Dropping in

Musings from Dennis #274. Back in my Disney licensing days, I made it a point - whenever possible - to visit a potential licensee’s premises by the first or second meeting. It was certainly easier to meet at our office or over coffee, but my POV was simple: I didn’t believe in agreeing to any deal or terms until I’d seen how they actually operated.

A site visit tells you far more than a pitch deck ever can. It helps you gauge their level of interest and operational proficiency - and after all, aren’t we always looking for best‑in‑class licensees? Beyond that, it gives you important signals about their financial health and where their real strengths lie. Often, companies are excellent in one product category but eager to work on another where they have little to no experience.

Two encounters with Malaysian companies really cemented this perspective for me.

In the first case, a company approached me wanting to become a licensee‑distributor for Elmer’s Glue featuring Disney IP. On paper, it seemed straightforward and sensible. Still, I insisted on visiting his office. When I arrived, it became very clear that his core business was actually rubber stamp manufacturing and retail—and not just casually so. He was one of the key players in that subcategory.

Instead of pursuing the Elmer’s idea, I encouraged him to lean into his real strength. The result? He signed on for a multi‑character Disney deal focused on a single SKU: rubber stamps. It was a far better fit commercially and operationally.

On another occasion, when I was GM for Malaysia and happened to be in market, I visited a bedlinen company’s factory on behalf of my teammate. They were keen to sign a Disney bedlinen deal, but a walk through their premises told a different story. The most prominent sight was a sky‑high pile of baby mattresses, pillows, and bolsters. Clearly, their core strength was in baby bedding wholesale manufacturing.

I suggested that, financially and strategically, it made more sense for them to build on what they already did best rather than branch into something entirely new. They agreed, and we handed the opportunity over for the next level of discussions.

The takeaway? Sometimes a simple site visit can uncover a high‑potential product subcategory that’s been sitting quietly on your white‑matrix list all along - just waiting to be activated.

Hong Kong!

Musings from Dennis #273: It has been more than two years since 1 January 2024 when I stopped working. But a few months before the last week approached, I had already planned a trip to my favourite non‑Southeast Asia destination: Hong Kong!

I never had the chance to say a proper goodbye to Jennifer Pang and the team in person, so this felt like the right moment. Amusingly, my wife remarked that I was funding this trip out of my own pocket (totally unclaimable!), but for me it mattered. It was important to check in - even as I had checked out of work - with colleagues past and present, licensing agents, toy partners, and of course, friends, because over the years everyone became one.

My heartfelt thanks to Jennifer, Kenneth, Cherry, Fanita, Cecillia, Sherry, Monika, William, Raymond, Steve and Yuk (in no particular order) for the support you have given me at Paramount CP throughout the years. I am truly grateful.

And to those I couldn’t meet during this visit - my apologies. I hope our paths will cross again.

Transition at TRANS Family Services

Musings from Dennis #272: I still remember that day in 1995 when my wife and I visited Chow Choy Yin at the Bedok South office and simply said hello. Fast forward 30 years, and here I am writing a note of heartfelt thanks to you.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity you gave me to volunteer and serve on the Management Committee from 2005 onwards - while still holding a full-time job - and for the privilege of being involved in so many activations of TRANS Family Services over the years. These are moments I will never forget. Through your encouragement and leadership, my eyes were opened to a whole new world of needs and societal challenges - experiences that only through TFS could I have encountered, and for which I am profoundly thankful.

And then, to be re-invited to the Board just three months before I retired at the end of 2023 - what extraordinary timing. How did you know? It felt both thoughtful and perfectly placed, and I remain appreciative of that trust.

Thank you for all the work you have done. You truly deserve the rest you are about to embark on, as you step into yet another adventure. I am certain this next journey will benefit and bless many lives -just as you have done over these decades through your relentless passion and unwavering commitment to serve at TFS.

To our new CEO, Jermaine Quek: I look forward to supporting you and working alongside you and your team to bring out the very best of TFS, for the betterment of our clients and partners, whether volunteers or corporate organisations.

As Choy Yin used to say in those early days - let us MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Jermaine (left) and Choy Yin

Meeting Recap

Musings from Dennis #271. Right after the first task force meeting for the Winnie the Pooh Singapore launch, the team was energized. We eagerly worked through the next steps in preparation for our second meeting. Our boss had chaired the first session and asked my colleague and me to take on the role of chair for subsequent meetings.

Confident in our plans, we launched straight into the second meeting—only to be abruptly stopped.

“What is this meeting about?” she asked.

“Why are we meeting?”

We were shocked. Surely she knew the purpose of the meeting and the agenda—we had just discussed it in detail at the previous session. What we failed to realize at the time was that she was prompting us to do something important: to begin the meeting by recapping what had already been discussed, clearly laying out the agenda, and articulating the outcomes we hoped to achieve.

At that point in my licensing career, it was still early days for me. It was 1997, and I had little exposure to how meetings were effectively conducted. That moment became a powerful learning experience for me. Looking back now, I fully appreciate the value of that lesson. Today, the most effective meetings are those that begin with clear context—where key background points are revisited, everyone is aligned on why they are there, and the desired outcomes are explicitly stated. It’s a simple discipline, but one that sets the tone for focused discussion and meaningful results.

Must-Do Mondays

Musings from Dennis #270. This was the A&P team at Takashimaya Singapore, where I served as Section Manager – Promotions from 1994 to 1996. Looking back, I’m reminded of what made those years so formative.

