From News Reader to Licensing Leader: Born Licensing CEO David Born on Nostalgia, Niche IP, and Licensed Advertising

David Born, founder and CEO of Born Licensing, Born to License, and Learn to License, joins hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan on The Licensing Exchange.

David traces his path from reading the news on a premium phone line in Australia to Haven Licensing, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network in London, and explains why he built a business around licensing characters and IP for ad campaigns. He shares the story behind the viral He-Man and Skeletor campaign for MoneySuperMarket, why agencies should bring licensing experts in before the script is sold to the client, and how a brief for Direct Line became campaigns featuring Donatello, Bumblebee, and RoboCop.

The conversation also covers:

• How Born to License helps manufacturers secure consumer products licenses
• Why Learn to License was created for businesses not yet ready to license
• Why nostalgia keeps winning in advertising
• What industry consolidation could mean for licensor teams, neglected IP, and smaller licensors
• Fragmented fandoms, niche IP, and what Comic-Con cosplay reveals about the pop culture zeitgeist

Connect with David Born:
thedavidborn.com
bornlicensing.com
borntolicense.com
Born to License podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Learn more about Nolan Heimann: nolanheimann.com