TheSoul Publishing Appoints Buzzfeed Leader as Director of Licensing

TheSoul Publishing, a global digital studio, is expanding its horizons into the consumer product space with the appointment of Ines Pacheco as director of licensing. She brings extensive experience to the licensing space as TheSoul looks to bring its more than one billion social media followers a compelling line of products showcasing the studio’s universe of brands, including 5-Minute Crafts, Bright Side, 123Go! and Slick Slim Sam. 

“There is a huge opportunity for TheSoul Publishing to bring its fans new and exciting ways to interact with our world-class, market-leading brands,” says Patrik Wilkens, vice president of operations, TheSoul Publishing. “From the kid-friendly Slick Slime Sam to the LOL moments on 123 Go!, to the incredible DIY feats on 5-Minute Crafts, our entire offering has proven to both keep up with trends and remain ‘sticky’ to viewers across genres, locations, and age ranges. Bringing in a professional with direct consumer product experience like Ines will help launch this growing aspect of our business and establish TheSoul Publishing brand as a household name.” 

Pacheco previously managed global operations for brand licensing as BuzzFeed’s vice president of licensing and brand design operations. Her portfolio of brand experience categories includes kitchenware, toys and games, food and beverage, pets and apparel. She also developed and executed marketing campaigns for licensed products while building brand guidelines, creating logos and designing packaging. In addition, Pacheco will draw on experience at The Wall Street Journal where she led the rollout of a new sales organization structure. Pacheco is a graduate of Harvard University.  

“I’ve been a fan of TheSoul Publishing’s content for years and I believe there’s a huge opportunity for growth in this space,” says Pacheco. “We’re starting with a massive audience that any marketer would jump to have the opportunity to connect with. Now comes the fun part: figuring out exactly what our audience wants and how to get it to them wherever they shop!” 

TheSoul Publishing capitalizes on consumer trends including 3D technology, stop motion, live-action, music videos, craft projects and animation. Its channels, including 5-Minute Crafts, 123 GO! and Slick Slime Sam, are distributed across social media and streaming platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, TikTok, YouTube, Amazon Prime and Chinese platforms including Xigua, Douyin and Bilibili. 

This latest hire follows TheSoul Publishing surpassing one billion subscribers across all of its social media platforms. Tubular Labs reports TheSoul Publishing has garnered the most online media views every month since October 2020, outpacing legacy creators including ViacomCBS, Sony Pictures, Comcast and The Walt Disney Company.