Reflections on Creative Collaboration
by MICHÈLE MARTELL, Founder, Martell Media House PLLC
I fell in love with licensing from the moment that Jim Henson Co. licensing mavens Isabel Miller, Betts Fitzgerald, and Jane Leventhal took me on my first store check and shared their passion for products that empowered people to share their love for the Muppets. During robust and fallow entertainment years, I got a front-row seat on how to fuel fans through innovative and strategic consumer products campaigns authentically.
For a licensing program to make an impact, the original product or experience has to have “it” — that truthful spark of resonance, whether play pattern, story archetype, or emotion — that lures people in. That spark is then nurtured through inbound and outbound licensing partners that match the resonance, who see the fans, and who are willing to expand the ways their IP can be translated into new experiences.
Licensing is part of an ecosystem — a deeply interconnected web of entertainment and media, sports, music, fashion, toys and games, books, consumer products, video games, and beyond. This ecosystem thrives at the edge of innovation. New product types mean new, unexplored areas for collaborations. It operates globally and locally and is increasingly representative of human diversity.
As an entertainment attorney, I like to freely disseminate information about important legal basics — copyright and trademark 101 concepts, important contractual provisions, and the like. One of the main points I convey is about IP and the power of licensing. IP is how you create generational wealth, and licensing is the art and science of supporting, amplifying, and protecting your IP.
Good licensing arrangements enhance both parties’ brand reputations and revenue while supporting and growing a fanbase. Great ones have a transformative power for licensors, licensees, and fandoms alike. For example, Walkabout Mini Golf: Meow Wolf garnered its creators awards for Most Outstanding Immersive VR Experience along with praise for an upcoming Walkabout Mini Golf course based on Aardman Animation’s Wallace & Gromit.
Both Walkabout Mini Golf: Meow Wolf and Walkabout Mini Gold Wallace & Gromit have received praise. | Source: Mighty Coconut
The updated version of Know Your Hairitage: Zara's Wash Day hits retail on Sept. 4, 2024. Author Zenda M. Walker is a Martell Media House client. | Source: RP Kids
Maneuvering through this licensing dance and negotiating the resulting agreements can seem daunting, which is why Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WiT) is bringing its Empowerment Day to Licensing Expo this year. Filled with practical advice and meetings with potential partners, Empowerment Day embodies the best of the industry with accessible networks of people, eager to help.
Fellow licensing attorney (and Toy Book contributor) Stephanie Pottick and I will kick off WiT Empowerment Day at Licensing Expo with a fast-paced real-world look at Licensing In & Out: Key Legal Insights. Many creators, inventors, authors, and entrepreneurs confess they know very little about licensing, and our overview will help ground you in the practical realities and legal concepts.
I evangelize for the licensing business and Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment every chance I get, and recently started a new WiT chapter in Austin, Texas. There is room for everyone in this business — whatever your passions and skills are or wherever your starting point is. Come on in and say hi! We all do better when we all do better.
Thanks — I love you.
A version of this feature was originally published in The Toy Book’s 2024 Licensing & Entertainment Issue. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!
