What is a Property? For most people the term "Property"
generally brings to mind real estate or a belonging. In the
world of entertainment or licensing and merchandising, a
Property refers to a character or a group of characters. In
other words, an Intellectual Property. Well known examples
are Mickey Mouse as a single Property or the Teenage Ninja
Turtles as a group Property.
Properties can be utilized or arise in a book, a comic
book, as an image on a cup or can be the focus of a
television program or can be utilized in a television
commercial.
Billions of dollars have been generated since Mickey Mouse
developed in the wonderful mind of Walt Disney and of
course the Disney Corporation is the epitome of
intellectual Property rights that all others aspire to.
What does a Property consist of? This is where matters
become confusing. If you can imagine in your mind, a pizza
pie that has been cut up into slices. Or, better still,
take a sheet of paper and draw a pizza or a circle. Then,
divide the circle into parts ' let's say sixteenths. Each
one of those sixteen pieces represents a different part of
the whole and each one of those pieces can be sold off or
licensed, as is more the common practice.
The following are some of the more common categories that
are licensed off as part of a Property; publishing, music,
board games, electronic games, clothing, television, action
figures, plush dolls, remote control toys, play sets,
cards, greeting cards, educational products and so on.
Obviously, the more popular the Property, the more
licensing fees are generated and the wider the range of
products.
A wonderful example of a Property that spun off from a
first book is Harry Potter. I'm sure that when JK Rowling
was slogging over her first book in a London cafe, she had
no idea that Harry would become a world-wide phenomena
spawning a huge array of children's products.
If you have an idea for children that you think kids around
the world will crave after, get started. The North American
licensing and merchandising market totaled sales of over
$60 Billion in 2006 and North American kids spent over $200
Billion in the same year.
How to get started you ask? If you have an idea for a
character and have limited artistic abilities, hire an
illustrator or an art school student to take from your mind
and transpose it onto paper. If you enjoy telling stories
that kids like, even if your writing abilities are
marginal, write them down. The point is - get started.
Don't imagine you are going to be an overnight success. It
takes hard work, long hours and a lot of money to become
and overnight success, however, if you can develop your
idea into something kids enjoy or better still want, you
are halfway there.
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Michael Trigg is a founder of You N Me Productions Corp, a
Canadian company who has partnered with Shogee Inc. an
international animation company to produce Greanwold's
World, a 3D Web portal for children. Greanwold can be seen
at http://www.greanwold.com
