William A. Sherman – Co-Founder/President
William A. Sherman has over 20 years of experience in business planning and development and is currently President and COO of Sherman & Blank Inc., a full-service licensing agency and consulting company representing corporations, brand owners, celebrities, athletes, inventors, artists, and designers. He has worked extensively in content licensing for television, internet, other video distribution channels as well as product and invention licensing for technology, consumer products, and business-to-business service companies.
As a consultant, Mr. Sherman has developed comprehensive plans for product and service distribution. He works extensively with the Law Offices of Richard M. Blank on the technical aspects of invention development and patent filings. He also lends his business skills to consulting on brand development including trademark registrations, acquisitions, and licensing to third parties. Since 2004, Sherman and Blank Inc. has consulted with and represented the licensing interests of hundreds of inventors and brand owners in numerous industries including: renewable energy, lighting, toys, home goods, fashion/apparel, fine foods and beverages. Mr. Sherman possesses a unique background as a marketer, salesman, operations specialist, and technology expert.
Mr. Sherman began his career in television, holding a variety of operational, analytical, marketing, and financial positions for companies including NBC, Showtime Networks, and AlphaStar Digital Television. He has successfully negotiated and managed licensing agreements for commercial and residential television networks and services. Later, as a consultant, he continued these efforts, creating domestic and international business expansion plans and initiating licensing agreements for clients including PBS, The Business Channel, and many start-up ventures.
As a technologist, Mr. Sherman has worked on the development of satellite television and data services as well as leading Internet companies. He devised and implemented plans for content licensing, structured corporate operations, defined pricing models, and licensed out software and hardware products. Additionally, Mr. Sherman has worked extensively in the DRTV and ecommerce arena, licensing new consumer products and bringing them to market. Mr. Sherman is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Electrical Engineering.
Richard M. Blank Esq. – Co-Founder/Advisor
Mr. Blank has been an acknowledged leader in the licensing community for over twenty-five years. Over the course of his career, his efforts resulted in more than $250 million dollars for his clients. Mr. Blank’s unparalleled reputation continues to attract major companies and best-known personalities.
Mr. Blank’s success in licensing is largely due to his tireless work ethic and his ability to think outside the box. His dynamic and creative thinking has established licensing deals that endure the test of time. Mr. Blank’s track record earned him the appointment as Vice President and Secretary of the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association, the organization responsible for overseeing every facet of the over $120 billion dollar licensing industry.
Some of the companies and individuals with whom Mr. Blank has negotiated licensing deals include Hasbro, Mattel, Nabisco, Random House, 20th Century Fox, Michael Jackson, Roy Rogers, Chuck Norris, and artist Peter Max. These successful relationships established Mr. Blank as a prominent player in the licensing world and earned him the highest respect among major companies, inventors, manufacturers and famous personalities.
In addition to being a Licensing Executive, Mr. Blank is also an attorney. This grants him a thorough understanding of all the elements that are involved in successfully completing licensing deals. The areas of practice that Mr. Blank primarily focuses on are: Licensing, Sports and Entertainment, Intellectual Property, Copyright and Trademark, Patents, Publishing, Television, Marketing and Technology. Listed in Marquis “Who’s Who in America,” Mr. Blank is truly an authority on all areas of licensing and is a person with whom one can depend on and trust.