The Licensing Exchange

From Retail Floors to Iconic Brands: Miraculous Global Head of Consumer Products Rosalind Nowicki on Building Heritage and New IP

In this episode of The Licensing Exchange, hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan sit down with Rosalind Nowicki, Global Head of Consumer Products at Miraculous, for a wide-ranging conversation about building, refreshing, and protecting iconic brands across decades of industry change. Rosalind traces her path from junior apparel buyer to a career across some of the most recognizable studios and brands in the world — Disney, Universal Studios, 4Kids Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Peanuts Worldwide, and Mattel — and now to Miraculous, where she's leading consumer products strategy for the global ladybug-superhero phenomenon as it enters its second decade. The conversation digs into: * How Rosalind fell into licensing at Disney during the Little Mermaid era and what that "entrepreneurial" early environment taught her * Why heritage brands like Peanuts and Barbie are "killing it" in today's market — and what it takes to keep them relevant * The art of the collaboration: Levi's, Vans, and Marc Jacobs partnerships at Peanuts, and why the best collabs make both brands win * Her Dick Tracy / Breathless Mahoney evening gown collection at Disney — and why thinking outside t-shirts and hats has shaped her entire approach since * How Miraculous is leveraging gaming (nearly a billion plays on Roblox), social listening, and location-based experiences to build the brand * The marketing-vs-revenue tension in collaborations and how to make the case internally * What she looks for in licensees: distribution, passion, creativity, and homework done * Quality vs. quantity in licensing portfolios — and why "you've got to have the fluff to sell the stuff" * Retail compression, the disappearance of regional retailers, and how kids growing up faster has reshaped the toy aisle * Why data has caught up to relationships in the modern licensing business * Her Licensing Expo strategy: pre-show virtual summits, NDAs, and freeing up booth time for real conversation Whether you're a brand owner, licensee, or simply a fan of the business behind the products you grew up with, this episode offers a rare look at how strategy, creativity, and relationships intersect at the highest levels of consumer products licensing. The Licensing Exchange is part of The LOOK Legal Pods from Nolan Heimann LLP, lawyers for creative business makers. Learn more at nolanheimann.com.

From Black Beanies to Global Brands: VP of Licensing Jennifer Staley on Growing BioWorld's Licensing Platform

David Schnider and Greg Pan sit down with Jennifer Staley, Vice President of Licensing at BioWorld — a company that started as a small music accessories headwear business 25 years ago and has grown into a global branded merchandise manufacturer and distribution platform operating across 20 product categories in 13 countries. Jen traces BioWorld's evolution from its early days licensing bands like Slipknot and Limp Bizkit, through a series of strategic acquisitions — including Vandor, Packed Party, and Character World Brands — and shares how the company uses e-commerce and its Heroes and Villains direct-to-consumer site as an R&D testing ground before approaching retail buyers. She also discusses BioWorld Ventures, the company's investment arm supporting the next generation of content creators and consumer brands; the surprising rise of Labubu and the blind box model; growing opportunity in the sports licensing category; and why strong relationships remain the backbone of the industry — even as data increasingly drives decisions.

From Pokémon to Manga's Future: Jazwares President Jeremy Padawer on Collecting and the Toy Industry

Jeremy Padawer, President of Jazwares, shares his journey from Mattel to founding Wicked Cool Toys to leading one of the industry's biggest players. Jeremy discusses his million-dollar Pokémon collection, why he just spent $275K on graded manga, the Logan Paul Pikachu Illustrator card story, getting retailers to take risks on new properties, why kidults are now the #1 toy segment, and his prediction that manga will become the next Superman and Batman. Guest: Jeremy Padawer, President of Jazwares Hosts: David Schnider & Greg Pan, Attorneys at Nolan Heimann LLP

The Licensing Exchange Ep. 5: From Dial-Up to Deal Flow: Ari Zebersky & Dylan Karofsky on Modernizing Licensing

In this episode of The Licensing Exchange, hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan sit down with Ari Zebersky and Dylan Karofsky, co-founders of Negosh, a technology platform built to modernize how licensing deals are discovered, negotiated, and closed. Drawing on deep roots in the toy and licensing industries, Ari and Dylan share why licensing has long operated like dial-up internet—and how Negosh aims to bring it into the smartphone era. The conversation explores how transparency around territories, categories, and availability can dramatically reduce time-to-deal, why emerging licensees often struggle to find the right IP, and how tools like real-time deal memos, integrated negotiation, and AI-driven guidance can remove friction from the process. The episode also dives into the role of AI in licensing—both as an operational efficiency tool and as a looming frontier for IP monetization—along with trends around creator-driven IP, UGC platforms, social-first fandoms, and the increasing importance of speed in a trend-driven marketplace. A must-listen for licensors, licensees, and anyone navigating the future of brand partnerships, fandom-first IP, and modern licensing infrastructure.

From Style Guides to Trendsetting: Derrick Baca & Liz DeSilva on Building Fandom-First Merch

In this episode of The Licensing Exchange, hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan sit down with licensing and consumer-products veterans Derrick Baca and Liz DeSilva to unpack what separates forgettable “logo slap” merchandise from products fans genuinely collect. Derrick shares his path from retail buying into leading licensing strategy, while Liz explains how deep fandom knowledge and creative risk-taking helped transform accessories into must-have collectibles during the growth of Loungefly. Together, they explore: * how fandom insight drives product demand * why fringe and under-merchandised IP can outperform expected blockbusters * how teams earn trust to go beyond studio style guides * the creative and operational realities of working with mom-and-pop retailers * why limited drops and community engagement matter more than logos * what they’re building now at The Whatever Company, including the brand “Whatever Makes You Happy” This episode is a practical and candid look at modern licensing strategy for anyone working in consumer products, retail, or brand partnerships.