Bright Group International (BGI) has launched Bright and Beyond Licensing, a new division within the UK-based company that will focus specifically on brand licensing.

BGI has a host of clients since its foray into the licensing market last year, and Bright and Beyond will now identify and manage properties that have the potential to expand into the brand licensing sector.

The Bright and Beyond team is showcasing its full range of properties at Brand Licensing Europe at the end of this month in London. These include Hallmark brand Country Companions and the ZSL London Zoo, both of which have been extended into publishing, as well as characters based on picture books Barry the Fish With Fingers and the forthcoming Wanda the Alien by children’s author/illustrator Sue Hendra. The latter has already been optioned for television by Random House Children’s Screen Entertainment (RHCSE), and talks are also taking place about the possibility of an animated TV series starring Barry.

Bright and Beyond also represents content currently being created by Will Brenton, who runs production company Wish Films and has collaborated on two new picture books with artist Holly Clifton-Brown – Elephant White and Claude – that have been snapped up for publishing by Templar and Egmont, respectively.

In addition, Bright and Beyond will manage the creation of in-house content to produce a range of design, publishing and content-led properties with potential across all sectors.