Team

Prior to forming LMA, Lisa spent nearly 20 years at some of the leading licensing organizations and entertainment companies in the world, including Disney, Nickelodeon, Home Box Office (HBO), and The Penguin Group, a division of Pearson plc.

Recognized as a leading licensing expert, Lisa held a variety of management positions in these organizations across licensing, retail business development, marketing and entertainment development.

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At Disney, an organization that helped to set the gold standard in the licensing industry, Lisa established Disney’s Retail Marketing Group, a first in the licensing industry. She was then hired to run Disney’s Toys and Sporting Goods business, where she developed and launched an unprecedented brand of Disney infant and preschool toys through a strategic alliance with Mattel. Lisa was also responsible for overseeing marketing, where she spearheaded the development and launch of Disney licensing’s brand strategy.

Following Disney, Lisa started the marketing and retail business development group for Nickelodeon consumer products, and played a key role in developing the strategic plans and retail programs for the licensing division that created the highly successful, award-winning licensing programs for Rugrats and Blue’s Clues. Lisa was instrumental in helping to build Nickelodeon into a powerhouse in the world of licensing.

At The Penguin Group, a division of Pearson plc, Lisa was brought in to create and run the consumer products and entertainment division. There she was able to breathe new life and excitement into Penguin’s many assets, including Peter Rabbit and Spot.

Lisa has a passion for developing, building and nurturing brands, and has a solid track record of creating highly successful, breakthrough programs in the licensing industry. Further, Lisa has developed excellent relationships in the industry across both manufacturers and retailers.

Following these experiences and having an understanding of the landscape of licensing agencies, the opportunity became clear to develop a licensing agency committed to building long-term brands, and offering clients an innovative and distinctive approach and a higher level of service.

Prior to incorporating Interplay at LMA, Mickey spent 20 years in the advertising business and is considered among the group of creative pioneers who worked to help evolve the media function into a more idea-oriented strategic discipline.

Now, through the “Interplay” initiative at LMA, Mickey fosters an increased level of collaboration between brands and marketing programs, and helps to establish creative and successful brand partnerships.

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Mickey spent his first ten years in the business at agencies Dancer Fitzgerald Sample and Jordan McGrath Case & Taylor (JMCT) working with world-class marketers including Procter & Gamble, Quaker Oats, Welch’s and others.

At JMCT, he and Pat McGrath created the MediaSPARC Group as a bridge between the creative, account planning and media groups.

In this role, Mickey created “The Ringers,” an unprecedented concept in long-form advertising for Bell Atlantic and coined the term “Sitcommercial.” This half-hour program, blending the entertainment value of a sitcom and the sales value of a direct marketing effort, represented the first foray into modern-era sponsored entertainment and now resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Television & Radio.

Mickey’s belief in enhancing marketing effectiveness through increased creativity in media led him to Creative Media, Inc. (CMI) in 1993 and he spent the next ten years growing that business with its founders from a $160 million independent boutique into a $1 billion Omnicom-owned full service media agency.

Over this period, growth was fueled by new assignments from leading marketers including Avon, Polaroid, adidas, Porsche, Charles Schwab, Beck’s, Old Navy, Discovery Communications, AIG and many others. Mickey became President/CEO of CMI in January 2000 and later helped transform the company into PHD, a $5 billion global media services network.

Mickey has been active with the Ad Council, where he helped launch the “Parental Involvement in Education” campaign, and in the 4A’s, where he has served on the New York Council Board of Governors.