TV Kids Licensing Expo & NATPE Budapest Edition

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Licensing Trends AG Properties’ Jeffrey Conrad

LICENSING EXPO & NATPE BUDAPEST EDITION

www.tvkids.ws

THE MAGAZINE OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING

JUNE/JULY 2012

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Daewon Media www.daewonmedia.com/en • GON • Paboo & Mojies

Airing in Japan on TV Tokyo, the boy-skewed GON is a lead property for Daewon Media to expand in the licensing arena. “We have recieved many positive responses for GON’s high animation quality and the action-based super-fun stories and characters,” says Bul-Kyung Kim, the director of the content division at Daewon. “As the series will start in August on EBS in Korea, we are currently building up a full toy and merchandise lineup for GON, including sound-recognition talking toys.... Rainbow S.r.l., our European partner, is currently looking for key partners, and we have finalized partners for some of the key territories in Asia.” He adds that at the Licensing Expo, sales in North and South America are a top priority.

Paboo & Mojies is Daewon’s latest project with Sega Toys of Japan. “As this 2D animation series is currently on BS Fuji in Japan and KBS in Korea, a complete set of transforming alphabet toys, A to Z, is fully developed and ready to be launched for children,” says Kim of the show’s merchandise extensions.

“ We have received many

positive responses for GON ’s high animation quality and the action-based super-fun stories and characters.

IN THIS ISSUE

”

License to Thrill Kids’content owners share their licensing and merchandising priorities for the Licensing Expo

—Bul-Kyung Kim

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Interview AG Properties’ Jeffrey Conrad

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Ricardo Seguin Guise

Publisher

Anna Carugati

Editor

Mansha Daswani

Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski

Managing Editor

GON

Simon Weaver

Online Director Meredith Miller

Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell

Art Director

Mondo TV S.p.A.

Cesar Suero

Sales & Marketing Director

www.mondotv.it

Terry Acunzo

Business Affairs Manager

• Dinofroz • Gormiti • Beast Keeper

Dinofroz, Gormiti and Beast Keeper have already established themselves as hits for Mondo TV S.p.A., according to sales manager Alessandro Venturi. Each also has a major licensing campaign surrounding it, supported by the Giochi Preziosi Group. “Gormiti is already a very famous boys’ brand, well known and spread across all European countries,” says Venturi. “It had a fantastic licensing development. Thanks to the new 3D CGI season, our target is to increase the development of this big brand.”Venturi says that the toy line for Dinofroz also has a wide reach in a number of countries, and believes that the property’s TV presence is going to continue to push the brand in the licensing arena. “Beast Keeper is a new brand, with new characters and an original concept,” notes Venturi of the potential for the show.

“We have got so many properties for all target age groups with high animation quality,”Venturi adds.

Vanessa Brand

Sales & Marketing Assistant

Ricardo Seguin Guise

President

Anna Carugati

Gormiti

Get daily news on kids’ programming

Executive VP & Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani

Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Kids © 2012 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940

Beast Keeper

Website:

www.tvkids.ws

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Nerd Corps Entertainment www.nerdcorps.com • Slugterra

Nerd Corps Entertainment’s action-comedy adventure Slugterra is debuting this fall on Disney XD. The first phase of the toy line, developed by Nerd Corps’ partner Jakks Pacific, will hit shelves in spring 2013. “We see a lot of potential in the merchandising and licensing arena because Nerd Corps developed Slugterra from the ground up to ensure [that] the core play fantasy is integrated in the show in a compelling and organic way,” says Ken Faier, the president of Nerd Corps.

“We’re focusing our efforts on additional toy, publishing, interactive and other long-lead categories with Slugterra, and future new properties on the way,” says Faier.

Slugterra

“We’re very excited to announce Jakks Pacific as our toy partner on

Slugterra at the Licensing Expo, and we’re looking to build relationships with potential licensing partners across all key categories this year.

