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’ll be 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😊)?
I was working for GUESS? Inc. and there was a position open in the Licensing Department. I had no idea what that even meant, but since I was eligible for a bigger discount on GUESS? products (and I was young), I figured why not, so I jumped on it.

What’s your biggest personal and professional accomplishment?
My biggest personal accomplishment was purchasing my first house. After my parents divorced, times were extremely tough. My mother worked three jobs to support me and my brother, instilling me with a strong work ethic to never give up on my dreams. Everything I’ve ever achieved, I owe to my mother.

My biggest professional accomplishment was the successful global licensing launch of Bratz. It’s one thing to be handed a long-established brand with a built-in fan base and to take it to another level. But it’s an entirely different thing to start from the ground up and create something that is embraced by millions out of the gate. Creatively and professionally, it was the most satisfying.

What are the most significant trends or changes that you’ve seen in the business in recent years?
Licensing has become more than just setting a product on a shelf or online. The retail landscape has changed quite dramatically in recent years. 2020 was all about ecommerce and adopting the “endless aisle” retail strategy. Our business has evolved into creating all-immersive “experiences,” which is what today’s comic-con consumer craves. Additionally, digitally native brands have helped fuel excitement for even more merch moments and licensing growth in the future.

What keeps you up at night?
The uncertainty for our future. I think about the challenges we are all facing.  I never imagined to be living the way we are today. It’s like a movie. I hope US production will return and there will be more jobs for everyone soon.

What’s your biggest challenge these days?
Keeping my team motivated and positive as we navigate work from home.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? OR What is your favorite quote?
Never burn a bridge.

What is your favorite licensing deal of all time? (doesn’t have to be one that was signed by you)
It’s hard to identify my all-time favorite, but one of my most memorable was the Warner Bros. collaboration with MAC Cosmetics for Wonder Woman. We launched that collection 10 years ago, before any of the recent films. It was an exciting and fun program that was a wonderful tribute to the most beloved female super hero of all time.  The cherry on top was when we won the Licensing Excellence Award for Best Licensed Promotion!

The last licensed product I bought was…
A WW84 tee on Amazon.

THE 2021 PEOPLE PROFILE SERIES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MYMEDIABOX
MyMediaBox is the leader in providing online solutions that streamline every stage in the brand licensing lifecycle, from contract management and rights tracking, through style guide delivery, product approvals, security tag management and royalty reporting. With over 54,000 global professionals logging in from 125+ countries, Mediabox is by far the world’s most thoroughly tested and widely trusted licensing software.