In case you didn’t catch our last Facebook livestream update (which, first of all, for shame!), you may have missed our announcement that we hired a new part-time VP of Merchandising and Licensing. And her name is Mandy.

Nope, you didn’t misread that. Here at Legion M, we love our film Mandy so much that we knew we had to go out and find someone named Mandy to join the team.

Now you may be wondering a few things. Like what is a VP of Merchandising and Licensing, and why does Legion M need one? And more importantly, who is this Mandy person anyway, and is she really up to the task?

Those are all great questions, and we’d like to take some time to answer them for you!

We needed a dedicated person to take Legion M's merchandise and licensing game to the next level. The goals are to expand the Legion M storefront and the kinds of merchandise we can offer, not just for our own projects but for film fans and media aficionados of all kinds! Having a dedicated person also helps Legion M deepen our relationships with strategic partners and retailers (more on that later!). Most importantly, and perhaps most excitingly, having Mandy on board prepares Legion M for more merch-ready titles like our upcoming comic book and feature film of the same name, GIRL WITH NO NAME.

So why is merchandise so important to Legion M?

Introducing genuinely creative merch and products associated with our IP  is not only a valuable source of revenue and margin for Legion M, but it also serves to incite, activate and nourish the fandom for that IP.  By way of example, MANDY (the film this time, not the person!) was our biggest foray into merch yet, and the products we introduced truly helped galvanize the community of midnight and genre-film fans to rally around the film. All of the above benefited Legion M, and with better than expected results on this project, we are ramping up our game for our other properties as well.

Our unique Viewing Party Kits are one of the best examples of this. Not only do the fans get a great value for some kick-ass merchandise from a film they love, but it turns the act of simply watching a film into an entirely new experience. It gives folks a reason to host a viewing of the film with their friends and family and give everyone unique gifts, cocktail recipes, and party tips to put the movie-watching experience on a whole new level. In fact, the viewing party kits have been so successful that we’re exploring what more we can do with them – and for that, we need an expert.

Which brings us to the woman of the hour – Mandy Bardisbanian.

First of all, she’s a Slytherin which, if you ask me, is all the qualifications she needs to get this job done right. But if that’s not enough for you, how about the fact that she hails from the fandom merch juggernaut Hot Topic? Mandy went from receptionist to Buyer in just under four short years (seriously, how is that even possible?). She then went on to become the VP at Pop Insider, and in 2018 she was recognized by the International Licensing Association as a Rising Star and won an award for her work in licensed cosmetics. With a bachelor’s in Fashion Merchandising and Design, she came to us very highly recommended. We would have been foolish not to add her to the team.

In her first two weeks working with Legion M, we've already made huge strides together. Just last week, Paul and Mandy went to the Licensing Expo in Vegas and met with the CEO and entire executive team at Hot Topic. They also had great first meetings with Funko, Pop Insider, and many other strategic partners. But the fun doesn’t stop there! Mandy has also helped blow out our upcoming SDCC experience with new potential partners, opened up some amazing discussions with various studios about licensing their brands for products, and taken some key next steps forward on a potentially VERY interesting new product endeavor that could help take Legion M to the next level.

We couldn’t be more excited to have Mandy join the team, and we hope you’ll join us in giving her a big, warm Legion M welcome!