Genius Brands International, Inc. has appointed Denise Kovac to the position of marketing director. Kovac has more than 25 years of consumer products experience, including product development, brand development, and marketing in the $300 billion direct response market.

Kovac will launch the first direct response marketing campaign for Baby Genius DVD and CDs. The worldwide campaign will first launch in the U.S. this Q1 with broadcast commercials, accompanied by a new Baby Genius website. A new line of Baby Genius musical and early learning toys from Jakks Pacific’s Tollytots division will launch this fall.

Throughout her career, Kovac served in top-level executive positions, including COO of Your Baby Can, LLC; president of Thane Direct, USA; president of Bay Street Brands; and vice president of Sales at Fitness Quest/Warner Vision where she also managed sales for Atlantic Records, Electra Records, and Rhino Records divisions. She also ran her own consulting firm, Managed Full Service Marketing.

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) President Bob Chapek today announced Josh Silverman as executive vice president of global licensing for Disney and Marvel. Silverman is currently senior vice president of global strategy, business development and brand management for Marvel Entertainment.

In his new role, Silverman will ensure business maximization through collaboration with internal partners, licensees, and the newly combined retail organization throughout The Walt Disney Company. Internationally, he will work closely with regional licensing teams to leverage DCP’s scale and best practices.

Silverman began his career at Marvel Entertainment in 2001 as a corporate attorney in the business and legal affairs group and by 2006 was vice president, business affairs, responsible for structuring strategic partnerships and licenses. In 2008, Silverman was promoted to senior vice president, global business development and licensing operations, and again in 2010 to his most recent role, where he has been responsible for leading integration into Disney; working across Marvel divisions on global strategic and tactical matters; and corporate brand management. Currently based in New York City, Silverman will soon relocate to Southern California and will be based in DCP’s Glendale headquarters.

Debra Restler has been named associate vice president of business development & marketing at Beanstalk. She is responsible for forging new client relationships for the agency across multiple industries, including corporate brands, celebrities, and entertainment properties. In addition, she oversees all aspects of the agency’s corporate communications, continuing to build awareness of Beanstalk as an innovator in the licensing industry.

Restler, who previously held the role of director of business development & marketing, has worked for Beanstalk for the last 12 years. She will report to Allison Ames, senior vice president of brand management.

Ahead of Brand Licensing Europe next week, Mind Candy revealed a monster licensing program for global kids hit Moshi Monsters, with more than 40 UK licensees on board, another 60 signed internationally, and six recent hires bolstering the global licensing team. Mind Candy’s head of global licensing, Darran Garnham, has grown the team from two to nine people, and increased its partner lineup from nine to more than 100 since January.

Licensing Partners
UK: The company started this year with a toy launch from Vivid (master toy partner). Its premium partner lineup included Penguin (publishing), Topps (trading cards), Winning Moves (Top Trumps), and SkyJack (magazine). Mind Candy has since announced deals with Ty (beanie babies), Activision (Nintendo DS), and Mega (construction blocks). With more than 40 licensees now signed up for the UK, new partners hitting shelves this side of Christmas include E-max (claybuddies), Lazerbuilt (DS accessories), Prima Games (game guide for the DS), Smith and Brooks (daywear), Cooneen and Misirli (nightwear and underwear), Character World and Worlds Apart (bedroom textiles), Gemma International (greeting cards, party wear), Paper Project (stickers), Amscan (foil balloons), Lightbody’s (cakes), Bon Bon Buddies (confectionery – advent calendars), Spearmark and Milkshake Creations (lunchware and tableware), Trademark (bags), and H Grossman (wheeled).

U.S.: The U.S. program now has more than 50 premium partners on board across softlines, toys and games, hardlines, publishing, novelty, activity, back-to-school, and celebration. Category announcements will follow in the coming weeks.

Australia: Mind Candy’s local licensing agent Fusion has brought in 11 partners across categories including a QSR, softlines, and apparel. Deal announcements will follow.

European plans are currently in development with announcements imminent.

Team Expansion

UK Team
Clare Wiggins joins from Chapman Entertainment as head of Moshi Live and is set to establish and develop the live experiences for Moshi users. Mind Candy is looking at all formats from a live music tour to immersive branded attractions in theme parks.

Ex-Disney exec Sarah Hodges joins as retail partnership manager, working with licensees and retailers to head up the strategy for Moshi at retail.

Long-standing Mind Candy producer Jack McCall has made an internal move to head of product development, working closely with all partners to ensure the integrity and fun of the brand is carried through within every product.

