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Born to License
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.
Born to License
Coming Monday: The Product Development Journey Nobody Talks About
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Get an exclusive preview of our conversation with product development expert Jenna, who's handled 1000+ submissions at once. Discover why your 2-month timeline is impossible and what really happens behind the scenes of every licensed product.
In this preview:
✓ The Ben 10 riding Donkey disaster
✓ Why approvals reset every 10 days
✓ The first Disney pin that changed everything
Full episode reveals: Complete approval process, Chinese New Year delays, and the Wicked mistake breakdown!
🔔 Subscribe for the full conversation
⏰ Full episode: 11/10/2025
🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born
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👉 Have a question about licensing? Send it in for our upcoming Q&A episode!
📩 Contact: hello@borntolicense.com
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Over a thousand submissions in my inbox at any one time.
I was very fortunate enough to start out at Disney and I just fell in love with it and I never wanted to go back into fashion again.
What are the kind of do's and don'ts and rules, the kind of industry standard that are consistent across?
Don't flip the character, don't change their skin tone.
The process of making these products would, depending on the product, it could be nine months, 18 months for the toys.
And it was Donkey for Shrek, and Ben 10 was riding Donkey as if he was a horse.
I mean, in what world would Ben 10 be riding donkey from Shrek?
Prototypes can be very expensive for a licensee.
Do you have any tips or any advice you'd give somebody who is interested in pursuing a career in licensing, particularly in the product development area?
