The Licensing Q&A… with Tina-Louise Foster

We delve into the licensing life of MGA Entertainment’s senior director of licensing.

Tina-Louise Foster,

Senior Director Licensing, MGA Entertainment

My route into the licensing industry went something like this…

Shoe shop girl, PR sweetie, move to The Big Smoke to work with Pokémon (first time around!), Looney Tunes and a young wizard called Harry. Quickly decided I wanted to be rich and the closest I could get in my 20’s was licensing a new TV game show named Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

How many years in the industry?

18 rollercoaster years and loving it.

When I was growing up, I had no idea licensing was an industry so I wanted to be…

A fashion designer.

The deal I am most proud of is…

My marriage. I pitched, it took 7 years for the proposal and by the following summer, the deal was signed!

My most interesting experience in licensing has been…

And continues to be, learning the dynamics and history between companies, why certain things will never likely happen in our industry and when a person or company challenge a way of working. Not accepting just because it’s always been done that way meaning it cannot be changed.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is…

Do more of whatever makes you happy.

If I wasn’t in licensing, I would be…

An interior designer. Gotta love a mood board!

Who do you admire most in the industry (and why)?

I admire those individuals who have a true belief and passion in their ideas and business, to play the big boys at their own game.

In a film of your life, which licensed character would play you?

The kind and caring Mary Poppins. She relishes a challenge, gets the job done (with an element of fun, of course) and doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

If I could change anything about the industry, it would be…

To bring Licensing Expo back to the East Coast so that more of our international business would attend.