By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
For me, the most fascinating part of the licensing industry is that it’s entirely based on the creative genius of artists, musicians, filmmakers, top chefs, and inventors, just to name a few.
But it’s not that often we find the creators handling their own licensing, so for this edition of TLL’s annual publication on Art Licensing, we decided to speak with two brothers who do exactly that.
Bob Giordano is a world-renowned artist who is also the owner of Giordano Studios, the company that has been licensing his artwork since 1980. Greg Giordano, his brother, is also an artist who worked with Bob at Giordano Studios, but later created his own company—Greg & Company—in 2002 to handle licensing for his art.
Together the two artists have done away with the idea of the ‘starving artist’ by combining their artistic skills with business savvy, a talent for relationship building, and a strong sense of what their customers want.
As a result, Giordano Studios and Greg & Co. have represented a premier design source for traditional illustration, and have been trusted by licensees for over 45 years. Both companies are renowned for delivering top-tier service with consistent creative continuity, and are clear communicators and partners in the art licensing industry.
“Our long-standing reputation is built on our ability to provide fresh design introductions, flexible creative solutions, and exceptional value; qualities that make us a reliable and enduring choice for past, present and future partners,” Greg Giordano says.
In fact, the Giordano family’s experience with art and art licensing goes back to the very beginning of the industry.
“After a long career as a staff greeting card illustrator my father, Joseph Giordano, established Giordano Studios,” Bob says. “This was in 1980 during the advent of art licensing. My dad could paint it all and did so, freelancing as well doing everything from children’s books to game boards, Reader’s Digest covers as well as maintaining a fine art career in wildlife painting.
“When he discovered the concept of licensing, he realized one illustration could be used on a multitude of products, and the vision and the drive took over.”
It turned out that Bob had very similar skills, as well as the advantage of being able to learn from his father, a true pioneer in the business of art licensing.
“I joined Giordano Studios in 1984, focusing my art on character design appropriate for greeting cards, plush toys and giftware,” Bob recalls. “At the time we were heavily into characters called ‘Sad Sam & Honey’, which was licensed on over eighty products worldwide. Managing the art for that program was fun and rewarding, and of course, my father was a huge influence.”
Bob still remembers his very first licensing program, which was extremely demanding.
“Giordano Studios was working with a greeting card company in England, and they required about 100 new designs each year,” he remembers. “I helped meet that demand by creating seasonal artwork for occasions, such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
“It was a collaborative effort, and I had the unique opportunity to work alongside my father in developing these designs.”
Giordano Studios quickly established a global reputation for being able to turn out high quality art, as well as the ability of Bob and Joseph to determine the right artistic approach for consumers and for their licensing partners.
Fortunately, it later turned out that Bob’s brother Greg Giordano also inherited both artistic talent and business acumen from his father, and similarly was able to learn from their experience when he began working at Giordano Studios, before he eventually decided he was ready to run his own show.
“Greg & Company was established in 2002, after time spent as a fine art painter and after working for my father’s company,” Greg says. “During my time in the fine art industry, I was also doing artwork and paintings for Giordano Studios; primarily wildlife animals, as well as puppies and kittens.
“I then decided to dedicate my time solely to art licensing, and established my own company, with a focus primarily on licensing my own individual designs, he adds. “Early on, the artwork I created was featuring dogs, cats, birds and other animals. After a period of time working with my licensees and evaluating what there was a consumer need for, my portfolio started to expand into other subject matters.”
Greg was so successful with his own art licensing programs that he eventually took on licensing responsibilities for other artists.
“With a strong foundation in art from the School of Visual Arts in New York and professional experience at Giordano Studios, it felt like a natural progression to launch my own agency and represent my own work,” Greg explains. “My background gave me a solid grasp of both the creative and business sides of the industry.
“About a decade in, as the agency continued to grow, I began representing my friend and fellow artist, J. Charles, to meet the needs of several licensing partners.
“In recent years, we’ve also welcomed artist Robert Francis, whose distinctive style has brought a fresh and compelling dimension to some of our most successful subjects and licensing collaborations.”
Like Bob, Greg has vivid memories of his first licensing project, which kickstarted his lifelong career.
“My first licensing program was with a collectible plate company,” he recalled. “They commissioned me to create a series of eight images featuring North American baby animals interacting with woodland creatures. The collection was a major success, and I also sold the original paintings in galleries across the U.S.
“This initial partnership opened the door to additional opportunities within that product category.”
And the rest, as they say, is history. Today both Bob and Greg both have their own companies, but they continue to work closely together, and both have created highly successful and long-running businesses.
“Although my brother Bob runs Giordano Studios and our companies are separate, we collaborate frequently,” Greg says. “We bounce ideas off each other, exhibit at trade shows together, and often support one another.
“Sometimes, we’ll receive a request from a licensee where my style—or the style of the artists I represent—isn’t quite the right fit. In those cases, I’ll refer the opportunity to Bob, who can step in to meet the need, and vice versa.”
As well, Greg’s business has expanded, with the result there are now three generations of the Giordano family involved in art licensing.
“I’m the managing operator of Greg & Company, and for about 10 years, I was the sole employee,” Greg said. “This gave me the opportunity to focus entirely on licensing my own artwork and building my collection. After that first decade, I began representing my friend and fellow artist, J. Charles, and in more recent years, we’ve also welcomed artist Robert Francis to the company.
