Brands with Influence Signs New Deals

Licensing agency Brands with Influence has added a swath of new partners for brands including the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and has signed on to represent the BBC’s seasonal "Watch" TV series.

Since showcasing RNLI at Brand Licensing Europe in October, three new licensees have signed on including MBI for jewelry for men and women, pin badges and collectible Steif teddy bears; Carousel for dated stationery products including a 2015 family organizer, planners and diaries; and OtterHouse for non-dated stationery, greeting cards, wrap and ceramics.

TV celebrity and CBBC host Hacker T Dog is now available in a range of toys and plush from Kid Kreations, and the recently released Famous Five 2015 annual is already in the U.K. market.

Also for the Famous Five property, Old Vic Productions has acquired the stage rights to produce a musical version of the book series and Working Title is developing a live-action film franchise for the brand. BWI is currently speaking additional licensees for the brand in the stationery, gifting and homewares categories.

Finally, BWI has signed on the represent BBC's annual "Spingwatch,"" Autumnwatch" and "Winterwatch" TV series that chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the varied seasons in the U.K. The programs are broadcast live from locations around the country and regularly attract more than 2.3 million viewers. Thousands of HD images from the series, covering a wide section of British nature and environments, are now available for licensees.