63rd edition 13- 16 April 2026 | Bologna - Italy
63rd edition 13- 16 April 2026 | Bologna - Italy
International Kids Licensing & Media Days
Licensing Conference Room, Pad 29 – Mall 2, Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids
On the first day of this IKLMD edition, we will explore the unique connections among gaming, toys, and brands, including an in-depth analysis of emotional learning and sustainability, and end the day with the must-attend Bologna Licensing Awards!
9.30 am – 9.55 am
What happens when books meet games? Mark Backler, Founder of SketchBook Games, explores the creative and commercial potential at the intersection of literary IP and interactive entertainment. Drawing on his experience, he will discuss how game developers can identify and partner with IP holders to create compelling adaptations and how games can revitalize a book's universe, expanding its audience and fan engagement. Whether you're an indie studio aiming to license your first IP or a publisher curious about games, this session offers practical insights into the books-to-games pipeline.
Speaker: Mark Backler, Founder, SketchBook Games, UK
10.00 am – 10.30 am
When Ken Faier founded Epic Story Media, his goal was to create a comprehensive platform to engage kids across various media. The company grew from original IPs, franchises, and TV series into gaming and toys, initially via licensing and later through its infrastructure. Today, Epic Story Media has divisions in content, YouTube, distribution, licensing, animation, two gaming studios, and a new toy and product division. Moreover, instead of out-licensing to large toy firms, Epic Story took control, incorporating toy development into their IP creation making properties that tell compelling stories and provide immersive, connected entertainment experiences. In this panel, we take an in-depth look at this rich ecosystem, sharing insights and visions on the future of the content industry.
Interview with: Ken Faier, President and CEO, Epic Story Media, Canada
10.35 am – 11.05 am
In a market driven by digital acceleration and platform shifts, long-term value in children’s media still depends on one key asset: original IP. Understand why creating unique, ownable stories and visual worlds is a strategic business choice. Truly licensable content starts with strong characters, a consistent universe, and a recognizable aesthetic—elements that move easily from page to app, from game to retail, and from one territory to another. As apps and interactive platforms continue to grow, story and illustration remain the main factors that differentiate engaging, successful projects from those that become stale. Mechanics and tools can be copied; emotional connection cannot. The brands that last are those built as expandable ecosystems from the beginning, capable of generating narrative flexibility, consumer products, digital extensions, and long- term brand value. The panel discusses how to develop children’s IP as a scalable asset platform-agnostic, globally adaptable, and commercially resilient—in a rapidly changing licensing landscape that is more content-hungry than ever.
Speaker: Lulu Skantze, Publisher and Creative Director, Story Time Magazine, Netherlands
11.10 am – 11.40 am
In an overloaded attention economy, even top brands can struggle to stay relevant. The challenge has shifted to how we communicate and connect with kids, focusing on building relationships, communities, and lasting fandoms. Drawing on Peppy Agency’s work at the crossroads of child psychology and brand strategy, this panel will examine how emphasizing social and emotional skills can help brands earn trust, foster loyalty, and maintain long-term engagement while supporting kids’ wellbeing and growth. Through specific examples, Peppy Agency will illustrate how this approach works in messaging, content, and product strategies.
Speaker: Lea Magnano, Project Manager, Peppy Agency, Netherlands
11.45 am – 12.25 pm
In Partnership with POC, Products of Change
Brands hold extraordinary influence. When they use that influence with purpose, they can reshape industries, accelerate innovation, and build systems that work better for people and the planet. At this special session, join Products of Change’s Panel to explore how leading brands are using their scale, creativity, and cultural relevance to drive meaningful change. Through real examples and practical insights, the panel will explore how purpose-driven brand leadership can help shape a more responsible, resilient, and future-fit brand licensing industry — one that delivers both profit and positive impact for the next generation.
