career path and I couldn’t be more grateful.

What’s a “typical” day in your current position?
I oversee global licensing, so my day is really managed by time zones. I’m not sure that any day is typical, but my day usually starts early with calls or meetings given the various time zones of my colleagues or partners in the Americas and Europe, working on current business or evaluating new opportunities, and ends with late afternoon or early evening calls with our Melbourne based headquarters or our APAC partners. Given the varying demands, each morning I actively try to carve out time to either walk on the strand in the South Bay, or head to the gym. I’m usually successful a few days a week, so the balance is something I am still actively working on.

What’s your biggest personal or professional accomplishment?
Personally, it would be motivating myself to attend my high school reunion where I would end up re-meeting old friends, including my now husband of 13 years! From a professional point of view, I’ve had so many great experiences, including brokering the deal with General Motors at Mattel to create the Anniversary Hot Wheels edition of the Camaro to be sold directly into dealerships and, more recently at Moose, signing up the amazing Salish Matter. Last year I was also honored to be recognized by Women In Toys, winning the award for in-licensing. All amazing experiences!

What are the most significant trends or changes that you’ve seen in the business in recent years?
Over the past few years, we have seen consolidation of content ownership, changes in how kids absorb content, as well as the changes in what content kids are interested in, and all of these continue to evolve. When thinking of what products kids engage with, what traditionally worked in licensing or toys 10, five, or even three years ago doesn’t work anymore, so we must be agile in the evaluation of new opportunities and the speed at which we go to market. This is one of Moose’s key strengths—our team works hard to stay ahead of trends and remains nimble while ensuring we prioritize the authenticity and heart of the licenses we work with.

What keeps you up at night? What’s your biggest challenge these days?
Emails! As our headquarters in Melbourne, Australia is 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles, emails keep pinging all through the night. And my biggest challenge is staying on top of the rapid adoption in technology in our toy audience, including the speed of changes in content trends. I don’t think this is unique to me or Moose, as this is something we are all feeling in the toy and licensing industry.

In your opinion, what is the top skill every licensing executive should have in order to succeed?
Committing to your word, which includes great communication. Specifically, I think it is following through and staying accountable. The licensing industry is small, and people know who is good at following up and who is not. Although I’m not always 100%, I try very hard to make sure that I follow up and close the loop on conversations and deliverables, really focusing on creating positive relationships. Trust and accountability are so important in licensing partnerships!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, or what’s your favorite quote?
Not sure this is the best piece of advice I ever received, but it’s one that has certainly been with me pretty much my whole working life. Very early in my career, way before licensing, my old boss said to me (and for this publication I’ll leave a few choice words out), “get to the point.” It was abrasive feedback, which wasn’t unusual for the time or the industry, but I got the point, which is why in emails I try to be very succinct, in conversations I will not waste time, and I will always provide clarity as best I can.

What is your favorite licensing deal of all time? (It doesn’t have to be one that was signed by you.)
I remember a really significant market impact when Louis Vuitton collaborated with Supreme. That partnership was such a game changer in terms of how brands think about licensing and partnerships. It worked on so many levels for both brands, which is what licensing is all about—the win/win. 

If you weren’t in licensing, what would you be doing now?
I’d likely do something related to travel. I absolutely love traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing new places and cultures. Maybe I’d be an airline pilot or possibly host a social channel focusing on travel and recommendations. (If you know me, the latter is probably unlikely, but you never know!)

The last licensed product I bought was…
A FIFA World Cup tee. Go USA!