We delve into the licensing life of Bulldog Licensing’s retail director.
Helena Mansell-Stopher,
Retail Director, Bulldog Licensing
My route into the licensing industry went something like this…
I was offered a month’s temp work through a friend’s friend at a New Year’s Eve party who headed up global publishing at Hit Entertainment. A week in they created a position for me and the rest is history.
How many years in the industry?
18 years.
When I was growing up, I had no idea licensing was an industry so I wanted to be…
A presenter on Blue Peter.
The deal I am most proud of is…
Wow, there has been so many. A global deal with Avon and a local deal with a small fashion brand called Paul’s Boutique were definitely poles apart, but fun to work on.
My most interesting experience in licensing has been…
Seeing how content is created from replacement animation through to beautifully crafted stop frame – a different world but so interlinked to our industry.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is…
You are the most important brand. Be yourself, be honest and don’t ever activate/agree to something if you do not believe in it. Treat the business as your own and people will trust and respect you.
If I wasn’t in licensing, I would be…
In the TV industry.
Who do you admire most in the industry (and why)?
Rob Corney. I first worked with Rob back in the day at 4Kids and I always looked up to what Rob had created with Bulldog Licensing and vowed that I would work and learn for him again one day when the time was right.
In a film of your life, which licensed character would play you?
Little Miss Happy (if there is one). I am a realist but do look at the world with a positive lens.
If I could change anything about the industry, it would be…
People’s perception of the industry. Many people from outside the industry think that licensing is an easy thing to do and requires little skill; they do not realise that there is more to licensing than ‘doing a deal’. Licensing can act as a tool to extend their brand’s voice into areas that they are not marketing to, that there is a theory and practice to category roll outs, retail partnerships, creative strategies, legal and accounting, all dependant on the brand’s DNA. Plus, that getting a brand to retail and cutting through the competition require the right partners, right products all at the right time, and then there is managing the brand and all its touchpoints to ensure one brand voice, phew…
