Licensing International is powered by an incredible group of licensing professionals hailing from around the globe who take time to serve the industry they love. Each week we’ll be profiling one of these professionals in this ongoing series.

Tell us about yourself.
I’m Stuart Pollock, President of Segal Licensing, celebrating my 18th year in the licensing business after spending the first part of my career in the movie theatre business.

How did you get into Licensing (or how did Licensing find YOU)?
I moved over to the agency side and got a call from a friend from my movie theatre days. Sheila Clarke, who was running international for DreamWorks Consumer Products, was looking for someone to represent DreamWorks in Canada and reached out based on my time working with DreamWorks in my theatrical days. I had ZERO Licensing experience but Sheila believed in me and gave me the opportunity to work on Shrek 2. I spent half my time on the brand side working on the Unilever business on brands like Axe and Vaseline, and half my time learning the licensing business. As an ex-buyer, I took to the business and delivered a huge program for DreamWorks, and soon I was full-time in the licensing business, developing an agency from scratch and growing into a long-term second career, all because Sheila believed in my ability.  I owe my licensing career to Sheila Clarke!

What’s your biggest personal and professional accomplishment?
Family is always my biggest personal accomplishment. Watching my kids navigate their way through school and university and growing up into wonderful people will always be my biggest thrill, but most of the credit goes to my wife and high school sweetheart Michele. Who knew when we met at 16-years-old that one day we would watch our kids graduate university?

From a professional accomplishment, it has to be starting a job without any experience and putting my head down to learn a new profession and seeing the division that I spearheaded have the long-term success that it is.

What keeps you up at night? What’s your biggest challenge nowadays?
The goal of running an agency is always ensuring that all your partners have as much attention as needed to ensure success and they always feel like they are your only client. Working on the East Coast and working with clients on the West Coast, and partners all through the world, it can really be a challenge, but when you love what you do, it’s not really a job, it’s a passion. Living though a pandemic, it’s that passion that drives you to always look to ways to try and accomplish more.

Retail changes, play patterns change, but as long as you try and strategically maximize opportunities and work as hard as you can you can succeed. I’m lucky to have an amazing team and partners to work with that bond together to #MFM.

What truly excites you?
I love to think outside of the box, figure out a new strategy, opportunity or partnership to maximize results for our partners!

What is your favourite quote?
I have a few favourite quotes. It started with “Thanks for Playing,” because work has to be FUN! I think I am most know for my #, #MFM which stands for Make F#$cking Money, because at the end of the day, we are judged by results, so why not aim for success!

What is your favourite licensing deal of all times?
Wow, that’s a hard one, but I guess doing a deal to do a restaurant in the midst of a pandemic and after the protests in West Hollywood has to be my favourite. My client, Kevin Smith, always wanted to see his fictional restaurant come to life and working with the equally driven Derek Berry, we were able to not only open that restaurant but raise a ton of money for two great charities and extend the opportunity by doing the FIRST-EVER IP deal with Goldbelly.com so that fans all over the USA could try some Mooby’s food. Most remarkably, this was all done even though I was quarantined in Toronto and never got to try the fruits of my labor. I really really want to try a Cowtiper, and I am working hard to have Mooby’s open up in Toronto!

The last licensed product I bought was…
I’m a huge Los Angeles Chargers fan and I bought my dog a LA Chargers coat so she could watch the Chargers with me this year (I hope) and we could both have matching shirts!