Matt Shone joins from Firebox as contracts & royalty manager, and Dave Tovey, Mind Candy’s UK licensing manager, remains central to the team, having joined at the start of this year.

U.S. Team
Caitlin Gutekunst joins as licensing manager, Americas, reporting to Eric Karp, head of licensing, Americas within Mind Candy’s New York office. Brad Schultz was recently announced as head of Moshi TV, working out of Los Angeles on a new VOD platform that’s currently in development.

Mind Candy is currently looking into plans for international expansion with further announcements anticipated early next year.

Michael Acton Smith, CEO and founder of Moshi Monsters will talk about the company’s growth and future plans during his keynote speech at Brand Licensing Europe, October 18, 1 p.m., at the Licensing Academy, which is open to all BLE attendees.

Twentieth Century Fox Television has named entertainment marketing executive Jeffrey Godsick to the position of president, Fox Consumer Products. Godsick will oversee all of Fox’s consumer products activities and staff, reporting to Twentieth Century Fox Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden, and starts immediately. Robert Marick, EVP of Consumer Products, remains on board, reporting to Godsick.

Godsick will oversee the worldwide licensing of Fox’s portfolio of film and television properties across platforms including interactive gaming, themed entertainment, television promotions, literary publishing, and a wide array of consumer product categories. Headquartered in the operating unit’s West Coast office, Godsick will manage both its Los Angeles and London-based operations.

Previously, Godsick held several senior marketing positions at Twentieth Century Fox’s feature film division, most recently as senior executive vice president. He began his tenure at Fox in 1995, as SVP, publicity, and was upped to EVP of marketing a few years later. He left the studio in 2006 to become president of Fox-Walden, where he oversaw all aspects of the campaigns for the company’s slate of feature films. Godsick returned to Fox in 2008 as EVP, before his promotion earlier this year to senior executive vice president. Throughout the years, Godsick has played key roles in the studio’s campaigns for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: First Class, Rio, Avatar, the Ice Age films, the Star Wars films, the original X-Men film trilogy, Moulin Rouge, Independence Day, and many others.  Before joining Fox, Godsick was a senior executive at Rogers and Cowan, where he oversaw all domestic and international film operations as well as the firm’s London office.

Godsick began his career at Columbia Pictures as an assistant field manager, working on the films The Karate Kid and Ghostbusters, among many others. A graduate of Tulane University, Godsick sits on the board of trustees of Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and is a member of the advisory committee of the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Today, Discovery Communications, Exhibits Development Group announced the launch of MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition, in partnership with the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago and Geoffrey M. Curley + Associates. The exhibition, set to debut March 15, will explore the truth behind popular myths by mixing scientific method with curiosity and old-fashioned ingenuity, creating a hands-on interactive experience for guests of all ages.

The Discovery Channel’s Emmy-nominated series, co-hosted by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, has taken science to a new level, mixing their extensive backgrounds in special effects and curiosity to test every myth for its falsity or truth, and can now be enjoyed by the masses.

In the exhibit, guest will learn about myths, the MythBusters, and what experimenting is all about by participating in a series of fun, hands-on experiences and live demonstrations. Experiments will cover topics such as flight, friction, gravity, speed, and combustion.

The exhibit will also showcase a Blueprint Room, based off the real-life operations room of MythBusters; a Workshop Room, where guests turn into investigators and use real science to test myths and answer a series of challenging questions; and the Live MythBusters Demonstration Stage, which gives guests the opportunity to view and participate in live science demonstrations that dissect myths with the help of MythBusting facilitators.

Tickets for the exhibition at MSI go on sale December 1 and will also tour 14 additional cities in the U.S. and Canada. For an extensive list, visit www.exhibitsdevelopment.com.

—Ericka Johnson

NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group has brought Kerry O’Donnell on board as the director of global licensing. She will focus on sales and product development for NBC and USA Network properties.

O’Donnell previously served as director of merchandising and licensing for ABC Entertainment Group, where she managed consumer products and licensing for properties including Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars, and Wipeout. O’Donnell led financial analysis, deal recommendations, and contract negotiations for license opportunities, including e-commerce, video games, books, action figures, trading cards, toys, greeting cards, and apparel, according to NBCUniversal’s announcement.

Purina Pet Gear Products Launch at Walmart

Under a license with Nestle Purina PetCare Company to use the Purina brand, the oneCARE Company’s line of Purina Pet Gear products is now available in Walmart stores throughout the United States. The new line, which includes training pads and household cleaners, can be seen in its entirety at its recently launched Facebook page.

