Boat Rocker Media is an independent, integrated global entertainment company that creates, produces, and distributes premium scripted, unscripted, live action and animated kids and family content for all platforms, manages top global talent, and develops and monetizes brands and intellectual property. We have a strong creative and business culture that fights for ideas, supports storytellers, and has a track record of ensuring big ideas get distributed to the world.
The Company was founded in 2003 and has 900+ global employees across 7 major cities including: Toronto (Headquarters), New York, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Halifax, London, and Hong Kong. Boat Rocker Media has approximately 40 shows greenlit or in-production and a distribution library of 9,000+ half hours for leading global customers such as Netflix, HBO, BBC, NBC, ABC, Hulu, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Showtime, Discovery, CTV, Global and CBC.

Boat Rocker Studios is seeking an exceptional candidate to join our growing global brand franchise team. The Licensing Director will oversee the Licensing Manager based in the London office. You will serve as a key business leader across the region for the UK, EMEA and Australia whilst also being highly integral global business. This position will strategically plan, build and drive a portfolio of brands, building & developing the consumer products programme within the region, primarily focusing on the kids & family franchise brands, but when opportunities arise will also encompass scripted and factual genres. An entrepreneurial thinker who is excited by scaling a business rapidly within a small team. Partnering internal/externally to secure partnerships across all key categories as well as work strategically to develop and execute integrated brand marketing efforts to ensure overarching franchise growth of the portfolio.

Responsibilities:

Develop extensive strategic 3-5 year regional licensing strategies, rollout plans and set category plans including sales strategy, ensuring strong targeting of core consumer, maximizing brand engagement and awareness.
Monitor and regularly evaluate brand & licensing strategies, brand health and regional activity ensuring success.
Assess, manage, and lead day to day management of the licensing business for the UK, EMEA, Australia, including licensing, retail (B&M and ecommerce) and promotional partnerships.
Be lead deal maker with the support of the Licensing Manager - pitch, negotiate and secure A list partners across all key CP categories aswell as DTRs to deliver against strategy and meet financial forecasts.
Solid retail experience - interacting with retailers alongside licensees and also independently to build and achieve critical mass at retail across our portfolio. Building meaningful relationships with key buyers in key categories to help to secure additional listings, aswell as execute cross category promotions and any other retail activations.
Full 360 licensee management including all brand communications and updates, being key point person to provide brand strategy direction, conduct ongoing strategic business reviews, ongoing performance, renewals, extensions, quarterly and annual reporting.
Responsible for delivering the regional P&L, manage quarterly forecasting and long range planning (both direct business and agent business), working with licensing manager to ensure collection of royalties from licensees under agreement.
Research and identify category gaps and white space. Target new partners to fill these, including manufactures, promotional partners and DTRs with retailers. Generate new and innovative ideas for product line extensions.
Seek brand collaborations to leverage the positioning of Boat Rocker Studios and our IP within the preschool environment.
Day to day sales management of licensing agents across the region, providing sales guidance & support, strategic direction, deal management.
Constantly analyse the rapidly evolving landscape of media platforms, quickly developing expertise in how to build franchise brands and achieve commercial success on new emerging platforms.
Support deal development, working alongside the creative and product development team.
Regularly monitor and review brand/licensing performance across the region, communicating successes and highlighting potential risks to upper management. Have a thorough knowledge of key trends, brands and competitors’ performance
Work closely and build strong relationships with internal stakeholders such as creative development, production, PR, legal, finance, including teams in international markets.

Qualifications

10 years of solid experience within an entertainment, licensing, or retail environments, across all major soft lines and hardlines categories, preferably kids & family content.
Seasoned executive with proven track record in building brands, managing franchises, driving CP revenues with demonstrable sales negotiation experience, delivering against overarching P&L.
Solid understanding of the US retail environment, strong network of contacts.
Capable of shaping and building a business through an entrepreneurial lens, ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize.
Strong presentation skills are critical.
Experience in managing and tracking a wide portfolio of brands at different life cycles.
Strong financial background.
Strong interpersonal, communication and relationship management skills.
Highly organized with the ability to work to tight deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Comfortable working within a small team and within a fast paced environment.
Excellent attention to detail.
Bachelor’s Degree, MBA strongly preferred.

Boat Rocker is committed to hiring and supporting diverse candidates. We strongly encourage applications from people who identify as being part of an under-represented and equity-deserving group. This would include people who identify as racialized, Black, Indigenous, women, LGBTQ2SI+, and having a disability among others. We also recognize the importance of intersectional identities in our hiring and retention.