About this podcast
Unlock the secrets of the $350 billion licensing industry with David Born, CEO of Born Licensing & Born to License. Whether you’re a business owner, brand enthusiast, or curious about how your favorite characters and brands make their way onto products, this podcast is your ultimate guide to the world of licensing.
Join David as he shares insider stories, practical tips, and real-world examples, helping you navigate the exciting intersection of creativity, commerce, and collaboration. From product development to pitching, licensing terminology to success stories—get ready to discover the untapped potential of this dynamic industry.
New episodes every two weeks.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 83 episodes
- Licensing + E-Commerce: What Works, What It Costs, and When You’re Ready | EP 01 · 1 h 36 min · Season 4 Episode 1Paid acquisition is getting more expensive, marketplaces are more crowded, and copycats can appear within days. In the first episode of the new Licensing Plus format, David Born…
- We're Going Deeper Than Ever — Born to License Season 4 Starts October 12th · 1 min · Season 4Season 4 of Born to License starts October 12th, and it's a whole new format. We're calling it the Licensing+ season. Each month focuses on one topic where licensing overlaps…
- We're Shaking Things Up! Why We're Going From Weekly to Monthly · 2 min · Season 3 Episode 33It's been a big year for this podcast, and it's about to get bigger — just not in the way you'd expect. Starting in October, Born to License is moving from weekly to monthly…
- The Bluey Movie Will Be the Biggest Licensing Moment of 2027 · 13 min · Season 3 Episode 32Bluey is going to be the biggest licensing moment of 2027 — bigger than Shrek 5, bigger than Frozen 3, bigger than anything else on next year's slate. That's a bold claim, but…
- The 2026 Top Global Licensors Report: Disney's Still #1, But the Gap Is Closing · 10 min · Season 3 Episode 31Vote for David to speak at SXSW: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1784330347706001xria Disney has held the number…
- Inside the World's Biggest Licensing Machine: Disney in 2026 · 8 minIt started with a Lego set. A fan submission through the Lego Ideas platform — Mulder's office, a hovering UFO, eight minifigures, a short film starring Gillian Anderson — and…
- I Spent a Day at Comic-Con 2026 - Here's What a Licensing Pro Actually Sees · 22 min · Season 3 Episode 29No script. No studio. David Born drove from LA to San Diego, spent a full day on the floor of Comic-Con 2026, and brought a microphone along for the ride. 130,000 pop culture…
- Buried in the Paramount-Warner Bros. Antitrust Complaint: Why Licensing Is Hollywood's Best-Kept Secret · 13 minBuried in paragraph 98 of a federal antitrust complaint is one of the strongest arguments anyone has made about the true value of the licensing industry - and it wasn't written…
- Mid-Year Recap: The Biggest Licensing Stories of 2026 (And How My Predictions Held Up) · 22 min · Season 3 Episode 27Six months in, and 2026 has already delivered a mega-merger, a record-breaking animated film, a viral water bottle, a Care Bears acquisition, and a move to LA. David Born goes…
- America's 250th Birthday Has a Licensing Program — And It's Bigger Than You Think · 11 min · Season 3 Episode 26The 4th of July is the most patriotic day on the American calendar. But behind the fireworks, the flags, and the hot dogs, there's a full-scale licensing program — official…
- Crayola x CamelBak | The Water Bottle That Broke LinkedIn (And Why Nobody Called It Licensing) · 10 min · Season 3 Episode 25A limited edition CamelBak x Crayola water bottle went viral on LinkedIn with 9.5 million views — and almost nobody mentioned the word licensing once. In this episode, David…
- Toy Story 5: Papa John's, Kellogg's, and My First 24 Hours in LA · 25 min · Season 3 Episode 24Toy Story 5 is taking over - and this episode breaks down exactly why from a licensing perspective. In this episode of Born to License, I’m coming to you from Los Angeles (new…
- Why I’m Moving to LA + World Cup, Scooby-Doo & SPAM · 15 min · Season 3 Episode 23I’m moving to Los Angeles - and this isn’t a lifestyle decision. It’s a strategic one. In this episode of Born to License, I break down why LA is the global center of the…
- Backrooms vs Star Wars: What It Really Means for Licensing · 19 min · Season 3 Episode 22In this episode of Born to License, we break down one of the biggest conversations in Hollywood right now — and why the licensing perspective tells a completely different story…
- What I Learned at Licensing Expo 2026 (Costs, Trends & $389B Industry Insights) · 14 min · Season 3 Episode 21What really happens at Licensing Expo? After 13 years attending - and exhibiting for the first time - this is the honest breakdown of Licensing Expo 2026 in Las Vegas. No…
- Licensing Expo 2026 Wrap Up: AI, Deals & What’s Next in Licensing · 25 min · Season 3 Episode 20What really happens at Licensing Expo? In this episode of Born to License, David Born shares a behind-the-scenes look at Licensing Expo 2026 in Las Vegas - from speaking about AI…
- Licensing Expo 2026: Predictions, Trends & Insider Advice from the Born Team · 10 min · Season 3 Episode 19The biggest week in licensing is here. In this special episode of Born to License, we’re on the ground in Los Angeles just days before Licensing Expo 2026 — and for the first…
- What Licensing Expo Means to Me | From First Visit to Exhibitor: My Licensing Expo Journey · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 18What is Licensing Expo really like? In this episode of Born to License, David takes you inside Licensing Expo Las Vegas - the biggest and most important event in the global…
- Star Wars' Big Moment · 7 min · Season 3 Episode 17How did Star Wars become one of the most powerful licensing machines in history? On Star Wars Day, we’re breaking down the origin story of modern licensing — and how a single…
- Big Licensing Moves You Need to Know | What You Missed in Licensing (While I Was Offline) · 5 min · Season 3 Episode 16What happened in licensing this week? Here are 5 major moves you need to know. Fresh back from trekking to the base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal, David breaks down the biggest…