”

—Ken Faier

PGS Entertainment www.pgsentertainment.com The Jungle Bunch

• The Jungle Bunch • Wize & Ope

The Jungle Bunch TV movie is airing on major networks in more than 100 territories. “Both the TV movie and the short-form series are performing very well in terms of ratings wherever broadcast,” says Philippe Soutter, a co-founder and the president of PGS Entertainment.

Also from the PGS catalogue comes Wize & Ope. “This property has become a total phenomenon in the international watch market, selling over 100,000 units in a year without any prior brand awareness whatsoever,” says Soutter. Key categories for PGS include apparel and stationery.

“We are looking for licensees with the capacity to develop high-end

products and who can provide a long-term marketing and retail strategy.

—Philippe Soutter

”

ToonBox Entertainment www.toonboxent.com • The Beet Party • The Nut Job • Bolts & Blip

There’s no “beeting around the bush” when its comes to the likability of The Beet Party, says Thom Chapman, the VP of business development and sales at ToonBox Entertainment. Other highlights for the company are Bolts & Blip: Quest of the Battle-Bolts and the animated film The Nut Job. “As a studio we are passionate about the longevity and excellence of our projects and will continue to ensure our characters, designs and story lines are captivating and that our animation, special effects, compositing and 3D stereoscopic renders are stimulating,” he adds.

The Nut Job

Bolts & Blip

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Nerd Corps’ Slugterra.

License to Thrill

By Mansha Daswani

Preschool and boys’ action remain the most lucrative sectors for kids’ content owners looking to build profitable licensing and merchandising campaigns for their shows.

W

ith economic woes continuing to plague most markets around the world, it’s no surprise that the toy sector, like the retail business in general, has shown minimal growth in the post-holiday season this year. For brand owners, however, there is good news: licensed toys—those based on existing TV shows, books, films or games—have increased their share of overall toyindustry revenues in the U.S., according to The NPD Group.

“Licensing is an important part of the toy industry,” asserted Anita Frazier, an industry analyst at The NPD Group, in research published last month. “The average retail selling price of a licensed toy was nearly 50 percent larger than that of unlicensed toys in the first quarter, showing the premium a toy can generate by being associated with a child’s favorite character or property.”

BRAND AWARE

Many kids’ content executives heading off to the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas are standing by the mantra that tried-and-true properties work best, so they’re focusing on brands that have already built consumer awareness in some shape or form.

Saban Brands, for example, will be continuing conversations with licensees about Power Rangers.

“As an evergreen brand, Power Rangers has been at the forefront of entertainment for nearly 20 years,”

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ever broadcast,” Soutter says. “This is essential to the strengthening and growth of the franchise.”

PGS’s home-entertainment partner for The Jungle Bunch, Universal, has signed a deal that will bring DVDs of the TV movie to Walmart in the U.S. PGS is now working on a broader consumer-products plan, targeting licensees for publishing, toys, apparel and back-to-school merchandise.

Wize & Ope, meanwhile, will be extended to apparel, stationery and more. Soutter believes the property is “visually exciting and targets a niche where no iconic brand currently exists—those teens and adults who aspire to the street-wear vibe.”

TOYS TO TV

It’s a jungle out there: Following a successful DVD rollout for The Jungle Bunch, PGS is now exploring a broader consumerproducts campaign for the show.

says Kirk Bloomgarden, the company’s senior VP of international licensing.“Consumers who were fans of the Power Rangers in the ’90s continue to be fans today, and share the experience with their children, adding to the cross-generational appeal.”

Bloomgarden and his team will be in conversations about product categories for both kids and adult fans of the show.

“As we approach our 20th anniversary of the brand, we have an opportunity to leverage that history and develop some very unique programs for our core fans,” he says.

Also on the Saban roster for the Licensing Expo is Paul Frank, a fashion lifestyle brand, with Bloomgarden looking for new apparel and accessories licensees, as well as seeking out partners for electronics, cosmetics, home décor and more.