Moderated by Helena Mansell Stopher, Founder, Products of Change, UK
Speakers: Thomas Saurén, Sustainability and Content Director, Rights and Brands, Sweden; Ann-Katrin Hager, Business Development Manager, CP Lead, Sesame Workshop, Germany; Lily Zahn, Publishing Product Development Specialist, Hasbro, USA
12.30 pm – 1.15 pm
Organised in partnership with Spielfabrique
The gaming industry is no longer just about playing — it's about storytelling, licensing, franchising, and dominating screens of all sizes. We invite you to attend this pitching session where gaming companies, registered at the BCBF’s Games Business Centre, showcase their IPs, concepts, and universes — and where publishers, licensing professionals, and audiovisual companies come to discover what's next.
Moderated by Thierry Baujard, Co-founder, Spielfabrique, Germany
Speakers: Gordon Vogel, Founder, Rivers and Wine Studios, Germany; Stefano De Vivo, CEO, PlayNook Games, Italy; Per Rosendal, CEO, Savannah Entertainment, Denmark; Michelle Perez Barruos, Founder and Managing Director, MPB Licensing, Spain
1.20 pm – 1.45 pm
This Month™ brings a research-backed approach to the intersection of play and education. Founded by developmental psychologist Dr. Katherine Schlatter and theater artist Andrea Patterson, the platform is rooted in the science of joint attention and family literacy — designing experiences that draw children and adults into learning together. Their portfolio of original learning games — including Wormly, History's Calling, The Time Machine, and the Math Miracle series — spans literacy, math, and social studies for grades K–5, engineered to reflect how children actually develop and making play inseparable from learning. In this panel, This Month™ will explore how gaming can serve as a gateway to deeper educational engagement.
Speaker: Dr. Katherine Schlatter, Author, Behavioural Health Scientist, Impact Investor, Founder, Thence, Switzerland
1.50 pm – 2.15 pm
Organised in partnership with Spielfabrique
Creating games for young audiences is a balancing act: content must be imaginative and engaging enough to capture children's attention, while meeting the safety and ethical standards that parents and regulators demand. But beyond the creative challenge lies a commercial one — how do you build a sustainable business model around kids' gaming content? Panellists will share hard-won insights on what makes a game truly resonate with young players, how to navigate the complex landscape of child-safe content guidelines, and which monetization models are proving most effective in today's market.
Moderated by Thierry Baujard, Co-founder, Spielfabrique, Germany
Speakers: Per Rosendal, CEO, Savannah Entertainment, Denmark; Michelle Perez Barruos, Founder and Managing Director, MPB Licensing, Spain
2.20 pm – 2.50 pm
What happens when the world of storytelling collides with the world of play? In this in-depth conversation, we sit down with Verena Urbschat from Spielwarenmesse — the world's leading toy trade fair — to explore the evolving relationship between children's books and toys. Verena shares exclusive insights into the latest toy trends and what they mean for publishers, authors, and illustrators looking to tap into the creative and commercial potential of this dynamic crossover space.
Interview with Verena Urbschat, Director Visitor & Exhibitor Marketing, Spielwarenmesse, Germany
2.55 pm – 3.20 pm
Eva Maria Mesken and Sabine Dully, the author-illustrator duo behind Dully & Dax, share how they built one of Germany's most inventive independent children's IPs from scratch — and expanded it across books, apps, toys, theatre, and audio. They offer a candid look at the creative and strategic decisions behind growing an original cross-media universe as independent creators.
Speakers: Eva Maria Mesken, Author and Co-founder, Dully & Dax, Germany; Sabine Dully, Illustrator and Co-founder, Dully & Dax, Germany
3.25 pm – 3.55 pm
(Italian Speaking Language only)
A cura di Play Trade
Nell'era dell'intrattenimento digitale, come si fa a far leggere un gruppo di adolescenti per ore, collaborare attorno a un tavolo e a farli tornare in libreria settimana dopo settimana? La risposta è il Gioco di Ruolo (GdR). Lontano dall'essere solo un passatempo per pochi, il GdR è oggi un potente strumento di "lettura attiva" e un fenomeno culturale in crescita. Questo panel esplorerà perché i manuali di gioco di ruolo non sono soltanto libri, ma veri e propri ";motori di comunità". Scopriremo il loro valore pedagogico per bambini e ragazzi e, soprattutto, come inserire strategicamente i GdR nel catalogo di una libreria per aumentare la frequentazione, organizzare eventi a costo zero e generare un indotto continuo.
