UNITED MEDIA PARTNERS WITH POPULAR ARTIST AND ENTREPRENEUR MARY ENGELBREIT
Well-Established Art Studio Seeks to Extend Existing Licensing Program with United Media's Strategic Expertise
New York (September 7, 2005) United Media, a leading independent licensing and syndication company, and Mary Engelbreit Studios, the business behind the popular and prolific artist Mary Engelbreit, today announced a partnership wherein United Media will assume agency representation for the highly successful art brand. Effective immediately, United Media will begin to extend and expand the existing Mary Engelbreit licensing program in key areas including apparel, infant, home décor, gift, and offerings related to the Studio's extensive children's book publishing program. Representation will include the United States as well as key foreign countries such as Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom.
For more than 20 years, Mary Engelbreit's unmistakable illustration style, imbued with spirited wit and nostalgic warmth, has won her fans the world over. With more than $1 billion dollars in lifetime retail sales of licensed products that stretch from calendars and children's books to dinnerware and fabric, a successful e-commerce operation and a retail store in her hometown, an award-winning magazine, more than 150 book titles published and millions of greeting cards sold, the most apt description of artist Mary Engelbreit may be a line pulled from one of her well-known greeting card designs - she truly is "The Queen of Everything."
"With true artistic talent and an innate sense of what product categories are right for her fans, Mary Engelbreit has built a compelling brand," said Doug Stern, President and CEO of United Media. "We begin our partnership with Mary Engelbreit Studios today with a well-established and successful program that has incredible opportunity for growth and extension into key product categories."
"Our partnership with United Media is a natural extension for the strategic growth of the Mary Engelbreit brand. With its well-built business infrastructure, a seasoned sales team, and strong relationships throughout the industry, we feel confident that United Media will provide great assistance in continuing the expansion of our product licensing programs, both domestically and internationally," said Gregory Hoffmann, CEO of Mary Engelbreit Studios. "Mary's art truly resonates with the consumer, and tapping into the resources that United Media has to offer will only extend her reach into the global market."
About Mary Engelbreit
Mary Engelbreit is known throughout the world for her colorful and intricate designs, which adorn 14 million greeting cards and 1 million calendars sold each year. Engelbreit holds license agreements with dozens of manufacturers to reproduce her popular illustrations on nearly 6,500 gift and home décor products including books, best-selling children's books, stationery, fabric, crafts, kitchen accessories, dinnerware and other home accents. Her art has also come to life through the children's animated video based on her best-selling book, "The Night Before Christmas." Thousands of retailers worldwide (including The Mary Engelbreit Store in the Saint Louis Galleria) have sold $1 billion worth of ME products. Engelbreit is also editor-in-chief of a national 525,000-circulation magazine, Mary Engelbreit's HOME COMPANION. For more information, visit www.maryengelbreit.com.
About United Media
United Media (UM) is a worldwide licensing and syndication company that focuses on building brand equity around a wide range of creative content. The company recently signed Televisa, a leading Spanish speaking media company, to represent the US rights to the company's children's telenovelas, as well as its long-running hit television series "El Chavo." It also partnered with industry toy leader Bandai America, Inc. on brands including the incredibly popular Tamagotchi Connection. United Media licenses and/or syndicates other properties, including Peanuts, Precious Moments, Raggedy Ann & Andy, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, Arthur, and Dilbert. United Media is an E.W. Scripps Company.
