WHEN YOU THINK dynamic kids’ programming, who do you think of? Nickelodeon, certainly.

In terms of franchise growth, Nickelodeon ranks among the best in the business, landing comfortably in the top 10 of License Global’s annual Top 150 Global Licensors 2018 report, reporting $5.5 billion in retail sales of licensed consumer products (based on FY2017 financials). But Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products, as the organization is formally known, is much more than child-centric television programming. Its business encompasses numerous global media brands across just as many platforms, from Nick Jr. on YouTube to MTV consumer products, Comedy Central podcasts, Paramount feature films and more.

In May 2018, Pam Kaufman was elevated to the role of president, Viacom Nickelodeon Global Consumer Products, with a remit to oversee the worldwide licensing and merchandising strategy for Viacom’s wide portfolio of properties. Under her tenure, massive entertainment properties like “PAW Patrol,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “SpongeBob SquarePants” have built into long-lasting, multi-billion-dollar global franchises.

Now, Kaufman oversees six distinct areas within the VNCP business–creative, franchise planning, retail marketing, retail, research and insights and business development– as the company continues to grow its powerhouse brands that resonate with fans in every corner of the globe year-on-year. Since her appointment one year ago, Kaufman has been putting in the legwork, amping up her structure to position VNCP to deliver on the high expectations, not only from its corporate board, but from its employees and its brands’ avid fans and consumers alike.

“I’ve spent the good part of this past year focused on this organization,” says Kaufman. “It is an amazing team, and we’ve been laser-focused on building a high-performance culture. What that means is we’ve been really focused on building an organization where people feel heard and empowered. We’re digging into leadership development through a variety of programs–I can’t emphasize enough how much time is being put into building the excellence of this group.” This legwork and development time well-spent have yielded a central strategy that wraps its arms around all the Viacom portfolio has to offer and delivers something for “every age, every aisle, everywhere around the world…”

Read the full story in the latest issue of License Global Magazine!