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The Honorary Achievement Award sponsored by Open to: This special award is given to someone who has contributed greatly to the licensing industry. No finalists were announced, but the winner is decided as a result of nominations received.
Honorary recipient
2018
Keith Chapman
Above: Keith Chapman was surprised and very touched to be announced as the recipient of the Honorary Achievement Award 2018. He was presented with the trophy by Nikki Samuels, director of SAMBRO, sponsor of this very special award. Left: With no prior warning, Keith Chapman was gestured to make an impromptu acceptance speech, which he did with great aplomb and meaning.
The speech Jakki Brown, joint md of Max Publishing (owner of The Licensing Awards and LSB Book) gave at the ceremony: “Everyone in licensing is always on the lookout for ‘the next big thing’, well tonight we honour someone who knows a great deal about this. But our winner also knows an enormous amount about the little things – what makes children tick, what enthuses them, what makes them feel that a character is their best friend and empowers them to be a better person. Tonight we honour someone who selflessly shares this knowledge, ever generous with their time to impart their insights and inspire others, especially those just starting out on their creative journey. Licensors, licensees and retailers are invariably held up as the three cornerstones of our industry – however without new ideas or someone with the creative vision to spot the potential of an idea we are all sunk. Tonight’s we honour someone who is a true master on the creative stage and is passionate about our industry. Like millions of others, tonight’s winner went to art college full of hopes and dreams. The big difference is they then made those hopes and dreams a reality – and has shared the success with millions all over the world. It was a stint in advertising in their early career that reaped the benefits of working out how to take popular themes and then coming up with a creative execution that enhanced the power of a recognisable brand. With this skill under their belt, they then joined quirky entertainment powerhouse, Jim Henson International, designing characters to join The Inset: A Delighted Muppets’ entourage. Keith Chapman.
However, with a creative spirit that was in overdrive, it was sharing one of their own creations to a former colleague which was to prove a major building block, not only in their career, but in children’s entertainment and licensing worldwide. Unlike so many other creators, tonight’s special individual was not content with just creating astonishingly successful global characters, but wanted to bring them to life through licensed merchandise too. Could he fix it, Bob the Builder most certainly did, going on to become a mega success for the then embryonic Hit Entertainment and for a host of licensees who remember the heady days of Bob mania. Fuelled by a seemingly endless and infectious childlike enthusiasm, this was never going to be a ‘one hit wonder’ for tonight’s award recipient, swiftly launching an eponymous entertainment company with two business partners to bring even more ideas to life, including Fifi and the Flowertots and Roary the Racing Car. But this was far from the end as tonight’s winner had a mission for more – in the unlikely form of a programme idea based on a pack of rescue pups with a hunger to help. Well, he most certainly was barking up the right tree with this one as evidenced tonight with PAW Patrol clinching the award for Best Preschool Licensed Property for the third year in succession. For the first time in The Licensing Awards’ history we are recognising a true creative genius who is revered the world over helping to raise the flag for British animation. You might have started out creating adverts to sell Wotsits, well tonight Mr Peter Pan of the licensing industry we have a special ‘wotsit’ for you – and it’s a shiny trophy.” Keith Chapman shares his thoughts on receiving this prestigious award in the State of the Nation: Corporate section at the front of this publication.
LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2018
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