Licensing International honors three Hall of Fame 2024 inductees
Licensing International and the Licensing International Foundation, which supports the education of future licensing leaders, today celebrated the induction of Joseph Kaminkow, Maca Rotter, and Stu Seltzer to the Licensing International Hall of Fame. Held at Gotham Hall in New York City, the 2024 Hall of Fame Induction and Rising Star Awards gala also honored the future of brand licensing, recognizing Rising Stars in the licensing business and celebrating the 2024 Licensing International Foundation scholarship recipients.
Joseph Kaminkow is the Chief Innovation Officer at Aristocrat Gaming. Kaminkow’s career began when he started his own game development company, Logical Highs, before joining Williams Games. Noticing a resurgence in pinball games in the mid-1980s, Kaminkow partnered with Gary Stern to found Data East Pinball (now Stern Pinball). He was then recruited by International Game Technology to revolutionize slot machines using licensed titles. Kaminkow went on to found Spooky Cool Labs in Chicago, which was acquired by Zynga, before leaving in 2022 to devote himself full-time to Aristocrat Gaming, where he expanded his efforts to bring pop-culture icons to life on the casino floor.
Maca Rotter is President & CEO of La Panadería Licensing. Rotter has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, branding, and licensing. Often referred to as the Queen of Licensing in Mexico, she has achieved great success in founding, developing, and expanding domestic and international markets by implementing innovative and strategic approaches. To establish a legacy and set a standard in the industry for the Hispanic community, Rotter authored the first and only Spanish-language book about consumer products structure and business models in 2014. Rotter served as the first Latin woman on Licensing International’s board of directors and founded the Licensing Association chapter in Mexico.
Stu Seltzer is the president of Seltzer Licensing Group, a global agency he has guided for over 25 years. The group is renowned for its expertise in brand licensing, partnership marketing, and strategic alliances. His understanding of the licensing field and adept negotiation skills were honed through pivotal roles at organizations like Yves Saint Laurent and the DC Comics division at Warner Bros. His strategic insights have driven substantial returns on marketing investments for clients, including Unilever, Scotts Miracle-Gro, and the American Red Cross. Seltzer has contributed significantly as an award-winning professor at New York University, where he has taught a course on brand licensing to undergraduates for over 20 years.
Rising Star Award
In addition to honoring Kaminkow, Rotter, and Seltzer, the 2024 Hall of Fame event recognized rising talent making strides in the licensing industry. The event celebrated the eight 2024 Rising Star Award recipients as announced in October. For more than a decade, the Rising Star program has recognized young professionals from around the world who have been nominated by their peers and selected by the Rising Star committee members for their contributions to the global brand licensing industry.
Ten students—Nora Atwa, Cameron Faconer, Owen Fu, Andreaz Glasgow, Maycon Gomes da Silva, Skylar Grady, Britney Huston, Remy LeMaire, Matt Stein, and Sophia Rodriguez—were also celebrated as the recipients of the Licensing International Foundation 2024 Scholarship, awarded to accomplished students exploring a career in brand licensing.
Nominations for the 2025 Hall of Fame are now open.