Our department wasn’t just Promotions—it included Visual Merchandising, Public Relations, Advertising, Creative, and even the HDTV Wall team managing the big screen at Takashimaya Square. Altogether, about 30 of us worked side by side to bring campaigns and experiences to life for shoppers coming to our mall each day.

What stands out most to me is a simple but powerful ritual: every Monday at 9am sharp, we gathered in a circle in this very office. One by one, each person shared their wins from the past week and what they were working on next. At first, I thought it was a very Japanese-centric practice of accountability. But over time, I realized it was much more—it was about learning from each other, celebrating successes, validating effort, and building camaraderie.

When the last person finished, our team head would close with a warm “Thank you all, have a great week.” Then, in unison, we’d bow 15 degrees forward—a gesture of respect before heading back to our desks or meetings.

It was a small ritual, but it left a lasting impression on me: teamwork is built not only through projects, but through shared moments of recognition and respect.

Filipino Fiesta!

Musings from Dennis #269. One of the greatest joys in my career has been the chance to combine event management with cultural learning. Back in 1990, my colleague and I were assigned to work with the Filipino Business Executive Group of Singapore to organize the Filipino Fiesta on Sentosa Island (we did it again the following year!) - and it was an unforgettable experience.

Representing the Sentosa Development Corporation, I collaborated with an incredible team of Filipino professionals from diverse industries - HR, PR, ballet, and even a movie star. Every meeting was filled with food, laughter, and music. It was here that I first discovered the delights of adobo and crispy pata, and witnessed the grace of the chairperson, the country head of Philippine Airlines, who ran meetings with precision (and a gentle tap of her spoon on a glass to bring order).

The Fiestas themselves were cultural showcases, designed primarily for the thousands of Filipino domestic workers but equally eye-opening for Singaporean locals and visitors. Filipino delicacies such as halo-halo, bibingka, and calamansi drinks sold out within hours, while traditional festivals—Sunduan, Flores de Mayo, and the exuberant Ati-Atihan - brought vibrancy and joy to the island.

Takeaway: Events are not just about logistics - they are about people, culture, and connection. This experience taught me that when we embrace diversity, we don’t just manage events - we create memories that last a lifetime. 

Product Quality Perceptions

Musings from Dennis #268. When it comes to our perception of product quality, we are often guided by frameworks shaped by local traditions, cultures, values, and socio-economic contexts. This can lead us to assume that our own definition of “good quality” is universal, when in reality it varies widely across countries depending on consumer expectations, market conditions, and lived experiences.

Having lived in Singapore all my life, I began to appreciate these differences more deeply when I took on a regional role in Southeast Asia for Disney CP’s stationery category in the mid 2000s. For me, a notebook was only acceptable if the paper was at least 70g in thickness. That assumption was challenged when I visited one of the outlets of the National Book Store chainstore in the Philippines, where every notebook -regardless of the character on the cover - used 40g paper. The explanation was simple yet profound: children often walked to school, and lighter paper reduced the weight of their school bags, sparing young students from unnecessary strain.

My perspective continued to evolve as I travelled across the region. In Indonesia, I visited Ramayana, a major retail chain serving middle-low and lower-income consumers. There, I examined a school bag priced under $10. It lacked a secondary protective layer beyond the external PVC, yet the print overlays were neat and presentable. For the customer, this was acceptable and affordable - meeting their needs without excess.

With this new lens, we collaborated with our Malaysian licensee to design pencil cases for hypers which cater to lower-income segments (we call them Type C or D stores). To maintain quality while reducing costs by 60% compared to middle-class stores, we simplified the design: a single-color outline print of characters. While these products were not Disney Store-level offerings, and we still have products out there catering to the middle and upper class, they met minimum standards and aligned with our mantra of being inclusive rather than exclusive. By doing so, we ensured that our IP could reach everyone who loves our characters—regardless of their economic circumstances. So quality is contextual and business decisions must adapt to local realities without losing sight of brand values.

The Catalyst

Musings from Dennis #267. I caught up with Claire O'Connor (my former boss) just last week - we’ve stayed in close contact all these years - and it reminded me how much I learned during my time reporting to her at Viacom Nickelodeon CP APAC from 2016 to 2021.

As we chatted, a memory clicked into place - like that moment a coin finally drops into a vending machine - of a project that quietly became the catalyst for my writing journey: these musings, and my Facebook page and blog reflections on ‘Our Bedok Kampong House – Singapore’.

It was during the WFH period of the COVID restrictions when Claire called. We needed to deliver a script - complete with media, marketing, and licensing plans - for a new Nickelodeon IP debuting at Brand Licensing Europe that year. And we were racing against time.

Claire was already seasoned in crafting scripts for the APAC markets, but I was completely new to it. I remember asking her for 30 minutes to pull together a rough draft from every source we could find on this new property. Normally, our global team would provide the first draft, but because this IP originated in Asia, we were starting from scratch.

She refined the copy, polished it, and the script went on to BLE and was shared widely. That experience gave me the confidence to write future trade presentation scripts — shaping global messaging for local nuance and adding insights unique to Asian markets. From then until the end of 2023, I produced scripts for Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, all stemming from that first “deep end of the pool” moment.

And now, hearing that our former “protégé,” Eric Ong - who supported us on so many of those productions - is writing trade scripts at Sanrio Southeast Asia feels like the baton has been passed on. A full-circle moment we’re genuinely glad to see.