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 developed in partnership with MyMediaBox.

How did you get into licensing (or how did licensing find YOU?)
Although I consider myself a third generation ‘garmento’, with my father, grandfather and uncles all in the apparel industry – in fact, my family was licensing apparel brands in the 1970’s and 1980’s – I come to the licensing world from the legal side, having practiced law as a trademark and licensing attorney since graduating Fordham law school in 1991.

What’s a “typical” day in your current position?
Like most people in our industry, I love what I do and no two days are ever the same. We even once tried to do a pie chart of all of our activities – from evaluating new properties and speaking with new clients, to pitching licensing deals, negotiating the deals, term sheets and contracts, to working on product development and placement, royalty tracking and compliance… It’s so broad and no two properties are the same so every deal needs personal attention and TLC.

What’s your biggest personal and professional accomplishment?
I am very proud of my personal professional reputation in this industry as well as the way The Brand Liaison has established itself among the top agencies in this industry. We pride ourselves on our performance and our work ethic, and that seems to be recognized.

What are the most significant trends or changes that you’ve seen in the business in recent years?
There are so many but the most obvious one is the contraction of the brick and mortar landscape and the rapid rise of ecommerce – and that started years ago and was only accelerated by the pandemic. We have dedicated an effort to helping our clients build their business through e-commerce. (Shameless plug for my last Licensing International webinar, Free link on our website).

What keeps you up at night? What’s your biggest challenge these days?
I sleep very well. I start early and work at a pretty strong pace all day so I make sure to get my 7½ hours. But the biggest challenge for us as an agency is bandwidth. We only have so much time every day. So while we often see great opportunities and emerging brands and companies, we often have to turn down these opportunities or refer them to one of the other companies in this industry, but we take the time to look at everything and try to connect them with the right company – even if that company is considered a competitor.

What do you love most about this industry?
I love the industry camaraderie — where competitors support each other and relationships still matter. I often call it Coop-etition.  Sometimes we are collaborating with some of our direct competitors. So I always try to do the right thing and treat everyone with the same respect that I would want to be treated.

In your opinion, what is the top skill every licensing executive should have in order to succeed?
There isn’t one. But a good mix of creativity, negotiation skills, persistence and connections. And all those take time to develop. Creativity in the brand strategy, product and placement, negotiation skills to create win-win deals, persistence because we all get a lot of no’s – and sometimes that’s just timing. And, of course, connections. Know the players, what their strengths and weaknesses are, what they are looking for and having that rapport when you do get your opportunity with them on the phone or at a pitch meeting.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? OR What is your favorite quote?
Jesse Itzler – one of my mentors. He is brilliant. No matter what the situation, he has some motivation for you. But I love his quote and story “If you don’t have a seat at the table, make one!” It’s a great story if you ever get to see him live. But the point is, you are not going to make your own luck sitting home on the couch, you need to get into the room and be there to make it happen.

What is your favorite licensing deal of all time? (doesn’t have to be one that was signed by you)
I have two favorites and they both bridge licensing and collaborations.  But I go back to early 2000’s, we were working with Converse when they were coming out of bankruptcy, owned by Nike but really struggling to re-find their own identity and Converse created a collaboration with John Varvatos, who was just launching his own brand as well. That collaboration catapulted both brands. It continued for like 10 years.
The other is the board game Clue license with Big Bang Theory. And all of the characters, settings and activities were brilliantly tied to the TV show. So rather than a murder by Colonel Plum, with a Candlestick, in the Kitchen, it was who meddled with Sheldon’s belongings, and the characters Penny, Leonard, Howard, Raj, and the locations include all the key scenes from the show like Sheldon and Leonard’s living room, Penny’s apartment, the stairwell, the laundry room, the University kitchen. So fun for fans of the show. Just Brilliant!

If you weren’t in licensing, what would you be doing now?
I know that I wouldn’t be doing this interview! I really have no idea, it’s all I have ever done in one form of another – as attorney, professor, agent or principal. If I didn’t have The Brand Liaison, no matter what I was doing, it would still involve licensing.

The last licensed product I bought was…
The Christopher Knight outdoor furniture set that was used for the Megan and Harry Oprah interview (another shameless plug!)

THE 2021 PEOPLE PROFILE SERIES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MYMEDIABOX
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