We chat to Federico SanMartin, vp global consumer products at The Jim Henson Company.
Firstly, how has your business been performing in general over the past 12 months?
Over the last year, we’ve focused our efforts on growing our licensees and licensing revenue by refreshing existing properties, as well as introducing a number of exciting new projects, too.
Our distribution team has done an incredible job securing carriage agreements for Dinosaur Train in over 200 territories around the globe, confirming a long lifespan for the series internationally and here in the US.
We’ve also recently announced Jazwares as our new master toy partner for Dinosaur Train. We anticipate the toy line to debut at mass and online retailers in the U.S. and in select international markets in fall of 2016. We expect a full international rollout for spring 2017.
Internationally, we have new licensing partners in Germany and Italy, as well as Russia and the UK. We’re also in the process of finalising multiple deals in several categories, including publishing, apparel and bedding, in various key territories that complement our existing partners and expand the Dinosaur Train world.
This past year has also been incredibly successful for our classic titles, especially Fraggle Rock and Labyrinth, which celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Labyrinth, there will be special screenings to take place all across the country, some that will coincide with special local events. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is also on board with a limited engagement theatrical run of the film at select movie theaters in the US on September 11 and 14 of this year.
All of the anniversary celebrations have ignited consumer demands for new designs according to our long-standing licensee, Ripple Junction. This year, sales of products featuring Jareth the Goblin King and other iconic characters from Labyrinth, have climbed sharply over the past several months with no signs of slowing. They are available through premiere retailers like Hot Topic and Box Lunch.
In addition, Trevco also confirms a 170% increase in sales since last year, with support from retailers like Torrid, Art.com, SevenTimesSix.com, 2bhip.com, Zulily and Choxi/NoMoreRack.com. And we also welcomed a new partner, Zen Monkey Studios, who are introducing 30th anniversary pins and apparel in the US and Canada.
Other Labyrinth licensing partners include Trademark Products (apparel and headwear in the UK), Truffle Shuffle (apparel, ceramics, bags, prints for the UK); River Horse (Board game in multiple territories); Funko (collectible stylized figures in multiple territories); Card Corporation (debit cards in the US, Canada); Toy Vault (plush, novelty, games in the US); and Boom Entertainment (worldwide publishing).
And if that isn’t enough to keep us busy, we’re also eagerly pitching our new preschool properties Dot., Word Party and Splash and Bubbles to equally enthusiastic potential licensing partners.
What will be your main focuses at Licensing Expo this year?
While our overall goal continues to be extending the brands of The Jim Henson Company and its more than 60 years of innovative, engaging and quality content, our main focus for Licensing Expo this year is two-fold.
First, we are committed to supporting and expanding our licensing partnerships for our classic and established properties like Dinosaur Train, ensuring a fresh and steady supply of quality consumer products to meet the expectations and demands of our loyal fan base.
Second, we are committed to securing long-term licensing partnerships for our new properties, Dot., Word Party and Splash and Bubbles. We want to safeguard the integrity of these new brands by identifying and forging partnerships with entities in key categories (toys, apparel, publishing) that will be equally devoted to developing overarching and sustainable consumer product lines that feel authentic and convey the message points of the show, its storylines and its main characters.
We are currently engaged in the discussions process with a number of potential partners and hope we will be able to finalise many of those shortly after Licensing Expo.
How strong is the US licensing industry in general at the moment, do you think? Do you see any trends emerging?
The US licensing industry continues to be strong, driven by a robust entertainment industry. New shows and new technologies continue to fuel the licensing industry; however, there is also a fascinating resurgence of nostalgic or classic brands, which manage to consistently rank among the top licences.
I believe the growing trends in media consumption, especially for children, are changing the role of traditional TV distribution and viewership. These changes on viewership patterns comes with multiple challenges that licensors, licensees and retailers are trying to better understand. How do you break through all the available content? How do you time a product lunch when the demand for a show is so fragmented?
Figuring out this new evolving business model is a challenge that impacts the entire licensing industry.
What would you most like to achieve at the show this year?
My top achievement for Licensing Expo would be to turn ongoing conversations with potential licensing partners into finalised licensing agreements. More specifically, I would love to secure the master toy partners for our latest, exciting properties Dot., Word Party and Splash and Bubbles.
After that, I look forward to building out our established consumer product programs with secondary categories such as novelty toys, kids electronics and stationery. Equally important is continuing to build and strengthen our relationships with retailers, keeping them informed on all of our current and new shows, as well as what we have in the development pipeline.
