We delve into the licensing life of Start Licensing’s director.
Ian Downes,
Director, Start Licensing
My route into the licensing industry went something like this…
I was working in the publishing industry and was asked to find out about rights to some TV series including a football series called The Hurricanes (I think that was it ). This introduced me to the concept of licensing and I then heard about a job at Copyright Promotions. I joined CPL and co-managed the publishing area which included selling rights to properties like The X Files and Star Wars. I nearly didn’t get the job at CPL … the person who interviewed me thought I didn’t have a sense of humour – ever since I take a stand up routine into interviews!
How many years in the industry?
I would say about 22 years… old enough to have licensed Sonic the Hedgehog first time round with Sonic the Comic.
When I was growing up, I had no idea licensing was an industry so I wanted to be…
I actually wanted to be an archaeologist – my interest was fired up by living near the River Thames. Part of my playground was the Thames foreshore and I used to go down to ‘mudlark’ finding all kinds of ‘old’ relics. Unfortunately at secondary school I was told I would need to get an A-level in Chemistry to be an archaeologist – there was no chance of that happening so I gave up on that dream. I still ‘mudlark’ on the Thames and actually got to sell the publishing rights to Indiana Jones – so I got close to my childhood dream.
The deal I am most proud of is…
Recently the deals we have done on the Britvic brands have been ones that I have been pleased to talk about including J20 Frozen Ice Lollies, Tango Popcorn and, of course, Tango Shower Gel.
My most interesting experience in licensing has been…
I have been lucky enough to have done a lot of interesting things – a rough top 5, in no particular order, for me is: (1) Being part of The Light Fund Swim team in Malta (2) Chatting to Bob Geldof at the premiere party for Judge Dredd and explaining ‘licensing’ to him at 2am on the steps of an empty County Hall (3) Being a passenger on a RAF refuelling flight over the North Sea refuelling fighter planes (4) Working on The Beano’s 75th anniversary including the fantastic exhibition on my ‘hometown’ patch of the South Bank (5) Working on The X Files books – a series I loved – the first time I saw one of my ideas coming alive in product terms.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is…
Think things through before returning calls – it’s important to collect your thoughts and, related to this, do not mislead people. Do your best to be open and honest.
If I wasn’t in licensing, I would be…
Something in sport I hope – maybe working in horse racing, football or cricket in a ‘backroom’ capacity. I love sport and like the thought of being part of it.
Who do you admire most in the industry (and why)?
I think I would give a nod of admiration to anyone who has set up and started their own business in any capacity in the industry: a bold thing to do. Although this isn’t possible for everyone, so generally I admire people who show integrity, a consistent approach and try to innovate where they can. I would also use this as an opportunity to say how much I appreciate and admire my industry friends who have really helped me in recent times – there have been many of them and in different ways. The hand of friendship has been extended to me in my time of need which has been a great help.
In a film of your life, which licensed character would play you?
I have always like Mr Benn – so maybe see if he would be interested.
If I could change anything about the industry, it would be…
I think it would be really helpful if licensees gave agents or licensors feedback on their properties. I suspect that licensees do not want to say ‘no’ outright but the sound of silence can be frustrating. I think constructive observations on properties could really help and, of course, if it is a ‘no’ I think it is better to know. So a bit more communication would really help. It is good to hear from customers.
