Welcome to The Born Perspective

24 Feb

From fan to global licensing - David Born

Let me be direct about why this exists.

For years, my thinking, my experience, and my opinions have been scattered. A LinkedIn post here. A podcast episode there. A comment in an industry article. An interview in a trade publication. Fragments of a perspective that never had a proper home.

That changes now.

thedavidborn.com is where everything lives. And The Born Perspective is where I write.

Nearly Two Decades. One Industry.

I didn't plan a career in licensing. Almost nobody does.

In 2007 I walked into a job interview in Melbourne, saw SpongeBob SquarePants sitting in the corner of the room, and thought: I want to work here. That was the beginning. What followed was nearly two decades operating at the intersection of entertainment IP, brand strategy, and commercial deal-making - roles at Warner Bros. Australia, Cartoon Network, and eventually founding Born Licensing in 2014.

Since then, I've built a licensing agency that has worked with some of the most recognised IP in the world - Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Universal, Mattel, Hasbro, Paramount - and helped deliver licensed partnerships and campaigns for brands like McDonald's, Uber, Cadbury, British Airways, Samsung, Google, and hundreds more. The agency has won at the Licensing International Excellence Awards 4 times, featured in the Financial Times FT1000 list of Europe's fastest-growing companies, and been recognised across the industry.

I've also been named to License Global's Top 40 Under 40, included in Licensing.biz's Power 50, and listed in Brands Untapped's Top 100. I mention these not to impress, but to give you context. When I write about licensing strategy, I'm not theorising. I'm drawing from real deals, real negotiations, and real outcomes.

In 2024, Born Licensing turned 10. I marked that milestone by launching Born to License - a division built to help companies navigate consumer product licensing from the ground up - as well as Learn to License, an education platform for the next generation of licensing professionals. The Born to License Podcast launched in 2025. Born Legal followed to provide compliance and legal guidance for brand campaigns. And now, thedavidborn.com brings all of it together under one roof.

That's the background. Here's what matters more: what you'll actually find here.

What The Born Perspective Is

This is not a motivational blog. I have no interest in writing generic advice dressed up as insight. I won't be offering "10 tips to grow your brand" or "the secrets to entrepreneurial success." There is a lot of that content already out there.

What I will write is this: strategic thinking, in public.

The Born Perspective is where I share my views on licensing, brand strategy, IP monetisation, deal structure, and building businesses that create real leverage. I'll write about what I've seen work and what I've watched fail. I'll take positions - including ones that challenge conventional wisdom in this industry. I'll share the frameworks I actually use.

Some of what I write will be directly about licensing. How to structure a deal. Why most licensing programmes fail before they start. What brands consistently get wrong when they try to extend their IP. How to negotiate from a position of genuine leverage rather than hope.

Some of it will connect licensing to broader themes - discipline, long-term thinking, operating under pressure, building something from nothing. I run marathons. I've lived across soon to be four continents. I've travelled to nearly 50 countries. These aren't hobbies I keep separate from my work. They inform how I think, how I make decisions, and how I approach building the kind of businesses that last.

Everything here connects back to one central idea: licensing is everywhere. It's on your cereal box, in your favourite ad campaign, behind the character on your kid's lunchbox, embedded in collaborations you assumed were just good marketing. It touches almost every part of daily commercial life - and yet most people, even experienced business operators, have no real understanding of how it works, what it's worth, or how to use it. That's the gap I'm trying to close.

Who This Is For

If you're a brand owner trying to understand whether your IP has commercial value beyond your core business - this is for you.

If you're a founder or entrepreneur who's heard about licensing but doesn't know where the real opportunity lies - this is for you.

If you're a marketing or commercial decision-maker who wants to understand how entertainment IP can create cut-through, not just borrowed interest - this is for you.

If you work in licensing and want a perspective grounded in real operating experience rather than conference panel talking points - this is for you.

This is not beginner content. I assume you're intelligent, you respect experience, and you want to think more clearly about strategy. I'll write accordingly.

The Bottom Line

The Born Perspective will publish regularly. Topics will range across licensing strategy, IP monetisation, deal mechanics, brand positioning, business philosophy, and the mindset required to operate well over the long term.

I will have opinions. Some of them will be contrarian. I won't soften them to avoid disagreement. If I think the conventional approach to licensing is leaving significant value on the table - and often it is - I'll say so and explain why.

I'll also be pulling back the curtain on the industry. Licensing is a $369 billion global business that most people know almost nothing about. That's a problem for brand owners, entrepreneurs, and anyone who could be leveraging it. My goal - here, on the podcast, through Learn to License, and across everything else in the Born Collective - is to change that.

Let's get into it.

want to connect?

The Born Perspective is one part of a bigger conversation. If you want more, you can find me on LinkedIn for industry commentary, Instagram for what's happening day to day, and YouTube and the Born to License Podcast for deeper dives into the world of licensing. Pick your platform. I'll be there.