Universal Studios Consumer Products Group has formed a moble entertainment division to be run from a day-to-day perspective by Universal veteran Jeremy Laws, who has been promoted to svp. Laws will oversee all aspects of licensing and promotions in the wireless arena, as well as actively pursue and manage licenses from creation to consumption. He will lead a team of sales executives based around the world, including major media markets as Los Angeles, London and Tokyo.
Laws, based in Los Angeles, will continue to report to Beth Goss, evp, Universal Studios Consumer Products Group.
"With the explosion of the mobile data market, it demands the time of a concentrated team that can develop and manage our properties in this space," said Goss. "Jeremy has been spearheading much of our mobile activity already and is masterfully suited to lead a much more aggressive pursuit for positioning Universal content within this important marketplace."
Universal Studios has been aggressive in the mobile content licensing market since 2000 and has more than 60 deals worldwide with premiere partners such as I-play, Gameloft, Buongiorno-Vitaminic, Ojom, Indiagames, Player X, (M)Forma and Starwave Mobile. Universal expects to see continued, substantial revenue growth in this space during 2006, as it launches 30 games and a comprehensive range of graphics, video clips and voice ringers on all major carriers across the globe from Universal's current and library film and television assets.
Laws joined Universal Studios Consumer Products Group as exec director in 1999. He has spearheaded all aspects of licensing in the areas of wireless, broadcast film clips, stills and advertising and has overseen all aspects of Universal's licensed location-based entertainment attractions worldwide. Laws pioneered an end-to-end online solution for film clip licensing and tripled the revenue of that business. He also created an innovative subscription program to facilitate sports leagues using film clips on jumbotrons and negotiated dozens of high-profile advertising deals worldwide that used Universal properties in their creative campaigns.
Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the extensive catalog of NBC Universal properties. The group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004, through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Ent., NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
