Brand Franchise Leadership
Team or Individual
Celebrates a team or individual's outstanding achievement in sales strategy, growth, and execution across retail, licensing, or B2B channels.
Alex Crawford
7-Eleven
Head of Branded Merchandising, Licensing & Partnerships
Alex leads 7-Eleven licensing, collaborations and social media driving both brand awareness and licensed product sales putting 7-Eleven at the forefront of culture and commerce. The award winning 7-Eleven “Always Open” campaign arose through Alex’s quick thinking following a viral tweet from NFL wide-receiver Ja'Marr Chase using the 7-Eleven slogan to describe his football prowess. With no budget, Alex successfully launched an entire collection and viral campaign in less than a week, winning multiple awards. Alex has created successful viral merchandise and marketing programs with Jurassic World, Hot Wheels, Toyota, Larry Chen BMW Racing, Breezy Golf and many more.
Christina Holmes
The LEGO Group
Sr. Marketing Manager, LEGO Retail Marketing
Christina demonstrates leadership in developing strong franchise omni-channel campaigns within LEGO(R) Retail, partnering with some of the world’s leading IP partners like The Walt Disney Company. A premiere example has been around the launch of LEGO(R) Smart PlayTM. Christina was the marketing driving force behind how we launched this new play proposition. Kicking off 15 months out from launch, Christina coordinated a campaign to drive awareness and comprehension of this new proposition through our stores and LEGO.com. She coordinated 100 internal stakeholders, alongside partners at Disney, to create a best-in-class takeover execution, livestream activation, private workshops and hands on demonstrations.
Elisha Jernigan
schleich
Flagship and Partnership Manager
Over the past six years, Elisha Jernigan has built schleich®’s North American flagship program from concept to more than 120 permanent retail installations. She identifies high-impact family destinations, from specialty toy stores to venues such as The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the Calgary Zoo, and manages each location from concept through installation. Elisha also leads quarterly in-store activation events, bringing hands-on play and storytelling experiences to families year-round. Her work has transformed retail presence from traditional shelf space into immersive brand experiences, increasing visibility, retailer partnerships, and direct engagement with thousands of families discovering schleich® for the first time.
Fuggler Team, led by Anastasia Filinsky
ZURU
Global Marketing Manager, Plush
Team Members:
Aneisha Vieira, Head of Licensing & Partnerships
Jessy Zhang, Associate Product Manager (NPD)
Kathleen Buyco, Social Media Executive
Shuxin Chen, Licensing Coordinator
Yoyo You, Product Design Manager
Team led the transformation of the brand from a toy aisle product into a culture driven social powerhouse. Scaled TikTok from 170K to 1.2M followers in under a year, generating 1.6B views and 70K+ UGC posts through a highly engaged community. Drove deeper consumer connection by partnering with licensors and executing standout collaborations, including Care Bears, delivering 10M+ organic views within a week. Simultaneously managed and evolved a portfolio of 640+ characters, building distinct personalities and cohesive storytelling that strengthened brand equity and sustained long term engagement.
Global Franchise Strategy, Universal Destinations & Experiences, led by Shannon Vacca
Universal Products & Experiences
SVP, Global Franchise Strategy
Team Members:
Caitlin Riley, VP, Consumer Insights
Eryne Lagman Tran, Director, Global Franchise Strategy
Jen Ockelmann-Wagner, Sr. Director Global Franchise Strategy
Melissa Rodriguez, VP, Global Franchise Strategy
Led by women executives, the Universal Products & Experiences Global Franchise Management team delivered breakout results across Universal’s most powerful franchises, including Wicked, Jurassic World, Minions, How to Train Your Dragon, Gabby’s Dollhouse, JAWS 50th, and key horror brands. Anticipating shifts in fan behavior and retail dynamics, the team rewrote the playbook—building insight‑led, unified strategies that turned fandom into global impact. Through intentional mentorship, bold collaboration, and inclusive leadership, the team expanded licensing campaigns, elevated brand equity, and unlocked new toy and lifestyle opportunities— redefining franchise leadership by prioritizing knowledge‑sharing, and leadership development at every level.
Jackie Jones
Hasbro, Inc.