PGS Entertainment is also touting two properties that have already proven themselves on other platforms: the TV movie and short-form series The Jungle Bunch and the watch brand Wize & Ope. The Jungle Bunch has been licensed into 100-plus territories, according to Philippe Soutter, the president and co-founder of PGS, scoring slots on networks such as France 3, SUPER RTL, RAI and ABC Australia. “Both the TV movie and the shortform series are performing very well in terms of ratings wher-

Mondo TV S.p.A. has spent the last few years finetuning its brand-building strategy, working with two toy manufacturers, Giochi Preziosi and MEG, to develop series based on known properties. The fruits of that strategy already include Puppy in My Pocket, a girl-skewing series based on a MEG brand that Mondo TV has licensed around the world.

At the Licensing Expo, Mondo TV’s consumer-products arm will be firmly focused on new boy-targeted brands, notably Gormiti and Dinofroz, both produced with Giochi Preziosi.

Gormiti is based on a line of pocket-sized collectibles from Giochi Preziosi; it has been the top boys’ property in Europe for the last three years, according to Roberta Puppo, the international licensing manager at Mondo TV Consumer Products. Giochi Preziosi’s Dinofroz toys, the basis of a new 26-part animated series from Mondo TV, have sold 7 million units in Italy, Puppo notes. “Dinosaurs are always very popular among children,” she says.

With Giochi Preziosi handling toys and back-to-school items for both brands, Mondo will be focused on “apparel, underwear, food, publishing, accessories, promotions and more,” Puppo says.

“Mondo TV Consumer Products has already secured most of them, but some opportunities are still available.”

Puppo will also be using her time at the Licensing Expo to introduce potential partners to the new series Partidei, which is based on an original concept by Mondo TV’s president, Orlando Corradi. The show is slated for delivery

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The boys’ club: Mondo TV Consumer Products has been signing up licensees in a number of categories for Dinofroz, its co-production with Giochi Preziosi.

to broadcasters in the fall of 2013. Mondo TV Consumer Products is managing the licensing rights for a number of territories, including Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Eastern Europe and Russia.

Another new brand being showcased at the expo is Nerd Corps’ Slugterra, an action-adventure series for boys aged 6 to 11 that is premiering on Disney XD this fall. Jakks Pacific is already on board as a toy partner, with products due to hit shelves in the spring of 2013.

“Nerd Corps developed this property from the ground up to ensure [that] the core play fantasy is integrated throughout, so we see a lot of strengths in the brand for licensing and marketing,” says Juli Boylan, the head of global licensing and promotions at Nerd Corps.“It’s a unique play pattern...that’s very appealing for this audience. The show also features a variety of characters that can be leveraged to drive deep investment and collectability through licensed consumer products, so that offers a lot of potential. It’s a unique blend of battling, shooting and collecting that we’ve just never seen in the entertainment aisle before.”

Classic Media is also targeting the boys’ toys aisle, with Masters of the Universe and Voltron. Nicole Blake, the executive VP of global marketing and consumer products at Classic Media, acknowledges the challenges of this space. “You have properties that were developed via feature films,” Blake notes. “That makes it more competitive.”

Nevertheless, she expects both Masters of the Universe and Voltron to fare well with licensing and retail partners given their deep brand heritage. Masters of the Universe turns 30 this year and Classic Media has lined up several new partners to complement the Mattel toy line, including apparel, DVDs and bobbleheads.

The updated Voltron series, Voltron Force, meanwhile, premiered on Nicktoons in 2011, giving the network its highest-ever launch ratings.

Blake notes that the preschool space is just as fiercely competitive, with TV-based brands often competing with literary-inspired properties for shelf space. She believes that the brands Classic

Media is taking to the Licensing Expo will be able to cut through the clutter.

REINVENTING CLASSICS

Leading off the slate is Postman Pat, a property that is gearing up for a slew of activity in 2013. Postman Pat SDS heads into a second season on CBeebies early next year, while next summer will see the theatrical rollout of Postman Pat: The Movie, produced in 3D. Toys, books and DVDs will receive new packaging, Blake says. There will also be a new toy range and movie tie-ins.

