My favorite time of
year is the fall; brilliant with color and my favorite holidays. Louise
likes spring best, when buds are bursting forth and leaves sprout to grow to
their full potential. This unity of sorts also shares our outlook and our
future. We are pleased to announce that after ten years of work and play
together, we will be married on Nov. 30, Thanksgiving weekend.
This exciting new step
of “making it official,” comes with years of blessings and friendships. We are
fortunate that our lives are full of creativity and opportunity in the licensing business. Louise’s PR skills dovetail nicely with my art and believe
me, I couldn’t be building Tails of
Whimsy without her marketing know-how. She is also a designer and artist,
but more than that, a committed partner that understands what it means to live
with one!
While she fills our
home with things like pumpkin spice candles, flowers, and gourds, I draw by the
fireplace or read books and digital content to keep my ideas flowing. We share
our thoughts on current topics and laugh a lot.
She loves my cornball humor and actually thinks my jokes and word play
are funny!
Tails of Whimsy has brought us adventure and great friendships. We
have sought and found talent to help us throughout the country and world that
inspire us in our quest to brand “The Art
of Daryl Slaton.” Some special thanks go to:
Jeanette Smith of All Art Licensing who is our book agent for the BrokenHeart Pets. Known as J’net, this bundle of energy keeps us focused on success. We are reminded that she built Dilbert into a $200 million brand and she believes that I can travel a similar road with books and branding product for retail markets. J’net will be the Official Art and Design Blogger for the Design section of the International Licensing Expo in Las Vegas in 2014. This is a really BIG DEAL and the first time that show planners Advanstar have embarked on such a strategy. This brings opportunities to her clients as well and we are thrilled to have her as our consultant, coach, confidante and friend.
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| J'Net |
And then, there is
the Licensing Expo itself where I found my “audience,” other business
professionals who were drawn to my characters and stories for publishing,
animation and products. They respected my ability to create so much so quickly,
a tribute to vast years of experience meeting client demands and deadlines.
Getting to know Kelli Couchee, show manager who “found “me and my work at the
Surtex Show in NY in May was the icing on our cake. She gave us the confidence
and a choice booth location to do a quick turnaround and show in Vegas in June.
An exhibition hall full of hundreds of booths from Disney and Nickelodeon to
Ford Motors and Coca-Cola, powerful licensors with known brands, was truly
daunting. Kelli had the foresight to convince us that licensees also seek out
new properties to fill voids in their lines and that my work would be
acknowledged. Everyone is looking for
the new “Angry Birds,” and my twist on characters and stories has brought lots
of interest and new deals to consider.
This Thanksgiving, we
give special thanks to our friends and the fullness of our lives. And, our love
to you, our loyal followers that found us “early” on social media. We
appreciate each of you and hope that you will share our characters and quirky
worldview with friends and family this holiday and throughout the coming year.
Blessings to all of you!
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