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.

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 demand
• why fringe and under-merchandised IP can outperform expected blockbusters
• how teams earn trust to go beyond studio style guides
• the creative and operational realities of working with mom-and-pop retailers
• why limited drops and community engagement matter more than logos
• what 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.

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.