The licensing industry is mourning the sudden death of Bill Burke.
Burke was a global licensing veteran that joined Licensing International as senior vice president of marketing and communications this past February after spending more than 13 years leading global marketing, retail, international licensing, and licensing operations for brands including Star Trek at ViacomCBS Consumer Products.
“Bill was already a beloved and admired person within the industry when he joined the Licensing International team in February,” says Maura Regan, president of Licensing international. “In his brief period with us, and for those who hadn’t the pleasure of working with him previously, he quickly became a friend, creative spark, and trusted sounding board for everyone on staff. It’s a measure of the man that he particularly enjoyed mentoring our interns, making sure that they got as much out of us as we got out of them. We will miss him personally and professionally.”
Prior to his work at CBS Consumer Products, Burke developed strategies for brands including Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Barney, and The Wiggles at HIT Entertainment. He previously developed licensing partnerships for Sesame Street and Dragon Tales at Sesame Workshop.
Burke is survived by his wife Patty, daughter Erin and son Ryan. Burke was just 55 years old.
