In the year where the agency he founded celebrates its 20th anniversary, Adam Bass – md of Golden Goose – was honoured at this week’s Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards with the special Brand Ambassador of the Year accolade.
Adam (pictured with event host, Ed Gamble, and Denise Penn from award sponsor Brandcomply/Octane5) began his career in publishing, before an early entry into the just beginning to boom dot.com sector in the mid 1990s showed their ability to spot an opportunity and turn it into a fully-fledged business.
It was once this company was sold on to a large PLC, that he turned his attention to the licensing sector, and in 2002 Golden Goose made its debut.
With a reputation for having an original and creative approach – sometimes erring on the unconventional – Adam has successfully turned opportunities for brands which had never previously considered licensing into viable deals, with Golden Goose’s roster over the years including Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Del Monte, Oasis Fashion, Tetley’s, RSPB, The Tusk Trust and English Heritage.
His desire to explore and arrive at a solution also led to his agency establishing its own licensing admin system in 2020, as he not only sought to make licensing life less complicated but also even more enjoyable for himself and those around him. Further proof that after two decades in licensing, he is still looking to grow and take on new challenges.
“Everyone in licensing deserves an award for having the courage to see what isn’t there and pursue their vision until it becomes a reality,” Adam told LicensingSource.net. “I’d only really fantasised about being the winning ambassador of the year and having actually won, it’s definitely a highlight in a career that has spanned everything from Harry Ramsden’s Mushy Peas to RAC pressure washers and now English Heritage wallpaper.
“None of my achievements would have been possible without the support of my family, industry connections and most importantly my fantastic team who share this award with me. Together we have developed an almost magic formula for successful licensing which is driven by our unchanging mission to work with brands we love to make consumers love them more.”
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