By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
License Global has released the 2022 edition of The Influentials which highlights executives across nine categories within the brand licensing and licensed consumer products industry.
The annual feature honors individuals that have contributed to the overall standard and quality of the licensing industry. License Global’s The Influentials is released inside the December issue, which also includes interviews with major brands including MGA Entertainment, Paramount, HGTV, Dotdash Meredith and more.
“The nine specific categories and their winners shine a light on the innovations, collaborations and disruptions observed this year across the business,” said Amanda Cioletti, Vice President of Content and Strategy for License Global.
“License Global is often in a position where we get to speak with, learn from and marvel at the amazing ingenuity, intelligence and sophistication that these executives and their companies bring to the world of licensed consumer products every day. It is truly rewarding and our honor to be able to celebrate these individuals, who were nominated by their peers from all over the business, in our publication,” added Cioletti. “We recognize every featured nominee and category leader for their impact on their audience, through the ways they engage with consumers and bring new ideas to the table, sparking innovation and driving success is at the core of their contributions.”
This year’s featured executives include:
Mike Dunn (pictured at top) from Octane5 as The Innovator. This category celebrates an executive who has played a vital role in advancing the licensing industry across sustainable processes, manufacturing or product design.
Anita Castellar from FanGirl as The Change Maker. This category highlights an individual who has contributed to advancements in programs that promote diversity and inclusion.
Dolly Ahluwalia from Funko as The Collaborator. This category celebrates an individual who has developed successful brand collaborations and/or product collaboration programs.
Warren Schorr from Crayola as The Disruptor. The Disruptor category highlights an executive who has inspired the licensing community to adopt new business methods or schools of thought.
Stu Seltzer from Seltzer Licensing as The Expert. This category represents an individual who has contributed to the business of brand licensing over the course of their career.
Bri Kessler from Brand Central as The Newcomer, This category highlights an individual who is at the beginning of their licensing career but is already creating change in the industry.
Danielle Marder from Jazwares as The Brand Builder. This category highlights a person responsible for a licensed consumer product which has achieved high revenue growth and/or ongoing opportunities for the brand or intellectual property.
Gary Pope from Kids Industries as The Influencer. This category features an individual who has improved the industry through open-source thinking, editorial contribution, public speaking and mentoring.
This year also introduced a new category called The License Global Influential of 2022. This category spotlights an individual that has created monumental change and progress within the industry. The winner of this newly created category is Allison Ames, the President and CEO of the global brand licensing agency, Beanstalk.
“To be nominated as an Influential licensing professional by colleagues in our industry is humbling and deeply gratifying,” said Ames.
“But to be honored in this specific category is an acknowledgment of everyone over the years at Beanstalk – our outstanding talent, our deep work ethic, our beautiful culture and constant drive to never be complacent in our creativity, passion and service to the incredible clients we proudly represent.”
License Global is a media brand and news source for the licensing industry that delivers editorial content through its magazine, website, daily e-newsletter, webinars, podcast and event publications. It also serves as the official publication for the sector’s trade events, which include Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Shanghai, and the Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit.
License Global is owned by the Global Licensing Group, a tradeshow organizer and media partner for the international licensing industry. Global Licensing Group events are sponsored by the industry trade association, Licensing International.
License Global Names The Influentials of Brand Licensing for 2022
