Lourdes Arocho joins Gap to lead new growth in licensing 

Pam Kaufman, the former Paramount exec who was recently named EVP and chief entertainment officer at Gap, has made her first hire as part of the US-owned apparel giant’s aim to evolve into a “fashiontainment” company. She hired Lourdes Arocho (pictured), another former Paramount exec, as SVP and head of licensing to lead that part of the business across brands, while bringing the company more into the entertainment, sports and cultural sectors. Arocho starts on May 15, reporting to Kaufman, and is based in LA. Like Kaufman, Arocho has licensing experience in the kids market. While at Paramount, she was SVP of global consumer products and experiences, and worked on brands such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and PAW Patrol. She also previously held licensing roles at Nickelodeon and NBCUniversal. Kaufman and Arocho joining Gap is part of the company’s efforts to expand its entertainment and licensing business, and it’s looking for partners, including in the kids space, to do this, Kidscreen previously reported. 

Elan Freedman and Lindsay Hampton launch Volt Factor to rep YouTuber IP

The former Surge Licensing exec has teamed up with former YouTube global head of creator engagement Lindsay Hampton to set up Volt Factor, a San Francisco-based company that represents global licensing rights for YouTube creators. At launch, the company represents three channels/creators: Alan Chikin Chow (100 million YouTube subscribers), TheBurntPeanut (1.84 million subscribers) and That’s Amazing (5.8 million subscribers). Alan Chikin Chow is known for his family-friendly videos and has a Netflix series in development about aspiring K-pop idols forming a group. BurntPeanut is a streamer that makes comedic videos, and That’s Amazing focuses on trick shots and sports challenges. These creators skew a bit more into the tween/teen demos, but Volt Factor is looking to represent kids and family creators, according to a spokesperson. 

Image courtesy of Gap.