Relatore: Matteo Pedroni, Responsabile Marketing, NEED GAMES!, Italia
4.00 pm – 4.40 pm
(Italian Speaking Language only)
A cura di Play Trade
Un panel sui trend di mercato, consigli degli esperti e strategie pratiche di vendita dei giochi da tavolo più in voga del momento, i giochi investigativi.
Moderato da Andrea Mazzolani, Direttore Editoriale, Magic Store Srl - MS Edizioni, Italia
Relatori: Silvia Fossati, Digital Content Creator, Escilgioco, Italia; Stefano Stievano, Autore e Content Creator, House of Games, Italia
4.45 pm – 5.45 pm
Join us for this highly anticipated celebratory ceremony of the 8 th edition of the Bologna Licensing Awards, where we will announce the winners of the best-in-class awards in the licensing industry for their outstanding projects developed in 2025. A drink will follow to continue celebrating this unique industry and its community.
Mark has worked in the games industry for 20 years at companies like EA, Lionhead and Sony on games including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the BAFTA award winning Fable 2. In 2015 he founded Sketchbook Games, who released the multi-award winning Lost Words: Beyond the Page, a critically acclaimed atmospheric puzzle platformer set inside a diary. Lost Words features a story by renowned games writer Rhianna Pratchett and was nominated for the IGF’s Excellence in Narrative, SXSW’s Cultural Innovation and won over 20 awards including a Google Play Best Story award as well as Most Innovative and Best Gameplay from Games For Change in New York.
Thierry is the co founder of pan European video game catalyst Spielfabrique based in Germany. They develop European professionalization programmes for indie video games studios and help them to get to the next level. Thierry has been an expert in financing the creative industries for the last 25 years and has been involved in many cross sector projects involving public and private funding. He holds an MBA from Bocconi university.
CEO at PlayNook, tech company building AudioGames: the alternative to standard gaming. We want to change the way people play, using the endless power of sound to create new gaming experiences for everyone, everywhere. With a background in audio production and sound design, I’ve spent my career at the intersection of creativity and technology.
Ken Faier is on a mission to put creators at the heart of the world’s next great kids' franchises. As the founder of Epic Story Media, Ken champions the "creator-first" model, providing world-class talent with the tools to build properties that define childhoods. His philosophy is simple: create stories and play experiences so impactful that today’s children will share them with their own kids decades from now. A seasoned veteran in the kids' entertainment space, Ken previously served as SVP and Executive Producer at DHX Media following its acquisition of Nerd Corps Entertainment, where he was President for over a decade. Under his leadership, Nerd Corps became a global creative force, with original properties sold into 150+ territories. Ken’s extensive credits include executive producing hundreds of episodes of global hits, including Slugterra, League of Super Evil, Talking Tom Heroes: Suddenly Super, Bubble's Hotel, Marc Brown's HOP and many more. With a career that spans from founding KidScreen Magazine as it founding publisher to leading production at Alliance Atlantis, Ken brings an unparalleled 360-degree view of approaching building franchises and fueling fandom. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and remains dedicated to one goal: bringing joy to the world through epic storytelling.
Silvia is a gaming Content Creator, streamer, and Twitch host. She created and runs ESCILGIOCO, a project active mainly on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch, where she presents board games, gamebooks, and curiosities related to pop culture in a simple and accessible way. She is the official Disney Lorcana caster for Italy, the Italian face of Hidden Games for MS Edizioni, and a content creator for the Casa del Giallo project on TikTok. In 2025, she was among the hosts of Lucca Comics & Games and collaborated with the magazines IoGioco and The Games Machine.