At the Licensing Expo, Blake will also be speaking to partners about two new additions to the Classic Media stable: Noddy and Olivia.

“We just purchased those and our mission is to show existing and prospective partners, from agents to retailers to licensees, that they are part of the family and that Classic Media is up and running on these properties.”

Zodiak Rights is also making a play for the lucrative preschool toys business in the U.S. with its new show Tickety Toc, which has been licensed globally to Nickelodeon. Securing licensing partners for the show in the key markets of the U.S., the U.K., Canada and France is the top priority for the Licensing Expo, notes Jennifer Lawlor, the senior VP of strategy and planning for consumer products at Zodiak Rights.

“With so many markets and different times for broadcast launch, it all ends up being quite a big planning session,” Lawlor says about the consumerproducts timetable for Tickety Toc. “For the U.K. we’re looking at autumn/winter 2013” for toys to be on the shelves. “We really want to build the show, build the awareness first.”

Lawlor says that licensees—like audiences— will be attracted to the look and feel of Tickety Toc, as well as its “amazing scripts and great stories—those really help in engaging mums and kids to tune in and stay with the show. We’re getting some lovely feedback in terms of the

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characters. It’s a very humorous show. It’s quite fast paced. There’s a lot going on in the episodes and kids are enjoying that madcap action.

So there’s a lot to embrace.”

Key categories like toys and publishing are at the top of Lawlor’s merchandising plan for Tickety Toc. “We’ve always been focused on developing the core range first, so the kids engage with the brand and come to know and love it, and then from there you can expand into some of the peripheral areas,” she says.

With Tickety Toc, Zodiak is looking to replicate the kind of success it has already had in the U.K. with another preschool series, Waybuloo.

The CBeebies commission has spawned a merchandising campaign that includes plush, publishing, games, health and beauty, apparel and other categories.

RETAIL THERAPY

Tickety Toc marks Zodiak’s first attempt to build a licensed kids’ brand in the U.S., and Lawlor is well aware of the challenges of securing valuable shelf space. “There’s a reticence from retail. They are so riskaverse at the moment, they’re being offered so much preschool. Everybody’s got a good platform, a great plan, a great property, aspirations to have a huge licensing program…[plus] it’s trying economic times.”

Saban’s Bloomgarden notes that “the role of the retailer has become increasingly important to the licensed-consumer-products business model.

Now, more than ever, we consult and collaborate with retailers at the marketing, merchant and management levels simultaneously. It isn’t simply about our brands. We need to think about the retailers’ business and how we can help to drive success at the cash register. Working closely together with retailers enables us to sustain and ensure the brand’s ongoing, evergreen success.”

“Competition is definitely one of the big challenges for bringing a brand to retail today,” notes Nerd Corps’ Boylan. “There are a lot of great properties on the market, and kids will either really go for it or not at all. I think one of the keys to success is to start with a property that’s creative, appealing and unique, then work with licensing partners and manufacturers who excel at creating unique and novel consumer products to support it.”

Classic Media’s Blake concedes that “retailers are taking less.” However, “once you get on the shelf, [stores are] staying with a property for longer.”

APP-ORTUNITY

Blake adds that the last few years have seen the emergence of a new face on the retail block—the app store. “There are different ways to go to retail,” Blake notes.“For us, the retail shelf also includes the app store.We’ve had great success there. Some properties are toy led, some are book led— there are lots of ways to go to retail. It’s about being more inventive.”

Boylan echoes that sentiment, adding, “We’re starting to see an interesting new trend that’s come as a result of the rapidly shifting media landscape, and it’s shaking up the source points where properties emerge. Online, video games and mobile apps are all trending up, so we’re seeing new breakthrough licenses—Angry Birds for example—coming from the iOS world. This is creating more competition between television, film, online and video, but it’s also creating a lot of new opportunities.”

Zodiak’s Lawlor, too, cites emerging opportunities in the digitalmedia world. “Everything from apps to e-books are being considered at the moment. From a brand perspective, you want to ensure [that] the digital experience is as enhanced for kids as possible…. Mums are prepared to pay for the top brands. It’s not going to change the world at the moment in terms of revenues, but it’s an important part of the marketing mix, it’s an important part of the product mix. It’s important to get that mix right.”

