The connection between licensing and publishing is growing stronger, and a new agency, Broadthink, is positioning itself as link between the two. "We're not just a literary agent, not just a merchandising agent, not just a media production company," said cofounder and partner Nancy Cushing-Jones, formerly head of publishing at Universal Consumer Products. "We make a bridge between these different worlds."
Some of the agency's projects include partnering with John Lithgow in Lithgow Palooza, which develops TV shows based on Lithgow's books and concepts, arranges promotions for titles such as Marsupial Sue, and creates new books, such as A Lithgow Palooza: 101 Ways to Entertain and Inspire Your Kids (Touchstone/Firestone). Broadthink is also developing an original property for girls 8-12, Zenda, for which Grosset & Dunlap will release 10 books, and consulting with Learning Company Books, among other ventures.