She is a dedicated licensing and e-commerce professional with over 10 years of experience in Sales, Business Development, Business Strategy and Strategic Marketing in fast-moving international environments. She is passionate about building and maintaining strong partnerships with multipliers, retailers, brands and platforms, creating synergies across cross-functional teams to drive business impact and revenue growth. Her background in equestrian training and schoolbook publishing has fostered a deep passion for her work. She strongly believes in empowerment and genuinely enjoys supporting her team members in developing their potential and achieving excellence. She is particularly proud to have worked with Sesame Workshop for many years in different roles. As a young mother, she strongly identifies with and deeply supports the values of this educational NGO.
Lea Magnano is a child-centered designer focused on the social and emotional dimensions of kids’ brands and products. As a Project Manager at Peppy Agency, she supports leading publishers and entertainment companies on brand and product strategy. Her work draws on child psychology and healthy development, paired with insights into the evolving priorities and values of today’s families. Through this approach, she helps brands connect with kids through emotional depth and healthy engagement, always from a kid-first perspective.
Helena Mansell-Stopher is CEO and founder at Products of Change, a global organization driving positive change across the brand and licensing industry by influencing the reduction of the industry’s environmental impact. It guides a growing community of brand owners, manufacturers, retailers and supporting businesses towards building more sustainable and regenerative business practices, through education and knowledge sharing. Products of Change is a membership organisation, a media and events platform and an advisor’s service that provides a safe place for industry to learn, connect and transition to a more sustainable future. Helena curates the sustainability in licensing conference (SILC) the first of its kind in the brand and licensing industry, formed to advance the industries knowledge on future innovations within the sustainability space. Helena is an advisor to the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Initiative and Board Director to Recycle to Read, an environmental educator who builds systems to unlock value in the waste stream benefiting schools and driving awareness through brand advocacy. With a 26 year career in the retail, brand and licensing industry across media and lifestyle brands, working with companies such as HIT Entertainment, Mattel, Marvel and National Geographic, as well as a 7 year career in sustainability, Helena is at the cutting edge of closing the knowledge gap to advance the industry forward to a sustainable future.
Andrea Mazzolani has been working in the gaming industry for over thirty years, with a focus on tabletop games. He is involved in publishing development and product management. Since 2010, he has been Commercial Director of MS Edizioni and MS Distribuzione.
Matteo Pedroni leads the marketing strategies of NEED GAMES!, Italy’s leading publisher for tabletop role-playing games, bringing the biggest international hits and the best original productions to the national market. With a background in psychology, communication, media and advertising, he has extensive hands-on experience in managing communities and crowdfunding campaigns. In 2025, he reached the remarkable milestone of nearly €1.5 million raised through the Fabula Ultima Kickstarter campaign. Passionate about gaming in all its forms, he has also worked as an author and developer on role-playing games such as Journey to Ragnarok, Historia, and Zombicide: Chronicles.
With over 20 years of experience in gaming and licensing, Michelle Perez Barruos specializes in connecting iconic brands with emerging trends in gaming, metaverse experiences, and UGC platforms. As General Manager of Feenix Studio, she leads strategic partnerships and innovative brand extensions that drive growth and engagement. Michelle has collaborated with renowned brands like Sega, Disney, and Marvel, contributing to projects such as the Paddington Bear Roblox experience. Her portfolio includes titles like Minion Rush, Disney Magic Kingdom, and Fall Guys x Hello Kitty. Recognized as a Top Woman in Games and Women in Games Ambassador, Michelle also mentors young talent and contributes to education programs at ISDE and Barça Innovation Hub.
A passionate digital media producer dedicated to children's digital media and ensuring that kids have access to high-quality content across digital platforms. Thrives at the intersection of art, technology, and business, seamlessly navigating the creative and strategic demands of the industry. A seasoned and serial entrepreneur, having founded and co-founded multiple companies, organizations, and projects with a shared vision of innovation and impact. Works daily on bringing new digital life to literary IPs such as Alfie Atkins, Rasmus Klump, The Blue Eyed Kitty, Ernest & Celestine, The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit and many more.
