It 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 suddenly the Fox catalog felt alive again. But one great product doesn't mean a vault is being fully unlocked, and that tension is exactly what this episode is about.

David Born takes a close look at Disney in 2026: the world's largest licensor, the company that absorbed Fox for $71.3 billion, and the licensing machine behind Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar — and an enormous pipeline that stretches all the way to Mickey's 100th anniversary in 2028.

From the Golden Girls pop-up restaurant touring US cities, to a ten-brand strategic alliance with Kraft Heinz spanning theme parks, cruise lines and streaming content, to a Champion x NFL x Disney collection revealed through a live fan draft at Fanatics Fest — David breaks down how Disney is inserting its IP into fandoms that have nothing to do with animation, and what that says about where licensing is heading.

The box office picture is more mixed: Toy Story 5 and The Devil Wears Prada 2 overperformed, Hoppers proved original Pixar IP can still land, but The Mandalorian and Grogu and the live-action Moana both fell short. The lesson, as David puts it: even the biggest studio on the planet doesn't get a guaranteed win just by putting a familiar name on the poster.

Looking ahead — Spider-Man, Avengers Doomsday, The Simpsons Movie 2, Frozen 3, and a 2027 Star Wars lineup built around the franchise's 50th anniversary. Every one of these is a licensing event as much as a box office one.

And the Fox catalog? Still full of gold. Still largely untapped. That's the open question this episode ends on.

Topics covered:

• The Lego x X-Files set: fan-originated, Disney-approved, and what it reveals about an underleveraged vault
• Why the Disney–Fox acquisition is now Exhibit A in the Paramount–WBD antitrust fight
• Disney's Icons Unleashed presentation at Licensing Expo 2026
• The Golden Girls pop-up restaurant: how a legacy property stays culturally relevant
• Kraft Heinz x Disney: when licensing becomes full brand infrastructure
• Disney x Champion x NFL: 32 teams, four franchises, one live fan draft
• Minnie and Daisy in F1 Academy, and Mickey in an original Formula One comics series
• Box office wins and misses in 2026 — and what's still to come
• Mickey's 100th anniversary in 2028: Disney's once-in-a-generation moment

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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No 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 fans under one roof — and if you work in licensing, this is your customer base in full force. This episode is a front-row seat to what the industry looks like when it's working: people who plan their entire summer vacation around a convention, queue around the block to get merchandise signed, and spend nine months hand-building a cosplay outfit from scratch.

David visits the Keepsake booth — a Born Licensing client — where lines were wrapping around multiple corners for their Invincible and Walking Dead exclusives. He sits down with Adam from Keepsake on the floor, gets a candid look at what it actually takes to manage a trading card licensing program (hundreds of approval submissions per product cycle), and catches up with licensing attorney David Schneider from Nolan Heiman for a legal read on the day's biggest trend: the unstoppable rise of anime and the growing market for micro-targeted, niche properties sold in small runs direct to a passionate audience.

Along the way: Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob) signing autographs, Pokémon celebrating 30 years and $100 billion in retail sales, Grogu at the Star Wars booth ahead of what David calls the franchise's biggest year in a decade, and a dark Joker-meets-Ronald McDonald outfit that genuinely stopped the floor.

The episode closes with a look ahead — the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger extended to at least June 2027, a major new Kraft Heinz x Disney partnership across theme parks, cruise lines and ten brands, and a Lego x X-Files range starring Gillian Anderson.

Topics covered:

• What Comic-Con looks like through a licensing professional's eyes — and why it matters
• Inside the Keepsake booth: Invincible, Walking Dead exclusives, and the signing lines that wrapped the floor
• The reality of trading card licensing: hundreds of approval submissions per product
• The rise of anime and niche micro-targeting: how small-run products find passionate audiences through social media
• Pokémon at 30: $100 billion in retail sales from a single property
• Star Wars, Avengers Doomsday, and which franchises are betting big on Comic-Con 2026
• News: Paramount–WBD merger timeline, Kraft Heinz x Disney, and Lego x X-Files

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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Buried 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 by a licensing executive, a trade publication, or a keynote speaker at Licensing Expo. It was written by state attorneys general trying to block a $110 billion Hollywood merger.

In this episode, David Born unpacks what 12 states suing to block the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery deal actually reveals about how licensing underwrites the biggest films in the world — and why the industry has been telling its own story the wrong way around.

The conventional narrative says licensing follows a box office hit. The states' argument says the opposite: licensing infrastructure is part of what makes a tentpole film financeable in the first place. David backs that up with three examples that each flip the usual order — AMC's collectible popcorn buckets driving ticket sales, Bluey's licensing earnings rising as BBC Studios cut content spend, and Pop Mart building a Sony feature film off the back of a merchandise program that started with a picture book illustration.

Plus: the Comet x Uno collaboration that sold out in minutes, two Licensing Awards nominations for the Born Licensing team, and David's take on Hollywood vs. AI at the box office.

Topics covered:

• The Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger: where the legal fight stands and what's at stake
• The antitrust paragraph every licensing professional should read — and what it actually says
• Why licensing isn't just downstream of box office success — in some cases, it's what makes the box office possible
• AMC's collectible buckets: when merchandise becomes a reason to buy a ticket, not a reward for buying one
• Bluey and BBC Studios: how licensing earnings rose while content investment fell
• Pop Mart: the licensing program that came first and is now funding the film
• ABG's Care Bears acquisition — and what the CEO said he was actually buying
• Born Licensing's two Licensing Awards nominations

🧠 Key Insight:

Licensing isn’t just a revenue stream. It’s part of the financial engine that makes modern entertainment possible.

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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Six 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 back through the Born to License archive to score his own predictions, revisit every major story, and catch you up on everything that's shaped the licensing industry in the first half of the year.

