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)?
Disney! I was working in sales and marketing in the music business in London when I got approached by a recruiter working for Disney Consumer Products, which was undergoing a major turn-around. I was curious, not having worked in a licensed business before or for such a big company, but when I got a peak behind the Disney curtain, I realized this was an incredibly creative world and an open book for growth—so I leapt at it! It’s how I ended up living in America.

What’s a “typical” day in your current position?
I don’t think I’ve ever had a typical day, but I’d say it involves a lot of aligning people to an idea or concept, and you must love doing that (which I do). The fact that you are always crafting creative ideas, brand expansions, or selling new ways of working makes for very varied days. We have dirt-bike and mountain-bike tracks at our Revelyst offices here in LA, which is definitely not typical!

What’s your biggest personal or professional accomplishment?
Professional? That in each role I’ve had with Disney, Hasbro, my clients, and now Revelyst, I’ve managed to hang my hat on creating growth, and all the experience and camaraderie that comes with that. You can’t beat that feeling of being a part of something you’ve helped build. Personal? Cooking something that ends up being more than 75% edible.

What are the most significant trends or changes that you’ve seen in the business in recent years?
The recognition from IP owners that your fans are your brand lifeblood, not cash-machines with unlimited reserves. If you want to build a brand, you need to think beyond marketing products and have someone overlooking the entire brand story across every possible touchpoint. I still meet so many IP owners still marketing products, not stories.

What keeps you up at night? What’s your biggest challenge these days?
Retail. I’m not sure if it keeps me up at night, but the fact that TikTok does over $32 million in sales every day makes me question what the landscape of towns and cities is going to look like in a few years as physical retail morphs, and how we best navigate that. The brands that take leadership in this space will win—Apple has done a great job of that with their retail.

In your opinion, what is the top skill every licensing executive should have in order to succeed?
Creativity and tenacity (that’s two).

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, or what’s your favorite quote?
If you can’t decide what career path to take, toss a coin. If it lands on heads, try heads. If heads doesn’t work out, try tails.

What is your favorite licensing deal of all time? (It doesn’t have to be one that was signed by you.)
So far, it’s probably the Disney Baby deal I struck with Walmart. It was huge and game changing. I do think what Crayola has done in licensing is also exceptional.

If you weren’t in licensing, what would you be doing now?
Writing fiction and composing film soundtracks.

The last licensed product I bought was…
Probably a pack of Calvin Kleins! But, as we all know, the best Licensed product you buy is the product you never knew was actually licensed!