Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), which manages licensing for a number of global and regional brands in both Italian-speaking markets and Eastern Europe, has announced that its second appearance at BLE will see the launch of its very own booth: F122.

Only four years after its formation by respected industry veteran Maurizio Distefano, the agency that takes his name has an extensive list of properties and clients, including some of the most popular names in entertainment around the world. But that’s not all. The recent opening of a new Warsaw office not only serves as a base from which MDL can grow its Polish business but will also allow MDL to explore and develop other eastern European territories.

And there are certainly lots of major names to promote. For Italy they include Masha and the Bear, a massive pre-school hit, not only as a TV show with two spin-off series but also online and in licensing. Its latest success has been the arrival of a new 10,000 m2 themed area devoted to the wildly popular children’s characters at Leolandia, Italy’s most popular theme park.

Rovio Entertainment brands Angry Birds and the spin-off Hatchlings brand have inspired games, a hit movie, theme parks, animated series and strong presence in YouTube, as well as a wide range of licensed products in such categories as back to school, personal care, publishing, toys, clothing and food. With 4.3 billion game downloads since 2009, and a successful and ongoing licensing campaign for a number of years, Angry Birds is likely to remain a leader in the MDL portfolio for some time to come. And the second Angry Birds movie – introducing new characters and exciting new locations and set for release in September 2019 – will be a further massive boost to an already very strong licensing campaign.

A new broadcast deal with RAI in Italy has brought Bing to Italian TV screens for the first time. The award winning pre-school show is proving to be a huge success, with 15 episodes per day on RAI YoYo and a strong presence on social media. The stories of Bing and how he experiences the highs and lows of everyday life - uniquely from a preschool perspective - resonate deeply with preschool viewers and their grown-ups.

ALVINNN!!! And the Chipmunks is an all-new version of the much-loved kids’ show. The success of the series has led to a strong licensing campaign managed by MDL. Additionally, next year will mark the 60th Anniversary of the Chipmunks.

emoji® — The Iconic Brand takes the notion of tens of billions of messages sent daily and containing almost six billion icons, and brilliantly translates it into a brand with an appeal that crosses generations and genders and that has an enormous library of graphics. The emoji company is the owner of the registered emoji® trademark in up to 25 classes in more than 100 countries around the globe. Altogether the emoji company owns more than 800 trademarks and created more than 10.000 registered icons and characters protected under applicable copyright laws and available for legal licensing and merchandising, promotions, loyalty programs and marketing activities of any kind. The emoji company works with more than 500 global licensee and partners include renowned companies such as Zara, Sony Pictures Animation, Global Brands Group, Kipling, Walmart, Mango, Pull & Bear Target, DeFacto, Koton, Urban Outfitters, Primark, Unique Industries, Fuji, O2, Nikon, Nestle, Ferrero, Kellogg’s, Tesco, Danone, Target, Burger King, C&A amongst others.

Tetris®, one of the most recognizable and influential video game brands in the world, will celebrate its 35th anniversary throughout 2019.

Another property with strong licensing potential on the MDL roster is children’s brand Monchhichi, the adventures of little characters that create children’s dreams, is already on air both on Frisbee and DeA Junior and a toy distribution deal for Italy has already been agreed.

MD Licensing also manages the global licencing campaign for one of Italy’s best-loved and most identifiable fashion brands — Camomilla Milano – and Chic & Love, a Spanish fashion and accessories brand that combines a sexy and attractive street look with a modern and comfortable style that incorporates Swarovski® crystals into many of its collections.

Number One Supplier of Happiness is the promise of GAPCHINSKA brand, which is based on the art of popular Ukrainian artist Eugenia Gapchinska and is inspiring a strong licensing programme in many countries across the world.

Simon's Cat, an animated cartoon and book series about a hungry house cat, Gigantosaurus, the adventures of four young dinosaurs as they explore their prehistoric world, and web hit Hamsta World, which combines the cute look and habits of real hamsters with its very own hilarious language, are other major prospects targeting the Italian market through MDL.

Many of these brands will also be part of the MDL portfolio for Eastern Europe, along with the hit French animated comedy series Oggy and the Cockroaches. MDL is also building a strong football-based portfolio for the region, focusing on the football superbrands Inter FC, AS Roma, and Atletico Madrid and Polish Brand Gornik Zabrze.

Maurizio Distefano, President and Founder of MD Licensing, said: “After our extremely successful first appearance at BLE in 2017, there is no doubt that MDL is in a good position to enhance its presence at the definitive event for the licensing industry in Europe. This year therefore we look forward to welcoming visitors to our very own stand at F122, where we have lots of news, plans and exciting brands to tell them about.”