How would you describe your day-to-day responsibilities?
I lead the softlines product development team. That basically means all apparel, accessories, and home categories for Star Wars. We cover everything from a t-shirt you’d find at Target to high-end watches and home décor in collaboration with brands such as Nixon, Pottery Barn, or Rag & Bone.
There is never a dull moment. No day is the same. For Star Wars we’re really managing things at a global level. We work with our regional counterparts to develop products all over the world.
What was your background before coming to Lucasfilm?
My background was actually in home textiles. I worked in interior design but also did costume design and always loved fashion & product. I then went and worked for the Disney Stores as a merchandiser and gained lots of experience working with licensed product. It’s where I learned the business side. The chance to return to San Francisco and the region where I grew up was a big part of coming here to Lucasfilm.
Do you remember your first day here?
What stands out in my memory is that I was trying not to get lost! We have all these original theatrical movie posters lining the hallways here at our San Francisco campus. You can easily lose your way, so I’d end up using the posters as landmarks to get around!
When developing products, how do you collaborate with different licensees?
There’s a lot of partnership in everything we do. We have hundreds of licensees and work with them on the initial direction of each project from trend to color palette and art aesthetic. We are always looking to tell a story through the product, incorporating special details where we can. We influence the design, the aesthetic, and we also make sure that the products meet our standards. The goal is to create the best Star Wars product out there.