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the Living Wall.We started it around 2007 and the idea was that any idea that was pitched—for consumer products, toys or animated shows—never died.The wall has over 500 concepts.We are working on a deal with a broadcaster now [for a show concept that] hung on the wall for almost four years. We’re constantly mining [the Living Wall] and constantly adding new concepts to it as well.

TV KIDS: How do you draw from the intellectual property of

the broader American Greetings Corporation?

CONRAD: There are other creatives in the studio that are con-

stantly putting out amazing content that I can harvest. I [oversee] some of the creative studios [for greeting cards]. I have one that makes alternative or funny cards.That output is somewhere in the range of 2,500 to 3,000 cards a year. Every card is a little story. Every day I get to look at these amazing one-off funny jokes.We’ve already looked at some of them as potential for an app or as a show concept.

TV KIDS: So you’re developing content for all platforms?

CONRAD:We are.We are just getting into an exciting new ven-

ture which we’ll be announcing soon. We hired a new-media person that moved from Los Angeles to Cleveland and is working directly with our creative team to produce apps and digital books.

TV KIDS: You have some strong classic brands alongside the

AG Properties’

Jeffrey Conrad

By Mansha Daswani

For more than 100 years American Greetings Corporation has been producing greeting cards for the global market. In that process, it has created some indelible characters, including Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears, among numerous others. AG Properties (AGP), under the leadership of president and chief creative officer, Jeffrey Conrad, has been charged with taking these brands into the television, new-media and consumer-products arenas. Conrad, who got his start at American Greetings as an illustrator, tells TV Kids about his strategy for refreshing classic brands and creating new ones.

TV KIDS: What kinds of content do you want AGP to be known for?

CONRAD: We stick within the kids’ entertainment realm. [We have been] pretty much in the soft and cuddly side of things with Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake. Obviously those are very big and strong properties for us, they’re great brands. Going forward, we’re trying to diversify the library we have.We have some cool action stuff for boys and we have some things for the whole family. There’s a lot of comedy that we’re working on. We want to create an awesome storytelling group of characters that have relevance and leave a legacy.That’s a big job.

TV KIDS: Are you developing concepts in-house or reaching

out for pitches from the broader kids’ creative community?

CONRAD: Almost all of our content originates organically here

through our creative developers.We have something here called

new ones you’re developing. How have you kept Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake fresh for kids today?

CONRAD: Those brands are just so durable. My job basically is not to screw them up! [Laughs] They’re just awesome brands that resonate with almost everyone. They’ve been working for 30 years.We have a third season of Strawberry Shortcake.We have a brand-new, CG-animated Care Bears season coming out; it looks beautiful.We’re doing lots of things to keep the bears fresh and relevant for all of the demos we have. We try new things given their broad appeal. We have something coming out called the Don’t Care Bears. Lots of people poke fun of the Care Bears, why not have fun with them ourselves?

TV KIDS: Does your background as an illustrator inform your

work today running AGP? CONRAD: Maybe I’m not afraid to break things, and I jump

[over] a lot of fences. [Laughs] That creative background may provide a culture that supports a little more risk-taking. An environment where people can take chances and be free to explore.

I am guided by a P&L like everyone else running a business is, but I try to focus on the best creative and storytelling output.

TV KIDS: What are some of your big-picture goals for the company in the months ahead?

CONRAD: It’s getting some new-media pieces developed and launched, whether it’s an app or a digital book.We’re also very excited that we have three or four shows now in development and shows that are in production. Packages from Planet X is coming out on Disney XD [worldwide] next spring. Our company is becoming more diversified.We’ve been more “shots on goal” in the past—which means kick hard and aim straight and hopefully it gets past the goalie. If it does, you win. Maybe now we’re a bit more Moneyball, which is get guys on base—we’re trying to develop a lot of different things and launch them in a lot of different ways.

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