“We have gigantic global awareness”: Keith Dawkins – President of the Harlem Globetrotters – on brand plans for the iconic basketball team

Keith, it’s great to connect. Let’s start at the beginning. What set you on the path into licensing?
I’m a lifelong media and entertainment guy. The first third of my career was spent as a producer and maker of content – news, general entertainment, sports… Then I spent the lion’s share of my career at Viacom (now Paramount)– that’s when I grew up and became a suit! 14 of my 17 years there was spent on Nickelodeon, running the day-to-day operations of a few of their channels: Nicktoons, TeenNick, Nick Jr… Then I went to the PGA Tour and the World Golf Foundation, then I ran my own company – and then the Globetrotters!

And the reason I’m excited to talk with you about creative is because, at the end of the day, we’re in the business of selling creative. If you do that well, they’ll want buy, click and consume what you’ve created. If you don’t do the creative well – in a way that deeply connects with the consumer – you don’t have a licensing deal to make.

Are there many similarities between striking deals for children’s TV shows and what you’re doing today with the Globetrotters?
Absolutely! It’s all about storytelling and connections. Earlier in my career, if I told a kid I worked at Nickelodeon, they’d say: “Oh my gosh I love Nickelodeon!” If I spoke to a parent, they’d say: “Oh my gosh, my kids love Nickelodeon!” And some of those parents had grown up on Nickelodeon themselves. I run into similar experiences today with the Harlem Globetrotters – it’s a global brand with global awareness. People have a deep affinity and love for the brand.

“We’re in the business of selling creative.”

Absolutely – and I’d use myself as an example of that. I’m not a huge follower of US sports or basketball in general, but I do know the Harlem Globetrotters. Maybe from an episode of The Simpsons or when they popped up in Scooby-Doo! They’re broken through into pop culture in a way that not all ‘sports teams’ do.
I think that’s fascinating – and you’re right. We see plenty of global consumers who might not know Manchester United, or the New York Yankees, or know the ins and outs of cricket – but they know of the Harlem Globetrotters. Some of that is down to our heritage – we celebrate our 100-year anniversary in 2026. Some of that is down to the growth of basketball as a sport – it’s gender-neutral and its global. A lot of it is about the entertainment side of the brand – it appeals whether you love sport or don’t love sport.

The challenge was that as the media landscape and the consumer products world evolved, the Globetrotters didn’t. I think we missed multiple generations of a potential audience as a result of that, but that’s also the opportunity now. We have gigantic global brand awareness – how do we create deeper emotional connections with the audience wherever they are in the world? Our tour is a key part of what we do, but it’s limited in a way… If the only way to engage with the brand is to show up to one of the tour stops, that’s a powerful offering, but a limited one.

We had to rethink of ourselves not as a touring brand, but as a global intellectual property. That’s where this licensing conversation and pathway has come from.

What would say is unique to the Globetrotters brand?
Most big sports brands – the clubs that bring thousands and thousands of people into stadiums – will have a rival… An opponent who you’re either with or against… The Globetrotters is different – they bring everyone together. No-one’s booing the referee and you see the entire cross-section of humanity there. It’s a unique offering and a magical thing. We now want to bring this magic to the masses.

“We had to rethink of ourselves not as a touring brand, but as a global intellectual property.”

How would you present the brand to potential licensees?
It’s still about joy and bringing people together. We’ve had partners come on board that have immediately got it… That’s what’s allowed us to get back on TV for the first time in 40 years. That has meant we’re doing our first sports residency at American Dream. It enabled us to have IMG as our global licensing agency and sign Spalding as a global official ball partner. Those partners get it and understand what the brand was back at its previous heights – but they also understand the future possibilities and why it still resonates.

The thing I would flag to partners is our 100-year anniversary in 2026. You only get one chance to celebrate a milestone like that. How can licensees become a part of that? Because hitting 100 will elevate this boat and take us to a whole new level. It’s an exciting proposition for us and our partners.

Are there product categories you feel are especially suited to the Globetrotters?
There are brands celebrating their own anniversaries coming up and I feel there could be some great alignment there. Outfitting partnerships are of interest and we have key targets in that space.

It all comes down to audience. There are kids out there who we want to become life-long Globetrotters fans – what can we do to engage them? Then there’s the cool kids – 15 to 34-year-olds… The kids who show up at my gym wearing a Tupac t-shirt. Why are they not wearing a Globetrotters t-shirt? That can give the brand a different type of credibility. We’ve done things with brands like UNDRCRWN, Sprayground and Lids in that space.

Then there’s the older demographic – the crowd I’m in somehow!

Ha!
What can we do for this audience that makes sense? I feel we can craft deals for each of these audience demographics. One day you’ll look around and everyone’ll be in Globetrotters apparel!

On that, there is a Globetrotters ‘uniform’ – the kit. Do you see opportunities for characters from other brands to don the Globetrotters jersey as part of collaborations?
Absolutely. If you have an authentic connection with your audience, you can do those kinds of things. Back when SpongeBob was celebrating its 10th anniversary, we did collaborations for Fashion Week. The same thing holds true for us… There’s fashion houses or other brands that have an affinity for the Globetrotters and those collaborations are ripe for the taking for us.

What do you feel are key to successful creative collaborations between licensors and licensees?
Well, brands need to know who they are to know where they’re going – but you also can’t be too rigid about that. Look at Disney acquiring Marvel and Lucasfilm… The Disney I grew up on couldn’t have those things under their tent. They were open to it and no-one sneezes at that today. There are benefits to being flexible sometimes when it comes to your brands… You’ve got to be open to the possibilities.

On that, how do you ‘bend’ a brand without snapping it? How do you push those limits?
It’s an interesting question. Look at Crocs… When my kids were little, it was only kids who wore Crocs. Then it was adults, but you’d look at that and think ‘Interesting’… Now you have NBA players and footballers wearing Crocs. It’s cool! How did that happen? The brand went on a journey and that’s worth paying attention to and reflecting on.

“We have our 100-year anniversary in 2026. You only get one chance to celebrate a milestone like that!”

As a brand leader, I have to consume music, watch what’s happening in entertainment, sports… Talk to people outside of my immediate circle. Ensure your staff is diverse – not just with regards to what they look like but their ages. All of that relevancy – in addition to years of experience – helps me gauge how far to bend a brand.

That all sounds like it must also fuel your creativity?
It does. The first Producer I ever worked for told me: “If you don’t have a life, I don’t need you.” I thought, what does that mean! He was essentially saying that if I’m not watching movies, reading books, doing whatever… I won’t be coming in with more ideas to pitch to him, and so he wouldn’t need me. That has stayed with me.

Sometimes it’s about recharging your creativity battery – going to the gym, something like that… But it’s about having interesting conversations and surrounding myself with interesting people. Living life gives me ideas and ensures I still bring stuff to the table.

The other thing is the brand I’m looking after… When you meet the players and feel who they authentically are, you can’t help but be inspired. It reinforces the fact that I have to do right by this brand, its history and its people.

Thanks again Keith.