From Toy Story 5 taking over an entire city before it even opened, to the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery deal closing faster than anyone expected — and what it means for the licensors who now sit at the very top of the industry — this is the episode that connects all the dots.

David also recaps the guest conversations that stuck with him most: a licensee who fought for months to land Pokémon and called it their best license ever, and a client whose business grew 30% year-on-year after securing a Disney deal. Plus, some personal milestones — trekking to Everest Base Camp fully offline for the first time in 12 years, visiting the world's first standalone SpongeBob restaurant in São Paulo, and making the move to his fourth home continent.

If you've been listening since January, this is the episode that ties it all together. If you're new, this is your starting point.

Topics covered:

• Toy Story 5 predictions vs. reality — and the Taylor Swift connection nobody saw coming
• Super Mario Galaxy's promotional rollout: McDonald's, General Mills, Fisher-Price and a Guinness World Record
• Why a soft Star Wars box office means almost nothing for licensing
• The Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger and what it reshapes for the whole industry
• Care Bears, the Crayola x CamelBak moment, and the Oscar-winning film that became a licensing story
• Guest highlights: what the best licensees actually do differently
• Personal: Everest Base Camp, São Paulo, the Hello Kitty Cafe, and moving to LA

🧠 Key Insight:

Box office success doesn’t always equal licensing success. And in 2026, power is shifting toward IP ownership, scale, and evergreen brands.

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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The 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 logos, vetted partners, and over 200 companies signed up to carry the mark.

In this episode, David Born breaks down the America 250 licensing program: what it is, who's running it (LA-based agency Global Icons), how brands get approved, and what this tells us about one of the most underrated corners of the licensing world — anniversary and commemorative licensing.

Plus, two industry stories you need to know about: Authentic Brands Group acquiring Care Bears IP in what David calls a live case study in evergreen IP as an asset class — and Comcast splitting off NBCUniversal into a standalone company, and what that means for the future of IP ownership in our industry.

If you've ever wondered how licensing shows up in places you'd never expect, this episode is a perfect example — from bourbon at the cookout, to cigars after dinner, to a five-gallon bucket at Home Depot.

Topics covered:

• What the America 250 Semiquincentennial actually is and why it matters commercially
• How the official licensing program works — and who's behind it
• The difference between commemorative (tentpole) licensing and evergreen licensing
• Care Bears acquired by ABG: what it says about classic character IP as an investment
• Comcast splitting off NBCUniversal — and the licensing implications

The 250th anniversary of the United States isn’t just a cultural milestone — it’s a case study in large-scale licensing execution.

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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A 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 breaks down how a product that launched quietly in November 2025 suddenly exploded seven months later, why the internet called it "brand collab genius" instead of what it actually was, and what that reveals about how the licensing industry tells (or fails to tell) its own story.

We also dig into what the Barbie movie phenomenon had in common with this crayon-shaped water bottle — and why moments like these keep happening without licensing ever getting the credit.

If you work in licensing, brand partnerships, or marketing, this one will make you think differently about how you explain what you do.

Topics covered:

• The CamelBak x Crayola viral moment — and what really made it work
• Why great licensed products can go viral years after launch
• The visibility gap: why licensing is invisible in mainstream conversations
• How the industry can do a better job of telling its own story

💡 Key Insight:

This product didn’t go viral because of a campaign.It sat quietly on Amazon for 7 months… until the right person shared it at the right moment.

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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Toy 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 home!) after moving from Brazil - and diving straight into one of the biggest licensing moments of the year.

From airports to retail stores to immersive brand activations, Toy Story 5 is everywhere. I predicted earlier this year that it would be the biggest licensing hit of 2026… and now we’re seeing it play out in real time.

This episode is a bit different - I didn’t just analyze this trend… I lived it.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Toy Story 5 is dominating licensing in 2026
• How major brands are activating partnerships (including real-world examples)
• What makes a franchise “unavoidable” at retail
• Lessons from immersive experiences like themed pop-ups
• How global markets (Brazil vs. USA) approach entertainment licensing
• Why timing, scale, and nostalgia still win in licensing

📍 Real-World Licensing in Action

I take you through my first day in LA, including a Toy Story-themed experience—from branded food partnerships to retail takeovers and experiential marketing.

This is what best-in-class licensing looks like when everything aligns:

👉 Content

👉 Retail

👉 Partnerships

👉 Fan engagement

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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I’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 licensing industry, and why being physically close to the biggest IP owners in the world matters more than ever.

From Disney and Netflix to Warner Bros. and Mattel, the companies shaping global entertainment — and licensing — are all based in Los Angeles. And in today’s environment, being in the room is back.

But that’s just part of the episode.

We also dive into some of the biggest licensing stories happening right now — from the World Cup commercial machine to unexpected collaborations and the rise of social media-born IP.

🎯 In This Episode:

• Why I’m relocating from Brazil to Los Angeles
• Why LA is the center of global licensing & entertainment IP
• How in-person relationships are reshaping the industry
• The massive licensing opportunity behind the FIFA World Cup
• How brands like Amazon, Macy’s & Roblox are activating globally
• The rise of Duolingo as a licensing brand (and what it signals)
• Why Stranger Things is still winning at retail post-series
• My honest take on Scooby-Doo’s new live-action direction
• Why some reboots don’t translate into licensing success
• The surprising brilliance of Hello Kitty x Spam

💡 Key Takeaway: Licensing isn’t just about great IP — it’s about timing, proximity, and cultural relevance. And right now, Los Angeles sits at the center of it all.

🌎 Follow the Journey: I’ll be documenting the move to LA in real time — from industry meetings to behind-the-scenes moments.

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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