Cyber Group Studios is among many global children’s animation producers which will be having a strong presence at the Brand Licensing Europe event in London (at ExCel) this week. We caught up Bruno Danzel d’Aumont, the company’s VP of international licensing and marketing to find out what they will be bringing to the popular event:
Can you tell us a bit about what Cyber Group Studios will be taking to the BLE this week and what it will be focusing on in terms of toys and licensing?
Bruno Danzel d’Aumont: Most of the European players in the Licensing industry will attend Brand Licensing Europe show. The biggest focus for Cyber Group Studios will be our key property, Gigantosaurus. In addition to the digital expansion, new content is coming with a 4th season to be released end of 2025. The BLE is the place to meet all our partners and potential new licensees and also sharing the plans on Gigantosaurus for the coming years. Of course, we are also coming with new original IP’s produced by our studio.
Do you have any new licensing programs for any of the existing shows?
Sure, Cyber Group Studios constantly produce original series. I’ll share information on the new IP’s that are the most relevant to licensing development. Three of them will be airing in 2025 or 2026: Alex Player, an original series on e-sport, Press Start! Based on fa successful collection of books published by Scholastic, and the The McFire Family, which is another original series featuring a family of firefighters.
Gigantosaurus has had a very successful licensing program and toy tie-in program. Can you tell us what’s next for the property?
As mentioned, the fourth season will bring new content, one major new character Giganta, new stories where the personalities of the characters evolve from one season to the next. A special focus has also been brought on the digital content to serve the successful Gigantosaurus YouTube channel around the world. Finally, we are benchmarking local or regional success stories to continue to expand the business globally.
What are some of the biggest trends in licensing this year?
The licensing model is expanding to many areas. The entertainment remains the key category. The sport business is continuously growing, the Olympics in France last summer was a good case study! The licensing business is in health & beauty, cars, life style… Artificial Intelligence will also lead to transformation in this section.
What are your plans for the 2024-25?
The plan is to consolidate our presence and also work on the e particularly in Southeast Asia leveraging on the success in Japan, Latin America and Eastern Europe will . New Properties will be developed with our key partners for a product launch expected in 2025 and 2026.
What are some of the biggest tips you can give an animation producer trying to launch a new licensing plan in today’s competitive landscape?
I think that the key words are good storytelling with appealing characters and access to the various media with long term perspectives. The quality of animation and the creativity are also required. Finally, the series must be accessible to the consumers on a global basis through the various media available in the market. The licensing business is also a story of mutual trust among the stakeholders and personal relationship.
For more info, visit cybergroupstudios.com