Harry Potter Film Boosts Orders of Kymera Magic Wand

Sales for the Kymera Magic Wand, by the Dragon’s Den, have increased 350 percent since the July 15 release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, according to the UK’s ToyNews. Developed in the UK, the Kymera Magic Wand is a motion-sensitive, button-less universal remote control for iPods and TVs, using high-tech gesture recognition and a standard infrared signal.

M!KE Licensing Signs Licensee for Yak Pak Bedding

M!KE Licensing appointed Cody Direct as the exclusive licensee for Yak Pak bedding. The Yak Pak domestics lifestyle collection will consist of decorative bedding, blankets, throws, indoor slumber bags, sheeting in all thread counts and fabric constructions, soft storage, novelty pillows/cushions, and accent rugs, according to the release.

M!KE Licensing is seeking licensees for Yak Pak in categories including party paper goods, eyewear, pajamas/underwear, fleece, hosiery, and sporting goods.

—Melissa Tinklepaugh

The time-traveling duo Bill S. Preston, Esquire,  and “Ted” Theodore Logan, of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, were a big hit back in the early ‘90s, popularizing such So-Cal jargon as “most righteous” and “excellent,” spawning a sequel and a cartoon spin-off, and launching the career of at least one of its stars, Keanu Reeves.

Although the duo haven’t serenaded audiences with air guitar in quite a few years, their spirit lives on in the world of licensing. Universal theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood are renewing Bill & Ted Excellent Halloween Adventure for the 20^th year and Creative Licensing Corporation has signed on three new licensees for the Bill and Ted roster, including American Greetings for online greeting cards, Perri’s Leathers for guitar picks and straps, and Microgaming for online slot machines.

Word has it Bill and Ted will make a big screen comeback with a third movie. We all know what Keanu’s been up to, but we admit it would be pretty cool to see an older Alex Winter.

—Mackenzie Allison

In 1981, Diana Spencer and Prince Charles got married. Their eldest son, Prince William, and his ladylove, Catherine Middleton—or simply “Kate,” are now set for their own royal wedding.

In the hearts and minds of British subjects, it’s been a long time coming: The pairs on-again, off-again courtship spanned nearly nine years, causing several British tabloids to nickname the soon-to-be-Royal “waity Katie.”

Well, the wait is finally over and the two got engaged in October 2010, with the wedding scheduled for April 29 at Westminster Abbey.

It took no time for merchandizing to begin—several products were already collecting dust in anticipation of the royal announcement. Fans of fairytale weddings can collect stationery by the Royal Mail, china sets from Aynsley China, and coins by the Royal Mint.

In the world of games, card game company Top Trumps has produced a limited-edition Royal Wedding pack. Categories include VIP, Age, Style Icon, Celebrity Press, and Big Day Rating.

A license has even been signed to watch the wedding on the high seas. OceansTV, a provider of in-cabin TV entertainment to cruise line companies, has signed a non-exclusive distribution agreement with BBC World News for the licensing of the channel’s Royal Wedding coverage.

The BBC will be broadcasting live throughout the day, including from within Westminster Abbey during the ceremony.

Royal Caribbean International, Princess Cruise Lines, P&O UK and Holland America are amongst the fleets that will be showing the Royal Wedding coverage to their passengers.

Here’s hoping the two have a long-lasting marriage.

—Mackenzie Allison

The mega chain 7-Eleven is known for 24-hour service, hot dogs and the famous Slurpee. For the month of April, the Slurpee is getting a facelift in the form of Thor superheroes. A promotion for the Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures May 6 release, select 7-Elevens in the U.S. and Canada are carrying 10 different collectible cups for its Slurpee and Big Gulp beverages, including two limited-edition molded plastic mugs featuring Thor and the Destroyer, one of the villains in the movie. Among the eight collectible cups are featured Thor’s nemesis and stepbrother Loki, and Sif, a goddess who carries a big sword.

In addition, during the month of April, the recently launched Slurpee app will be re-imaged with a Thor overlay, and visitors will be invited to check in via Foursquare at 7-Eleven stores around the country. With every check-in, Slurpee fans will accumulate prizes and Slurpee Rewards points redeemable by phone or at www.slurpee.com.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this is the first full-length feature film about Thor. A 7-Eleven store will also make a cameo appearance.

Gotta love product placement, right?