So, things were obviously getting much busier for me, but a few years ago my daughter, Jessica Fritsche, joined Greg & Company as Licensing Manager.
“She now handles contracts, accounting, and other business operations, which has allowed me to dedicate more of my time to creating artwork; what I truly love to do!”
In terms of what they love to do, both Bob and Greg say their favorite projects generally involve designing the artwork for puzzles.
“We both love to work with various puzzle companies to create designs for that product category,” Bob says. “These programs are some of our best sellers, and we often get commissioned for specific projects from our established puzzle licensees.
“Our core product categories include puzzles, home décor, quilting fabric, and greeting cards, so when I’m developing a new illustration, I often design with all four in mind,” Bob added. “If a piece resonates, our top-tier licensees typically adopt it across their product lines.
“Fabric collections are usually inspired by the same theme, with adjustments made to align with the specific product, current trends, and consumer preferences.”
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Greg says puzzles are a passion for him as well, particularly those that intertwine with some of his other interests.
“For example, I own a 1966 Chevrolet C10, so I especially enjoy working on licensing projects that feature vintage and antique automobiles,” Greg says. “One of my recent favorites was designing a puzzle centered around a classic car show.
“Combining my passion for classic cars with my art made the project particularly rewarding.”
Bob agrees that art works best when the artist focuses on the type of work they are personally passionate about, and he advises young artists to keep in mind that passion for your craft is what will bring success in the long-term. But he also says that artists who want to make a living over the long haul need to be open minded about what others want.
“It is important to create what you love and what you’re interested in, but it is very important to be ready to shift gears in such a rapidly changing market,” he argues. “I’d also recommend that artists and creators keep an open mind for different subject matters and product categories that you might not have originally thought or considered.”
Greg strongly agrees, saying, “In this industry, it’s vital that as an artist you leave your ego at the door, be open to constant feedback, criticism, and be ready to shift gears. You have to be able to adapt and take a look at your artwork, asking yourself if there would be consumer interest.
Another piece of advice that both Greg and Bob offer for artists who would like to get into licensing is that in-person networking is vital. Particularly in the world of art, there’s no substitute for seeing the works in person, and being able to speak with the artist, or vice versa, with the client.
“Industry trade shows, such as the Licensing Expo, NY Toy Fair, and Atlanta AmericasMart are vital for nurturing and establishing personal connections with current and prospective partners,” says Greg. “Despite the prevalence of technology, in-person interactions remain crucial.
“I also attended BLE in London last year, highlighting the value we place on opportunities to connect directly with our collaborators.”
Bob agrees that events like Licensing Expo are crucial, both for networking, but also for learning more about issues that could affect his business.
“As always, we look forward to engaging in face-to-face conversations with our established partners and licensees, while also welcoming the opportunity to connect with potential new clients,” Bob says. “This year, we are particularly interested in gathering insights from manufacturers and retailers regarding the anticipated impact of tariffs on our industry, and exploring ways we can collaborate to navigate these challenges effectively.”
Another major issue facing the Giordano brothers, and all commercial artists worldwide, is the advent of new technologies that impact on copyright and intellectual property. A few years ago the NFT craze created an ongoing copyright piracy issue for artists, but now there is the much more serious issue of how generative AI will impact artists.
“We’ve both found generative AI to be a helpful tool, especially when sourcing reference material for unfamiliar subjects or projects we haven’t tackled before,” Greg says. “That said, it’s important to view it for what it is: a tool. Unlike traditional art, generative AI doesn’t require formal artistic training, which is often evident in the output.
“Programs like Midjourney can produce compositions where fundamental elements, such as perspective and light source, are noticeably off. These are details trained artists naturally pay close attention to.”
Bob adds that while generative AI can help artists, it can also hurt them unless regulations around copyright keep pace with the technology.
“Another concern is compensation and intellectual property,” he notes. “When an artist licenses an image from a stock photo service, there’s a clear fee structure that ensures creators are paid, but when someone uses a generative AI program that pulls from or mimics existing artwork, the original artists often receive nothing in return.
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“That’s a gap that urgently needs addressing,” Bob argues. “Between our two companies, we’ve registered nearly 4,000 designs with the U.S. Copyright Office, yet it’s increasingly clear that copyright laws have not kept pace with the rapid evolution of AI technology.”
However, neither Bob nor Greg believe generative AI will lead to the demise of professional artists, who are differentiated by the spark of genuine human creativity.
“Giordano Studios was founded in 1980, and Greg & Company followed in 2002, and a lot has changed since then, especially with the rapid evolution of technology,” Greg points out. “We’ve seen an explosion of content across the industry, a major shift from brick-and-mortar retail to booming online sales, and new complexities around copyright. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: the value of strong, collaborative relationships between licensors and licensees.”
“It’s a cornerstone that both our companies are proud to uphold,” Bob adds. “With Giordano Studios celebrating 45 years and Greg & Company marking 23, we like to think we’re doing something right!”
Parties interested in potential licensing opportunities can reach Giordano Studios by email at bobg@giordanostudios.com or by phone at (631) 423-6593, or Greg & Company at info@greggiordanoart.com or by phone at (203) 482-2794 . You can also learn more about the companies through their websites: www.GiordanoStudios.com / www.GregGiordanoArt.com, or stop by their booth at the Licensing Expo- H87.