Penske Media Corporation announced Thursday that it has hired Thomas Ferguson as its new vice president of product licensing. In this role, he will lead a team and develop new license extensions and partnerships to expand consumer touchpoints across PMC’s portfolio of brands, including Deadline.
Ferguson joins a team that includes Laura Ongaro, associate vice president of licensing and brand partnerships at PMC, and Noelle Hickey, senior manager of DTC Ecommerce Marketing at PMC. Based in Los Angeles, she reports to PMC’s Chief Digital Officer Craig Perreault.
“Thomas brings extensive experience to the branded consumer products team and licensing team,” Perreault said. “I look forward to the development and evolution of PMC’s licensed products under Thomas’s leadership. We are thrilled to have him on board.”
Ferguson founded Backstory, a brand development company that consults on design, development and strategic licensing programs for brands, artists and experts. In 2019, he was named one of “40 under 40” by Global License Magazine while also serving as Vice President of Licensing Partnerships at Endemol Shine North America, where he was responsible for multi-million dollar licensing partnerships across consumer products, publishing, e-commerce, immersive experiences and live events across television programming such as Black Mirror, MasterChef AND Junior MasterChef.
Prior to joining Endemol Shine North America, Ferguson was a principal consulting designer at creative agency Focus Group West, working with brands including John Varvatos, Carolina Herrera and BCBG. He also advised on Disney’s first e-commerce venture for D23.
