By: Carla Lide, NFL Player Engagement
Day 1 at Consumer Products Boot Camp:
On Sunday evening in Houston, TX Samantha Kleinman, Manager in Player Engagement, kicked off The Consumer Products Bootcamp with an overview of the program. The participants, current & former players along with their wives, introduced themselves and shared their reasons for attending the program.
Not long after the participants got acquainted, Natara Halloway, Vice President of NFL Consumer Products, began the first session with the meaning behind a “Consumer Product." The next few speakers included Hank Boyd, Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Maryland, who touched on the academic overview and just how far apparel brands can go, followed by Steven D'Angelo of "47 Brand" giving participants the back story on where his family's brand originated and how it has grown to be one of the NFL's apparel licensees.
The final Panelist, David Bazzoni of "Joe Journeyman” delivered the pitch for his cartoon book and where it is in the development process. The information presented by all the speakers caused participants to think deeply about their vision and products they hope to penetrate the market with.
The evening concluded with Samantha Kleinman & Rory Durkin, JRP NFL Consumer Products, presenting the participants with a little competition called "The Group Pitch Project." Participants split into two teams and selected from a list of consumer product topics. During the next few days each team will develop ideas for a pitch, which will then be presented & judged on the final day of boot camp. The team with the best pitch, wins.
Day 2 at Consumer Products Boot Camp:
Kenneth Jones, Entrepreneur in Residence at The University of Maryland, began the day with a framework for financing and budgeting products. Participants learned of the Business Model Canvas which mapped out the 9 building blocks for brand production. Participants analyzed a sample case study and the types of investors who would fund the brand. Ken switched gears & focused on the anchor & twist of an intriguing elevator pitch. Participants were taking note of the method to a successful pitch. One of the most meaningful tips that Ken gave pertained directly to the brand model "failing often but failing small." He mentioned the importance of learning from these mistakes when building out the foundation to a business model.
The next session lead by Ariana Gunn, NFL Finance, & Jon Killen, WinCraft engaged participants on the overall process in becoming an NFL licensee. Presentation topics included: the financial commitment in NFL licensing, the evaluation process of potential licensees, and product requirements before licensure.
Participants were responsive to the amount of money companies were willing to spend on a licensing deal with the NFL.
Rob Brandegee of Little Earth Productions, an NFL a licensee, advised participants on several helpful tools in manufacturing and ensuring the quality of the product. He advised that if participants choose to use overseas manufacturers you should travel to them and get a feel for how they work.
Hank Boyd, University of Maryland, provided an informative session on Contracts, Negotiations, and IP. Hank discussed various legal issues, intellectual property rights, logos & slogans, and negotiation strategies in regards to licensing. The most interactive part of the day was the "Negotiation Role Play." Hank encouraged the participants to act out case studies which took them through the negotiation process.
Day 2's final presentation was a panel discussion lead by Don Brown, Director of NFL Consumer Products, Kathleen Cuce of Cuce shoes, Maureen Mason of Tervis Tumbler, and Jeff Strumeier of Mizco International Corp. Participants were able to inquire about the experiences as an NFL licensee. Don Brown facilitated the panel through Q&A sessions. “What’s a typical day in the life of an NFL a licensee?” asked Don, Maureen responded that as an NFL licensee there is a never ending cycle of change, which can be fun." The overall vibe in the room was inspirational which helped to set the platform for innovation.
The day came to an end as participants met with their pitch project groups and applied what they learned to their team's pitch.