TOTAL LICENSING
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates The multi-awardwinning internationally bestselling book series by Liz Pichon is a TV series, a franchise and has strong licensing partners, offering plenty of opportunity
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Tom Gates, the young schoolboy protagonist of the multi-award-winning internationally bestselling book series created in 2011 by Liz Pichon, and first published by Scholastic, has become a successful – and growing – franchise driven by the team at TG Entertainment. The company – specially formed to produce the new television series, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, and to manage the TV distribution, licensing and consumer products rights – has grown international sales and rapidly built a strong UK licensing programme following the successful launch of the Sky Kids TV series in early 2021. The Point.1888 are the UK licensing agent, with currently eight licensees signed up across multiple categories including stationery, apparel, greetings and games. The series’ huge popularity with Tom Gates fans has attracted legions of new viewers and led to the commission of a second series, which premiered in January 2022, plus a spin-off series of songs and a Christmas special. The Tom Gates Brilliant Game which launched on the Sky Kids app has also featured in two episodes of the popular series, Let’s Game on Sky Kids with Ethan Gamer and Dan TDM, as well as being included in a special World Book Day song and video with MC Grammar. Liz Pichon’s awardwinning Tom Gates book series has now sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 45 languages. The highly anticipated jump from page to screen, in a modular mixedmedia magazine format, has delighted both new and existing Tom Gates fans across the globe. Celebrating
creativity and fun, the show blends Tom’s crazy humour with craft ideas and hacks for kids to recreate, along with fun games and memorable songs by Tom and his band, DogZombies. Wildbrain are managing the YouTube and international distribution for The Brilliant World of Tom Gates and have so far achieved sales to 25+ territories. In addition to YouTube, the series is building a strong presence on social media with a growing following and is rapidly expanding onto new platforms such as Pinterest. The Tom Gates online shop launched in late 2020 with a range of personalised apparel, books, homeware,
stationery and gifts. New ranges launched this Spring and the site enjoyed its best week ever this February. The licensing programme got off to a strong start. Poetic Brands, a specialist clothing manufacturer, have signed for daywear, with new ranges planned for AW2022. BB Designs, experts in licensed gifts and stationery, have produced a back-to-school and stationery range. An exclusive direct-to-retail promotion with Sainsbury’s ran in summer 2021 in their branded aisles and was supported by significant in store promotion and a national competition. Following this promotion Sainsbury’s continue to stock selected Tom Gates products in 2022. British design and print house Woodmansterne have launched
a range of greetings cards and their expanded distribution includes the John Lewis Partnership and WHSmith. New designs are coming for AW2022, and more greetings cards from online specialists Moonpig are set to launch in Q2. Aykroyds & Sons, leading manufacturers and distributors of licensed nightwear and swimwear, launched online with Character.com in 2021 and have a new Tom Gates nightwear collection in the pipeline for AW 2022. University Games, whose Tom Gates Brilliant Games Compendium was a hero toy pick at London Toy Fair 2022, have a full puzzles and games range due to launch at the end of Q2. Tom Gates Top Trumps from Winning Moves are also arriving in Q2, while fans can have Tom Gates-themed feet from AW2022 in socks from Roy Lowe. A plethora of new books are due this year from Scholastic, including a You Can Draw Tom Gates activity book (supported by a national promotion tour by Liz Pichon) and an Advent Calendar holding a range of mini books. And with the excitement of a new Tom Gates novel – Book 20 in the series – due in Q4, the future looks brilliant for growth in the Tom Gates brand both in the UK and abroad.
