MAURIZIO DISTEFANO LICENSING Maurizio Distefano Licensing never stopped to amaze with cooler proposals

MAURIZIO DISTEFANO LICENSING

Maurizio Distefano Licensing never stopped to amaze with cooler proposals

Maurizio Distefano Licensing has become a consolidated name for all those who are looking for a licensing agency that acts as a one-stop-shop and as a container of the coolest licenses currently on the Italian market. An interlocutor with whom you can never go wrong, that offers contemporary and successful proposals ranging from different targets.

The pre-school cartoon category has designated the agency as the creator of the most successful licensing programs. Maurizio Distefano, President, says: “Cartoons are in our DNA, because that’s where we started. As independent agency, we choose IPs that we anticipate will be a success in the Italian market.” And data doesn’t lie, as many as 3 properties within the agency’s portfolio are listed in the top 6 with highest awareness among children, tweens and young adults (Brand Trends Entertainment - April 2020). “Our proposal must always be varied and must evolve following trends, in order to be able to offer the highest level of service to our licensees from year to year.” So, the agency has evolved, welcoming in its list more and more brands targeting teen and adult that belong to categories such as music and, latest news, cooking-show. Maurizio Distefano continues, wanting to underline: “The strength of our agency is also and above all fed by the people, the service and the attention to clients. We are always available, both for licensors and licensees, to develop ad hoc projects together. We have implemented an inhouse marketing team that organizes and supports product development, retail activities and social media, so that we can get our IPs talking to fans in the familiarity of the Italian market and with a localized tone-of-voice.”

The agency’s portfolio is extensive and the year 2021 for each property brought a lot of news. Series 4 of Acamar Films’ International Emmy Award-winning pre-school series Bing premiered on Rai YoYo on December 2020 with new episodes airing daily. The 26 episodes are also available on RaiPlay app, where Bing is currently ranked #1. The episodes feature brand new locations

and characters, such as Dr. Molly and Nicky, Sula’s young cousin. Audiences can see Bing celebrating his birthday, Halloween and Christmas and having fun experiences with his friends, such as face painting, going camping and riding the bus. Bing stories represent the everyday dramas that all young children and the grown-ups in their lives will recognise – such as visiting the doctor, as seen in the new ‘Vaccination’ episode. The new episodes are also available to stream and download (in addition to many Series 4 activities and games) through the “Bing: Guarda, Gioca, Impara” app, which has made a big impact since its launch in summer 2020. Along with the launch of the new series, Acamar Films’ Italian VOD partner, TIMVISION, produced the first-ever sign language version of Bing. A selection of 14 episodes featuring a LIS interpreter launched on the platform as part of TIMVISION’s commitment to providing educational opportunities for hard of hearing children in Italy. These dubbed episodes joined the 78 Bing episodes already available on the platform. Bing episodes are also available to watch on DeA Junior, KidoodleTV, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. New licensing deals have been signed with Lubex, who will develop car accessories, Adriatic with beach toys, Smoby for scooters and tricycles and Sevi who, thanks to the agreement with Giochi Preziosi, will develop wooden toys inspired by the series. Looking ahead to Easter, the popular Dolfin Bing Easter egg will be available for Bingsters and their grownups to enjoy. A new addition to Maurizio Distefano Licensing’s portfolio is CoComelon, that alongside with Blippi and My Magic Pet Morphle is part of the agreement between the agency and Moonbug. CoComelon is an animated series that teaches children how to take on everyday activities and role models positive behaviour with a sense of enthusiasm. Kids can easily relate to the universal themes and everyday narratives such as eating your vegetables, learning to tie your shoes and getting ready for bed. With its bright and bold colors and cheerful nursery rhymes and phrases, CoComelon attracts children aged one to four to sing and dance along with Baby JJ and his siblings as they learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colors and more. It is available on all major platforms including Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, Roku and Netflix and has surpassed 105 million subscribers on

YouTube and garnered nearly 100 billion views on the platform. Masha and the Bear, which has now become a timeless classic and a choice of assured success of every licensee’s project, is soaring in 2021 with incredible numbers in the digital field: Italian YouTube channel boasts 3 million subscribers and the global Facebook page more than 5 million. Furthermore, Masha and the Bear is a record-breaking series: it has set the Guinness World Records as the most watched cartoon on YouTube. Additionally, according to Parrot Analytics, it is included in TOP-5 most in-demand kids show in the world as of January 2021. Latest arrivals as Consumer Product are stickers and activity albums from Edizioni Play Press and SoLuna which will organise non-ticketed events. Masha and Bear’s Easter egg this year is by Motta. ALVINNN!!! And the Chipmunks, created by Janice Karman and owned by Bagdasarian Productions, recently polled by Mediametrie as the #1 series of the decade in Europe. Airing daily on both K2 and Nick Junior, ALVINNN!!!! continues to be one of the most watched series by school age children and their parents and takes you on a roller coaster ride of music, laughs and stories, entertaining four generations of fans. Licensees include Adriatic (beach toys), Ciao (party supplies), Citterio (snacks), Denver (bicycles), Melegatti (cakes), Noatel (gaming apps), ODS (musical instruments, toys), Play Press (books), Ravensburger (puzzles), Salani (books), Walcor (chocolate eggs), just to name a few. Gigantosaurus, currently on air on Rai Yoyo and on Netflix, is the adventurecomedy TV series about dinosaurs that continues its road to success with the launch of products such as Feltrinelli’s Gribaudo-branded books, Edizioni Play Press’s activity and coloring albums and Clementoni’s line of puzzles. For this Easter Gigantosaurus chocolate egg is from Witor’s. The famous animated series Leo&Tig, created by Parovoz Studio for Digital Television Russia and managed by 0+MEDIA, on air on Rai YoYo and on DeA Junior, is set in the nature of the Far East.

The protagonists are two inseparable friends who explore nature and its wonders and reveal its secrets. During their reckless adventures, Leo and Tig learn to be kind, friendly, help each other and respect nature. Maurizio Distefano Licensing has already closed several agreements for Leo&Tig with Clementoni,

Edizioni Play Press, Diramix, Mondadori, Grabo Balloons.

Moving into other categories related to adult target audience, Maurizio Distefano Licensing offers a brand-new opportunity with Hell’s Kitchen, the license of the

famous TV show that includes Gordon Ramsey. Inside the list we find also La Gazzetta dello Sport and Asterix. Another highly sought-after license is International Space Archives (ISA), an archive containing the best images of man’s exploration of space, including those from NASA. Another brand that is made of an infinite collection of photographic images is LIFE, the American magazine that since 1936 has reported the “life” of the entire world and has made the history of photojournalism. Thanks to its archive, photos of some of the most significant events of the twentieth century and of evocative natural views can be used, as well as iconic images that have remained impressed in our memory even today. The agency’s music portfolio is constantly growing: Iron Maiden, AC/DC, KISS, Pink

Floyd, David Bowie, Aretha Franklin,

Lenny Kravitz, Backstreet Boys and many more. If you are interested in one of the most famous bands and artists in the history of music, Maurizio Distefano Licensing definitely has the right proposal.