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Interview
STUDIO 100 MEDIA
NEW PLANS FOR 2021 Studio 100 Media is an international leading entertainment company, ready to face this time’s major challenges. LM interviewed Joachim Knödler, the new Head of Licensing at Studio 100 Media. How will you share your vast know-how to increase the Studio 100 licensing division? Licensing is a complex business and by far it is not only done by making a deal and leaving a license on its own. Studio 100 Media brings significant power on the ground with our 360-degree approach on our properties, we attract the consumer with our theme parks across Europe but also with great content in theatre, TV and on social media. My main goal is to continuously enhance the presence of our brands and IPs with a wide intense licensing portfolio from fashion to toys but also with key driving categories to attract consumers by price point, play value and experience. Of course, we will also drive the activation of our IPs in retail to the next level by supporting licensees and retailers. Which will be your main goals for the next future? Studio 100 has a significant business presence in the GAS and Benelux region, we cover all kinds of categories with our core brands and we have a great presence in retail. For the future we will place a larger
Maya the Bee
focus on international markets. In fact, we are driving our business forward in CEE currently we are closing for example a deal with a big retailer - where we will launch a nice kids’ apparel range in Q1 2021 continued by Q2-Q3 activities. For the future we will extend and strengthen the presence of our existing and upcoming IPs in the international markets such as Latin America, MENA, and Asia. Which will be the IPs you will plan to focus on most? Our wide mix of IPs will cover boys, girls and tweens for 2021, of course “Maya the Bee” will be one of our key priorities based on her 45th television anniversary in Germany and the upcoming release of her third movie adventure “Maya the Bee – The Golden Orb” in Q1 2021. Along with the movie release we have prepared an immense mix of activities, including a key retailer promotion as a great platform for our licensees. Looking further ahead, we have “Mia and me” back with a 4th season and a movie - and of course the upcoming broadcast of “100% Wolf - Legend of the Moonstone” in various European territories as well as in Latin America. The movie “100% Wolf” recently reached the
Joachim Knödler 1 million visitors benchmark in the UK. In fact, we are also working on new IPs for which we will commence with master toy pitches during the upcoming Festival of Licensing. We will also use the Festival of Licensing platform to support our international approach to drive business in key territories such as UK, France, Poland, China, and Latin America forward. How do you see the future of the business after the COVID period? The Corona pandemic was a wakeup call for all of us – it enforced and made us realize how important bricks and mortar retailers still are. For the time after COVID, but also right now during weeks and months of partially intense restrictions, we need to support each other - from licensor side to licensees and retailers. I strongly believe that in the future the importance of “retailtainment” will be more and more the key for success in licensing – not only with the right concept in shopping malls, but also as an emotional experience instore on shelves in terms of products. Studio 100 Media is a leading expert as we can play our IPs on all channels - linear and digital, but also as a live experience within Studio 100´s theme parks. We can include licensees and retailers within this mix, and this is even more important now in order to get back to the level before the Corona pandemic.