VP, Creative - Magic: The Gathering
Jackie has led the transformation of Magic: The Gathering into a leading modern fantasy storytelling IP. She drove a renaissance in worldbuilding across fan-favorite releases including Tarkir Dragonstorm, Edge of Eternities, Lorwyn Eclipsed, and Secrets of Strixhaven, while shaping the future of the franchise. She is also expanding Magic’s reach into mainstream entertainment, partnering with publishing on the Strixhaven novel, Netflix on an animated series, and Legendary on a live-action film, alongside additional initiatives that broaden the brand’s cultural and commercial impact.
Joie Yale
Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Entertainment Manager
Joie Yale has demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation by modernizing the Dr. Seuss Enterprises digital presence through a strategic expansion of their YouTube channel. Most notably, she orchestrated a key partnership with Moonbug Entertainment, guiding a successful crossover event which integrated Blippi with iconic characters from the Dr. Seuss portfolio, The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat. This initiative bridged legacy IP with modern preschool content while effectively expanding the brand’s reach, helping the channel to set a record with 113M views, a 589% YoY increase in 2025.
Just Play, Disney Stitch Team, led by Mindy Corrill
Just Play
VP, Product Development
Team Members:
Jessica Shultz, VP, Packaging Design
Kathryn Hardy, Sr. Director of Licensing
Kim Chang, Managing Director of Brand Marketing
Marlene Obsgarten, Sr. Product Manager
Megan Quinn, Sr. Director of Brand Franchise & Marketing
Michelle Blasewitz, Director of Product Development
Michelle Fowler, Sr. Social Media Manager
Pat Chiang, Director of Product Design
Rachel Haul, Sr. Product Manager
The Disney Stitch team drove exceptional franchise growth by translating a major entertainment moment into a multi-category success story. Through strong cross-functional collaboration, the team delivered breakout innovation in plush, with Many Moods Stitch and Ultimate Stitch ranking among the Top 3 New Feature Plush toys of 2025, with Many Moods Stitch earning the #1 spot. Ultimate Stitch also earned top industry recognition, including Plush Toy of the Year at the TOTYs. The team expanded the brand across hardlines and collectibles, creating a cohesive retail presence and positioning Stitch as one of the year’s most successful toy franchises.
Spin Master Brand Team, led by Maryellen Zarakas
Spin Master
SVP Franchise Development and Global Consumer Products
Team Members:
Cat Demas, VP, Entertainment Toy and Consumer Products Design
Christine Lewison, Director Franchise Development
Katie Bachman, Sr. Brand Manager, Preschool
Laura Clunie, SVP, Development, Current Series & Feature Film
Laura Reilly, Associate Brand Manager, Preschool
Leslie Olmos, Sr. Brand Manager, Preschool
Rachel Carluccio, Sr. Brand Manager, Preschool
Tammy Smitham, VP Communications
Tanja Venancio, Sr. Director, Brand Marketing, Preschool
PAW Patrol has been a leading preschool property for more than a decade - a difficult feat in a fractured landscape. Faced with increasing competition, this team has rallied to establish PAW Patrol as a rite of passage introducing fresh themes, a new Christmas special (on primetime) and creating toys that resonate. In August 2026, they will release the third PAW Patrol movie in theatres. They've created an equally dino-mite toy line with a hero item that received rave reviews at toy fair. The franchise has generated $15B in retail sales since launch, with 1K+ licensees across the globe.
Tamagotchi Team, led by Tara Badie
Bandai Namco
Sr. Director, Toys
Team Members:
Anita Komatsu, Assistant Manager, Toys
Monako Kuriiwa, Marketing Specialist, Toys
Tanya Sexton, Director, Toys
Tamagotchi has become a worldwide, evergreen franchise as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. To date, over 33M Tamagotchi devices have been sold throughout the US. This year, Tamagotchi moved back to the #2 property in its Class. The team created buzz across 3 generations of fans from the Original Tamagotchi to the new Tamagotchi Paradise, and executed the Tamagotchi USA Road Trip reaching fans around the country and generating new ones. They’ve been successful in expanding Tamagotchi from just an electronic business to a character franchise by producing a breadth of character goods and expanding events and social media.
