The Licensing Exchange

The LOOK.Legal Pods
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The Licensing Exchange is a podcast about the business of creativity — where brands, artists, and innovators meet at the intersection of commerce and culture. Hosted by David Schnider and Greg Pan, partners at Nolan Heimann LLP, each episode dives into the world of licensing, brand strategy, and pop culture partnerships through candid conversations with industry leaders who have shaped global trends. From retail pioneers to entertainment executives, guests share how licensing has evolved from handshake deals to billion-dollar franchises — and why creativity, collaboration, and courage remain at the heart of every successful brand. 💡 Part of The LOOK.Legal Pods from Nolan Heimann LLP — lawyers for creative business makers.

Episodes

  1. 4 FEB

    The Licensing Exchange Ep. 5: From Dial-Up to Deal Flow: Ari Zebersky & Dylan Karofsky on Modernizing Licensing

    In this episode of The Licensing Exchange, hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan sit down with Ari Zebersky and Dylan Karofsky, co-founders of Negosh, a technology platform built to modernize how licensing deals are discovered, negotiated, and closed. Drawing on deep roots in the toy and licensing industries, Ari and Dylan share why licensing has long operated like dial-up internet—and how Negosh aims to bring it into the smartphone era. The conversation explores how transparency around territories, categories, and availability can dramatically reduce time-to-deal, why emerging licensees often struggle to find the right IP, and how tools like real-time deal memos, integrated negotiation, and AI-driven guidance can remove friction from the process. The episode also dives into the role of AI in licensing—both as an operational efficiency tool and as a looming frontier for IP monetization—along with trends around creator-driven IP, UGC platforms, social-first fandoms, and the increasing importance of speed in a trend-driven marketplace. A must-listen for licensors, licensees, and anyone navigating the future of brand partnerships, fandom-first IP, and modern licensing infrastructure.

    34 min

  2. 5 JAN

    From Style Guides to Trendsetting: Derrick Baca & Liz DeSilva on Building Fandom-First Merch

    In this episode of The Licensing Exchange, hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan sit down with licensing and consumer-products veterans Derrick Baca and Liz DeSilva to unpack what separates forgettable “logo slap” merchandise from products fans genuinely collect. Derrick shares his path from retail buying into leading licensing strategy, while Liz explains how deep fandom knowledge and creative risk-taking helped transform accessories into must-have collectibles during the growth of Loungefly. Together, they explore: how fandom insight drives product demandwhy fringe and under-merchandised IP can outperform expected blockbustershow teams earn trust to go beyond studio style guidesthe creative and operational realities of working with mom-and-pop retailerswhy limited drops and community engagement matter more than logoswhat they’re building now at The Whatever Company, including the brand “Whatever Makes You Happy”This episode is a practical and candid look at modern licensing strategy for anyone working in consumer products, retail, or brand partnerships.

    38 min

  3. 01/12/2025

    The Power of Licensing: Stu Seltzer on Brand Growth, Collaborations & Competitive Advantage

    In this episode of The Licensing Exchange, hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan speak with Stu Seltzer, President of Seltzer Licensing Group, NYU professor, co-author of Brand Licensing for Dummies, and 2024 Licensing Hall of Fame inductee. Stu shares how he began his licensing career at Yves Saint Laurent, managing 15 global licensees across 60 territories, before moving to Warner Bros./DC Comics and overseeing hundreds of partnerships connected to Batman, Superman, Looney Tunes, and major film releases. He explains how launching Seltzer Licensing Group allowed him to help brands—from UPS to the American Red Cross to Scott’s Miracle-Gro—grow through strategic licensing programs. The discussion covers: • Why licensing can make a good product great • Why licensing cannot make a bad product good • Collaborations like C4 x Popsicle, Kate Spade x Klondike, Dove x Crumbl Cookies • Corporate & nonprofit licensing opportunities • Risk, compliance, monitoring and evaluation • Stu’s NYU brand licensing course and hands-on learning approach • Underrated trade shows like Expo West and the Hardware Show • Strategic licensing plans: how brands identify market categories & revenue potential • Why brand impressions now matter as much as royalty revenue • How licensing creates sustainable competitive advantages This is a masterclass in brand strategy, consumer products, and the evolving licensing landscape.

    47 min

  4. 03/11/2025

    Licensing in Motion: Steven Ekstract on the Future of Brands, Franchises, and Fan Culture

    In this episode of The Licensing Exchange, hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan sit down with Steven Ekstract, a licensing industry visionary and founder of Global Licensing Advisors. Steven helped shape modern brand licensing as the founding publisher of License Global Magazine, brand director of Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group, and co-author of Brand Licensing For Dummies. Now leading Entertainment XTracks, a global thought-leadership series, he continues to identify where the next wave of IP is emerging — from anime to YouTube creators to digital-first franchises. Together, they explore: How licensing evolved from film studios to global brand collaborationsWhy agility and “speed-to-market” define the next licensing eraHow AI, streaming, and creator culture are reshaping IP valueThe lessons learned from Barbie, Netflix, and the new frontier of fan-driven franchises🎧 Listen now for insights from one of licensing’s most influential voices — and what it takes to keep the business of brands in motion.

    44 min
  5. From Garage to Global: Cindy Levitt on Building Hot Topic and the Evolution of Licensing

    12/10/2025

    From Garage to Global: Cindy Levitt on Building Hot Topic and the Evolution of Licensing

    In the premiere episode of The Licensing Exchange, hosts David Schnider and Greg Pan sit down with Cindy Levitt — former Senior Vice President of Licensing at Hot Topic and 2023 Licensing International Hall of Fame inductee — to talk about the evolution of licensing, creativity, and risk-taking in retail. Cindy shares how she helped grow Hot Topic from a garage startup into a cultural phenomenon, revealing how a single licensing decision — bringing SpongeBob SquarePants to college campuses — reshaped the business and put pop culture in the mainstream. 💬 They discuss how licensing has evolved from gut instinct to analytics, what today’s licensors can learn from the past, and why relationships still matter more than spreadsheets. In this episode: The inside story of Hot Topic’s riseHow SpongeBob changed retail licensingThe balance between creativity and financeWhat the future of licensing could look like🎙️ Part of The LOOK.Legal Pods from Nolan Heimann LLP — lawyers for creative business makers.

    56 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

The Licensing Exchange is a podcast about the business of creativity — where brands, artists, and innovators meet at the intersection of commerce and culture. Hosted by David Schnider and Greg Pan, partners at Nolan Heimann LLP, each episode dives into the world of licensing, brand strategy, and pop culture partnerships through candid conversations with industry leaders who have shaped global trends. From retail pioneers to entertainment executives, guests share how licensing has evolved from handshake deals to billion-dollar franchises — and why creativity, collaboration, and courage remain at the heart of every successful brand. 💡 Part of The LOOK.Legal Pods from Nolan Heimann LLP — lawyers for creative business makers.

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