Three Maurizio Distefano Licensing brands join prestigious award shortlist

Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), which manages licensing in Italy for a number of major brands across entertainment, lifestyle, digital content creation and fashion, is proud to announce that three properties MDL represents are among the finalists of this year’s Licensing International Excellence Awards.

The three properties for which the agency Maurizio Distefano Licensing was manager of the licensing projects that appear on this year’s shortlist are Bing, Masha and the Bear and PREMOLI + DI BELLA.

Bing is nominated in two categories: Best Licensed Brand – Entertainment, Character, Toy Brand, Animated, thanks to its great success in 2020, and Best Licensed Product Digital – Apps, Software, Video Games. Acamar Films’ award-winning pre-school animated series has enjoyed record-breaking numbers, including three billion YouTube views, one million app downloads and the fastest-growing Facebook channel among pre-school properties in 2020.

Masha and the Bear, the animated series produced by Animaccord, appears in the category Best Licensed Products – Food & Beverage with Benvolio 1938 – Masha and the Bear Sunflower Oil. Benvolio, an Italian licensee, has developed its baby sunflower oil through 100 per cent Italian organic farming, making it ideal for children. The branded oil is customized with the delightful Masha and the Bear characters, both of whom appear on the innovative pack. This is a project that fully embraces the values of this exceptionally popular animated series, which in every episode highlights love, attention, care for the environment and the well-being of children.

PREMOLI + DI BELLA, the property inspired by the artistic expression of the designers Giovanni Premoli and Dario di Bella, has been honoured in the Best Licensed Product – Home Décor category for the PREMOLI + DI BELLA Pet Design Collection project with Ferribiella, a collection where the brand’s instantly recognizable design is dedicated to our four-legged friends. The first collection debuted in November 2020 with the brand’s ‘Iconic’ theme, which brings together avant-garde modernism and Street Style. Following the success of the first collection, the ‘Blusicilia’ collection launched this summer. This range of PREMOLI + DI BELLA, accessories for dogs and cats – and for the home – takes the consumer on a journey into the beauty and joy of summer in Sicily.