How Does Ghostbusters Merchandise Get Made?

Let’s say you’re making an enormous film and also you wish to be certain it’s supported by merchandise. Who ya gonna name? Well, for Ghostbusters, one choice is Jamie Stevens. An executive vice president at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Stevens oversees worldwide client merchandise for Sony Pictures movie and tv, in addition to serving to PlayStation with its licensing in North America.

So mainly Stevens is likely one of the individuals who says “Yes, you can make that Ghostbusters toy” or sport or shirt or toaster oven, regardless of the case could also be. And with a number of new Ghostbusters movies and reveals at present on the horizon (and some within the rearview mirror as properly), we thought it is perhaps enjoyable to get Stevens on the cellphone to be taught extra about what goes into this extremely cool job. How early within the course of does she work with filmmakers? What does she know in regards to the new merchandise? And how does the studio determine what’s worthy of Ghostbusters and what’s not? All that and extra beneath.

This interview has been edited for size and readability.

Germain Lussier, io9: Obviously, Ghostbusters is a franchise that has been with Sony perpetually. Tell me while you began with the corporate and what your emotions towards the franchise have been?

Jamie Stevens: I’ve been with the corporate for six years and I used to be an enormous Ghostbusters fan my whole life, [since] the primary one. And truly, it was an honor for me to have the ability to work on the franchise. Such an endearing, long-running franchise. And for fairly some time after the primary and second films, we have been a bit dormant by way of content material, and now clearly as we’re shifting ahead [there’s much more.] We’ve actually checked out this—as a result of it’s such an iconic franchise—as one thing that we wish to hold growing new content material for, as a result of there are these of us, like me, who noticed it after I was a child who now have youngsters and household who we wish to introduce it to. Not solely the unique, however it in an all-new, completely different means.

io9: So while you’re coping with one thing with that form of gravitas to it, in your opinion, what are crucial issues to remember when fascinated with the best way that individuals are going to digest the franchise?

Stevens:  I believe we now have to maintain the franchise related and it actually begins with the followers. We wish to know what they’re into, what’s trending, and develop merchandise that form of lean into what the followers need.

io9: Okay. Yeah, however you even have to draw new followers, proper? Because I’m 42 years previous and a toy collector, so the issues I’m shopping for aren’t on the identical value level as issues for youthful kids. So inform me a bit bit about form of balancing what a fan like myself would need versus, such as you mentioned, youthful youngsters to maintain the franchise alive.

Stevens: That’s a extremely good level. We have a mixture of licensees who goal all of our completely different fan teams. So it’s fascinating. Hasbro is our toy accomplice. They have merchandise particularly developed for teenagers, however then additionally they have collector merchandise. Higher-end merchandise for these collectors who actually wish to simply purchase them and generally not even open the package deal and cling on to them. So what we attempt to do is basically, as a result of we’re a fan base that actually goes to zero to 100, we cowl the entire age teams. We attempt to ensure that we’re signing on licenses globally that focus on all of these followers. Even attire. We have nice stuff for teenagers. We do quite a lot of style collaborations for any individual who’s a bit bit extra fashionable and trendy. Obviously our costumes each single yr do rather well. Families love to decorate up as Ghostbusters. And so we actually take a look at, do we now have one thing for each fan and variety in companions?

io9: So does that come into play when searching for companions? Does a accomplice essentially have to have that form of big breadth? Or can an organization solely make collector gadgets or solely child gadgets and nonetheless make Ghostbusters?

Stevens: Well, it will depend on how different offers are completed. Typically when you have a grasp toy accomplice, there are classes which can be ironed out. So we work inside what our contract is and we work with our toy accomplice—on this case, Hasbro—to try this. And then some other alternatives that we now have which can be inside that contract that we wish to do. Like this yr, we simply launched a cookbook and we now have video video games, we now have dwelling decor, stationary… it truly is all in regards to the fan on the finish of the day. 

io9: Do you ever fear about oversaturating the market? With motion figures, we name them “peg warmers,” which isn’t an excellent factor, so how do you be certain to not overdo it?

Stevens: We work very carefully with our licensees to ensure that we are attempting to place collectively applications that simply have the correct stage of merchandise within the market. And it actually will depend on if there may be content material. Like if there’s a film releasing we all know that we wish to put extra product within the market than if it’s a time when there’s not a film launch. Or on Halloween, we sometimes spike. So we ensure that we now have related merchandise within the market for the followers. And once more, it’s all form of in service to the followers. But we additionally wish to ensure that that we’re not overflooding the markets and we work actually carefully with our licensees to get that proper. 

io9: Tell me a bit bit in regards to the means of working with licensees, be it older ones or signing up new ones.

Stevens: Well, we’re international. So if there’s a licensee that’s fascinated by working with us, we’ll see in the event that they’re a match for our enterprise. We are continuously getting requests for brand spanking new licensees, however we clearly wish to ensure that they’re the correct match, particularly for the fan, and that there’s innovation and high quality and that they perceive how one can deliver the franchise to life.

io9: So what would make you say no to any individual who needs to be a accomplice? Is it that they simply won’t have the proper of imaginative and prescient as you do?

