Publishing

David Sprei – Commercial Director at Penguin Ventures – talks us through his history in licensing, and how he fuels creativity.

“We are beyond excited to celebrate this magical community and bring everyone together for an epic fan festival – more than a traditional fan fest, a true experiential celebration… A must-see event,” said Peter van Roden, Senior Vice President of Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment.

Vanessa Jack, Assistant Licensing Manager at Asmodee Entertainment, talks us through her route into licensing – and her first impressions of the industry.

“I am truly excited to have The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit – one of the world’s most epic fantasy franchises – join the Embracer family, opening up more transmedia opportunities including synergies across our global group,” said Lars Wingefors, Founder and Group CEO at Embracer Group.

As Anderson Entertainment’s New Captain Scarlet graphic novel launches, we meet writer Chris Thompson

“Inspired by the timeless stories of Beatrix Potter, we have been able to create a space that allows children to play in nature and therefore the freedom to imagine,” said Grow2Know’s Tayshan Hayden-Smith.

The game sees players take turns writing down a five-letter Secret Word, while the others try to guess it in the fewest attempts to win.

Start Licensing’s Ian Downes looks at how brands can thrive in the alcohol space – and why booze brands themselves are soaring in areas like snacks, fashion and accessories.

“It is a joy to design the Beatrix Potter collection, to tell these beautiful stories through print is a real pleasure,” said Holly Marler, Creative Director of Cath Kidston.

“Our goal was to kick-off his 60th anniversary with a collaboration that captured Spider-Man’s timeless and effortlessly cool DNA; we couldn’t think of a better partner than Kith to deliver on this through their creative lens,” said Paul Gitter, SVP at Marvel Consumer Products.