Dully&Dax is a Cologne-based German studio for children’s media, founded by Sabine Dully and Eva-Maria Mesken. Since 2017, the duo has created cross-media story worlds and original IPs spanning books, animation, games, audio, and brand experiences. Combining strong visual design with narrative expertise, they develop distinctive characters and scalable brand universes. Their award-winning children’s books have been published by leading houses such as Oetinger, Knesebeck and Tulipan, with editions in more than twenty countries. Clients include major broadcasters and industry partners such as ZDF, KiKA, Super RTL, Tonies, Ergobag, and GeolinoMini.
Thomas Saurén is Sustainability and Content Director at Rights & Brands and Head of ImpactLAB, where he works to integrate sustainability and impact into the licensing and brand ecosystem. Before joining Rights & Brands, Thomas served as CEO of The Baltic Sea Fund, leading initiatives focused on marine conservation and sustainable practices in the Baltic Sea region. He has also worked with environmental protection and education as a Commissioner for UNESCO. With a background spanning sustainability strategy, impact initiatives, and creative industries, Thomas brings a cross-sector perspective to the role licensing can play in driving sustainable transformation.
Dr. Katherine Schlatter is a behavioural health scientist with 30 years of experience spanning health communication, public health research, and social impact entrepreneurship and in translating complex research into actionable solutions. As founder of This Month™, a platform dedicated to timely, standards-aligned learning resources for K–5 classrooms and families, her work is rooted in the science of joint attention and enhancing family literacy built on the knowledge that play and learning are inseparable. At the Games Business Centre, Dr. Schlatter will draw on her background in developmental psychology to explore how gaming can serve as a gateway to deeper educational engagement, making the case that when play is thoughtfully designed, all family members benefit from the transformational learning experiences.
Lulu Skantze, Publisher of Storytime, an award-winning global children’s brand building original IP across print, digital and audio platforms. With over 20 years’ experience across major European publishers, she has developed licensed and original content for brands including Disney, Mattel and PlayStation and co-founded Storytime in 2014. She specialises in creating scalable story worlds designed for long-term licensing value, advising international media companies on IP strategy, licensing expansion and sustainable growth. A strong advocate for literacy and entrepreneurship, she contributes to industry conversations on publishing, technology and brand development.
Stefano is a content creator and board game communicator who has been active for nearly nine years with Houseofgames.it. For the past four years, he has also owned a board game store in Padua, which has become a reference point for enthusiasts and newcomers to the hobby. Among the first in Italy to talk about Hidden Games, he has helped introduce and promote the world of investigative games, one of his greatest passions. In recent years, he has also worked on proofreading translations and adapting Hidden Games cases into Italian, contributing to their development during the playtesting phase.
Verena is Director Visitor & Exhibitor Marketing at Spielwarenmesse Group in Nuremberg, Germany. She is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of international marketing campaigns, visitor and exhibitor communications, and the continuous enhancement of the Spielwarenmesse brand experience. With her trilingual background (German, English, Japanese) and expertise in event management, client relations and business development, including several years working for a toy manufacturer, Verena connects industry professionals and drives innovation, ensuring that Spielwarenmesse remains the leading platform for the global toy industry.
Me and my studio are constantly exploring new ways of creating entertainment and art in the sectors Gaming, Film, Events and XR. Last year we started to take a closer look at the book market. We believe there is room for multimedia projects and IPs to close some gaps between these rather separated markets.
Lily Zahn is a Product Development Specialist for Global Publishing at Hasbro, collaborating with partners to produce award-winning content across the company’s iconic brands. For five years, she has brought beloved characters to life for global audiences through innovative storytelling in books, comics, and audio. Based in the U.S., Lily believes commercial success and creative excellence can flourish alongside the sustainable practices that secure a future for the next generation of readers and fans.
