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’re profiling one of these professionals in this ongoing series.

How did you get into licensing (or how did licensing find you)?
I first started in licensing in the early 2000s when mobile wallpapers were all the rage! I worked for a company called uclick, and managed the licensing relationships (specifically for mobile wallpapers, and in some cases for mobile comics too) with Wyland, Yu-Gi-Oh!, TMNT, Mary Engelbreit, and Thomas Kinkade. It was really fascinating to learn the ins and outs of approvals and creative selections, and digging into style guides. At the time, mobile phones with content on them were still really novel (do you remember the RAZR? Because I do!), so getting to not only learn about licensing, but also a whole new technology and content space, was super exciting.

What’s a “typical” day in your current position?
Right now I’m still learning about the profession! I’m networking with people, I’m asking Kathleen (Ortiz) a million questions, and I’m figuring out the road map for how best to support my clients with the work they’re doing now and the work they’re excited to do next.

What’s your biggest personal or professional accomplishment?
This is not a licensing answer (because I am still very new to licensing), but I am incredibly proud of the comics I launched into newspaper syndication. I came to that space well after the heyday, and it’s a little braggy, but I would put the comics I worked with up there with any of the classics from any era of newspaper comics history. So, I’d say it’s a tie between my first launch—”Phoebe and Her Unicorn” by Dana Simpson, which had one of the top five
launches in the company history and has gone on to become a massive success in books as well—and my last launch, which was “Crabgrass” by Tauhid Bondia. Not only did that strip launch in a complicated market, it launched during the height of the pandemic and is now in tons of papers. I could not be prouder.

What keeps you up at night? What’s your biggest challenge these days?
I’m kept up at night because I’m thinking about what I can bring to this industry. I’m not a person who started as a licensing agent ages ago—I wasn’t a person who ever thought this was a career for me. And so now that I’m here, I want to figure out how the things that made me successful in my previous career can build on the things that are already well established in this space. I want to do surprising things!

In your opinion, what is the top skill every licensing executive should have in order to succeed?
Curiosity. I think it’s so important to remain curious about the work you do and the field you’re in, and to be open to learning from avenues you might not expect.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, or what’s your favorite quote?
The best advice I ever got was that having a life would make me better at my job. I was not a person who particularly valued the work/life balance, and when it was spelled out in this way, I began to understand that I’d been doing it wrong for a very long time! It’s very important to have a life!

What is your favorite licensing deal of all time? (It doesn’t have to be one that was signed by you.)
The Pac-Man bedsheet line at Pottery Barn. I’m serious.

If you weren’t in licensing, what would you be doing now?
I would probably be a comics editor!

The last licensed product I bought was…
Coca-Cola Lip Smackers lip balm.

(Photo Credit: Ben Kreeger)