Stevens: Yeah. They might not have the proper of imaginative and prescient. They might not have the depth and breadth. They might not match a necessity that we now have. There are quite a lot of the explanation why we’d say no. And there are quite a lot of the explanation why they could say sure. We might have a distinct segment market. We might have too many licensees in a particular class and really feel like we now have that class lined. But we at all times take the chance if we see one thing that’s distinctive and fascinating. It’s one thing that we at all times attempt to work out, even when we do a take a look at or it is perhaps one thing that we are saying, what, the timing shouldn’t be proper now, however it is perhaps in a yr or two.

io9: Now, Ghostbusters has been very fascinating for the previous few years, particularly throughout your time there. Sony tried a complete new route with the 2016 movie and it didn’t reside as much as expectations. And then I believe that in all probability gave followers no less than— don’t know in regards to the govt stage—a bit little bit of trepidation going into the brand new film, which truly did very properly. Saying that, I’m curious when you may have these two completely different sides of a franchise, do it’s important to reevaluate? What does that do to your job coming off of a disappointing film financially to a film that’s probably a brand new franchise starter?

Stevens: Actually, the earlier film financially was not that… I believe it was extra within the tradition and the media, the backlash, however financially it was not dangerous. We labored very carefully, and the studio did, with Ivan Reitman after which clearly Jason Reitman. And it was actually time, we thought, to reboot the franchise. But we wished to do it in a means that introduced us again to what the unique franchise was about, and it made essentially the most sense to have Jason direct it. Ivan was passing the torch. And Jason is an incredible storyteller and simply the story of, , it going from a father to a son, which is basically what the film was about actually made quite a lot of sense.

io9: Right, however by way of licensing, as a result of I imply, I don’t bear in mind seeing a ton of merchandise for the Feig movie…

Stevens: There was quite a lot of merchandise. There was lots of merchandise.

io9: Oh okay.

Stevens: Because, look. Everyone was excited. It was a unique iteration of the franchise. Everyone was excited for the franchise. And we did have quite a lot of merchandise within the market. But, , once more, I believe it’s about right-sizing. And everybody was very excited {that a} new movie was popping out. The different factor is, we frequently have a powerful play that positively spikes round Halloween, and we now have a pleasant continuous enterprise on the traditional product.

io9: In the previous yr, Ghost Corps [the company name in charge of Ghostbusters] have introduced a number of tasks popping out. There’s a Netflix present, an animated film, a live-action film. And clearly, you may’t converse to specifics on any of that, however how early does your group get entangled?

Stevens: Our group truly might be the primary group exterior of manufacturing who greenlit the film. And truly, we get entangled even earlier than it’s greenlit. And we’re actually lucky as a result of we now have an important relationship with Ghost Corps; we had an important relationship with Ivan and he appreciated what we did for the followers, and Jason feels the identical means. Jason calls himself the unique Ghostbuster fan.

io9: Right.

Stevens: And he loves all of the merchandise. He loves the toys and he needs to work very early with us. So, on the [next] movie, we’ve been speaking about it since earlier than the final film was launched. What do all of the completely different iterations appear like? How can we construct the franchise? How can we make issues probably extra toy-ettique and make merchandise for the followers whereas staying true to the core story? So we get entangled very, very early and I believe that’s a extremely vital factor and it’s actually vital, on one thing like this, to have a really shut, collaborative relationship with the filmmakers.

io9: Is there ever pushback going within the different route? I at all times consider the well-known story that George Lucas put the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi simply so they might make toys of it. I’m undecided that’s truly true, however that’s a hypothetical instance folks use of licensing and merchandise influencing the filmmakers. I’m curious, by way of Ghostbusters, have you ever guys ever mentioned, “Can you do this?” And they are saying, “That doesn’t fit.”

Stevens: Yes, we now have. We speak about quite a lot of issues. Sometimes there are issues which can be trending that simply might not finally match within the storyline. I believe the vital factor is, while you pressure something and it’s not true to the DNA of the IP and the franchise, I believe followers can suss out and odor that. It has to essentially be part of the DNA of the franchise.

io9: Yeah, that is sensible for positive. So, with out shedding your job, how deep are you into engaged on new tasks? How lengthy have you ever been engaged on them, have you ever seen samples, are you able to say something in a broad sense about future Ghostbusters tasks?

Stevens: We are very concerned with all of the tasks that Ghost Corps is engaged on.

io9: Okay. There you go

Stevens: And the filmmakers and the showrunners hold us very a lot within the loop on all of it.

io9: And last item, simply generally, the place do you see the way forward for the Ghostbusters model by way of licensing, and the way excited are you about what’s to come back?

Stevens: I’m very enthusiastic about the way forward for the model. We have quite a lot of new content material within the pipeline. The factor for me that makes my job a bit simpler is we now have thousands and thousands of followers everywhere in the world who love Ghostbusters and proceed to benefit from the franchise, whether or not it’s the unique movie or the brand new content material that we now have popping out. So I’m actually excited to proceed working with the filmmakers to inform these tales and convey these tales to life by way of modern and enjoyable merchandise.

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