Happy Halloween!

The news today (actually, it was late last week) is that Brandgenuity has brokered a deal between MGM Studios and streetwear manufacturer Undefeated (UNDFTD) for a line of apparel in time for Rocky‘s 35th anniversary. The collection will include T-shirts, snapback hats, knit hats, crewneck sweatshirts, hoodies, and accessories for Rocky Balboa and opponents including Apollo Creed and Clubber Lang.

The line includes more than 20 pieces and will be in stores for holiday.

It’s time to break out the black turtlenecks. After rounds of intense, top-secret negotiations, Archer is officially no longer under cover. FX’s half-hour international spy comedy has partnered with brand licensing agency Brandgenuity to extend the brand into the products needed to save style, and the world.

“With Archer finishing its second season and gearing up for a third, now is the time to bring the show’s audacious personalities and animations to life and reward the devoted and diversifying fan-base that’s been waiting for Archer to come off the screen,” says Eric Schrier, EVP of FX Productions and SVP of Series Development. “We’re thrilled to embark on another partnership with Brandgenuity. Their savvy has helped It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia create a lifestyle, and we’re excited to launch Archer to similar heights.”

Archer fans know their favorite international man of mystery is every man’s dream and every woman’s worst nightmare, so it’s about time licensed products help render him a reality. Brand extensions will include apparel and accessories, barware, food and beverage, interactive and mobile, social expression, costumes, seasonal products, gift and novelty, games, and collectibles. The visual appeal, dry wit, and raw lust of Archer will reign supreme in product that personifies the show’s ingenious debauchery.

An instant success among men 18-35, Archer follows the CEO, agents, comptroller, secretary, scientist, HR director, and butler of the International Secret Intelligence Service as they battle crime, relationships, vanity, and mommy issues. The employees at ISIS are as dirty and colorful as the office carpet. Veteran TV, stage, and film actors, writers, and improvisers including Jessica Walter, Aisha Taylor, Chris Parnell, and Judy Greer fuel Archer’s action and dialogue. H. Jon Benjamin has been nominated for an Emmy for his outstanding voice-over portrayal of Sterling Archer. Where else can you find such a dysfunctional, sexually deviant, deceitful, and entertaining group of employees?

“Sometimes it only takes one episode to know that a show is more than a show,” says Adina Avery-Grossman, partner at Brandgenuity. “Archer is overflowing with fantastic humor, characters, and visuals—viewership surged from the first season to the second and will definitely keep on jumping. We can’t wait to expand our relationship with FX and give Archer’s devoted fans what they deserve.”

Please fill the envelopes.

The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) today announced 75 nominees for the Annual LIMA International Licensing Excellence Awards, recognizing the industry’s best and most successful licensed properties and products from the past year. Awards in seven categories plus the License of the Year Award will be announced at LIMA’s Opening Night Awards Party on June 8 during Licensing International Expo 2010 in Las Vegas.

Nominations were solicited from across the licensing industry and winners will be chosen by a vote of the LIMA membership.

The License of the Year award will recognize an outstanding property that has had the most significant and profound impact on the licensing community during calendar year 2009. The candidates listed below were chosen by the LIMA Awards Committee from among the category-specific nominees.

Property: Brand Owner/Licensing Agent:
2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic: National Hockey League
Burger King: Burger King/Broad Street Licensing Group
Food Network: Scripps Enterprises/Brandgenuity LLC
Hello Kitty: Sanrio, Inc.
In the Night Garden: Ragdoll Productions/BBC Worldwide Limited
Skelanimals: Skelanimals, LLC/Art Impressions, Inc.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Summit Entertainment

Sixteen awards will be presented to top licensees and properties in seven categories: Art, Character, Corporate, Film/Television/Entertainment, Sports, Licensed Promotions, and Retailer. In addition to acknowledging the Best Brand Program of the Year in the Character, Corporate, Entertainment, and Sports categories, awards for Best Licensee-Hard Goods and Best Licensee-Soft Goods will be presented. In the Art category, best program and best licensee will be recognized. Each winner will receive the coveted etched-glass trophy sporting the LIMA logo.

For a complete list of the nominees in each award category, Read the rest of this entry »

If there’s one thing that makes us wistfully recall our childhoods, it’s Opening Day. (Hey, that’s today!)

If there’s a second thing, it’s Atari.

So pull your head away from the scoreboard for a minute and listen up! Atari has signed nine new licensing agreements through its licensing agent Brandgenuity, including a high-end surfboard deal with Walden Surfboards, high-end and specialty apparel with Lancaster Vintage, scratch-off lottery tickets with Pollard Banknote, men’s apparel with C-Life, swimwear and outerwear with Isaac Morris, wall coverings and decals with Blik, luggage tags and novelty journals with Flapjack Toys, calendars and posters with Aquarius and apparel accessories with Grupo Ruz for Mexico.

The Phantom of the Opera may be dead inside your mind, but it lives at retail.

The Really Useful Group Ltd has announced that it has signed NY-based licensing agency Brandgenuity to develop and manage its US licensing program for The Phantom of the Opera and the forthcoming production Love Never Dies to complement its own in-theater activities.

Admirers of the Phantom phenomenon can look forward to licensed products, including apparel and accessories, social expression, home decor, housewares, HBA, gifts, collectibles, interactive and games as the brand approaches its 25th anniversary.

Have a great weekend!

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. and Food Network have announced that fans of the Wii video game, Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked, can now win a prize pack in conjunction with the game.

The video game, which launched in December, simulates cooking methods and techniques.
Using the motion control capabilities, players learn culinary techniques as they progress through more than 30 Food Network recipes. Designed to take the cooking experience from practice to practical, the game gives players the cooking “chops” they need to create each dish in their real kitchen with ease. For those looking for company in the kitchen, or a little friendly competition, the game lets up to four players cook side-by-side in cooperative Hot Potato multiplayer mode, or face-off in a two-player split screen competitive mode.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. and Food Network are giving fans a chance to win an ultimate prize pack, exclusively through Food Network Store. Now through February 28, participants can register to win one of five grand prizes: a Wii, a copy of the Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked video game, a Food Network apron, and two Food Network reusable shopping bags. Sweepstakes entry form and rules can be found online at http://www.FoodNetworkStore.com. Brandgenuity LLC facilitated the deal.