It was just announced that Techno Source USA has joined the family of Li & Fung Limited, following a March 14, 2011 agreement under which LF Products has acquired the business assets of Techno Source USA, Inc. The Techno Source business will continue to operate under the management of founders Rich Migatz and Wayne Nathan, as well as Eric Levin, and provide a platform for Li & Fung to continue to build and expand its toy business globally.
Authentic Brands Group is a brand development and licensing company. In conjunction with parent company Leonard Green & Partners, its mandate is to acquire, manage, and build long-term value in prominent consumer brands. President and CEO Jamie Salter discusses how the company started to build its brand stable by acquiring various brands related to mixed martial arts, including TapouT, Silver Star, and Sinister.
Over the past few months, aNb Media has been speaking with manufacturers from the Halloween industry. The December issue of Toys & Family Entertainment included an analysis on the three major Halloween-related trade shows in the U.S. The largest of the three shows—Halloween & Party Expo—was held in January in Houston and feedback from the show has been positive.
Art Impressions represents intellectual property owners such as artists, illustrators, designers, photographers, manufacturers, publishers, and celebrities. Among the properties the agency represents is SO SO Happy. Cindy Bailey, CEO of Art Impressions, discusses launching the property and establishing it in the marketplace.
SO SO Happy is a character-based brand featuring robots, monster-like creatures, and those that fall under the category of “odditees.” The SO SO Happy website describes the brand’s mission as embracing individuality, building self confidence, and inspiring positivity and acceptance among all beings—real or imagined.
DuneCraft was founded in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in January of 2002, by Grant Cleveland, a serial entrepreneur with a background in accounting, finance, horticulture, and internet software development. The company’s first offerings were terrariums designed to grow plants from seeds and have grown to include a full range of plant-related kits as well as science kits. Cleveland, who serves as CEO and president, talks about the growth of his company and its forays into licensing.
W!ldbrain Entertainment develops television programming, motion pictures, short-form programming, commercial content, and consumer products. The company was recently acquired by DHX Media. Erin Webb Dippold, W!ldbrain’s director of licensing, fills us in on the latest news at W!ldbrain for its popular Yo Gabba Gabba! property, as well as others.