Changemakers: Jewel Branding and Licensing
License Global | May 2, 20204 | McKenna Morgan
Julie Newman, founder, Jewel Licensing, highlights how the company is making change and moving forward in its mission.
The licensing industry has global influence; consumers flock to buy the products the industry creates, and the revenue driven at retail is a substantial driver in a brand’s power to implement change. Some executives harness the power of their position to become what License Global is calling a “Changemaker,” meaning they are leveraging licensing’s potential as a catalyst to create change.
We caught up with Julie Newman, founder, Jewel Branding and Licensing, to discuss how the agency (a Licensing Expo exhibitor) is highlighting women’s empowerment, diversity and inclusion, sustainability and more through its licensing deals.
License Global: Jewel aspires to shine a spotlight on women, cause-related brands and global perspectives that might otherwise not be seen. Why is this mission important to your company?
Julie Newman: When I founded Jewel over 15 years ago, I wanted to support women artists and create beautifully designed products that I would actually want to buy. I saw a void in the market for unique, authentic, trend-forward design in everyday products.
As our agency has evolved, we have significantly grown our portfolio of cause-related brands, which aligns with our mission to shine a spotlight on brands that might otherwise not be seen. The common thread among all of the clients in our portfolio, whether artists or cause-related brands, is they each have a unique design aesthetic and compelling story to tell.
As a women-owned and operated business, with the majority of our clients being women, we have always been focused on shining a spotlight on brands and voices that might not otherwise be seen. It’s the foundation of our agency, and it is incredibly rewarding to know that we’re helping bring important stories to the forefront while supporting women artists and providing meaningful revenue to nonprofits.