MHS Licensing

What MHS Licensing does

MHS Licensing is a Minneapolis-based, private art licensing and consulting agency founded in 1994 that connects creative talent with commercial manufacturing clients. The firm represents over 60 Art Brands, licensing their artwork to more than 400 consumer product manufacturers worldwide across categories including gift, home decor, and textiles. On the artist side, MHS handles the full business lifecycle — deal structuring, contract negotiation, royalty reporting, marketing, trade show presentation — so creators can focus on producing art; on the manufacturer side, it acts as an outsourced licensing department, sourcing and evaluating properties on behalf of in-house product development teams.

The company's core services fall into three lines: (1) Art & Brand Licensing, where MHS represents artists and licenses their work for royalties; (2) Licensing Consulting, an advisory engagement on retainer plus sales override to help manufacturers identify, evaluate, and acquire licensed properties; and (3) Product Development Resources, an outsourced design function for overseas and domestic manufacturers building themed collections. Supporting these services is a web-based platform featuring an Art Boards tool that lets manufacturers organize and share artwork selections internally, a filterable artwork browsing catalog, an artist submission system reviewed monthly by an Art Review Committee, and a newsletter subscription for product updates. The technology stack is conventional web platform tooling without disclosed AI, machine learning, or proprietary model components.

MHS makes money through three streams: royalty percentages on wholesale sales of licensed products (mass channel rates in lower single digits at Target, Walmart, and Costco; higher rates for specialty and gift channels to offset lower volume and recognize higher margins), monthly consulting retainers scaled to client engagement intensity plus a sales override, and project-based fees for product development engagements. Its go-to-market is B2B direct sales — account managers maintain relationships with senior leadership, sales executives, and product developers at manufacturing clients, complemented by annual trade show attendance. The customer base is two-sided and horizontally segmented, with artists and manufacturers on opposing sides.

Name

MHS Licensing

Legal name

MHS Licensing

Website

https://mhslicensing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MHS Licensing is a Minneapolis-based, private art licensing and consulting agency representing 60+ artists and brands and licensing their work to 400+ consumer product manufacturers worldwide, while also providing licensing consulting and outsourced product development services to manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Art and Brand Licensing Royalties: MHS represents over 60 Art Brands and licenses their artwork to consumer product manufacturers worldwide. Revenue is generated through royalty payments - a percentage of sales for every piece of product sold bearing licensed art. Sometimes advances against royalties and minimum guarantees over the term of the agreement are required. Royalty rates vary by product category, with mass channel products (Target, Walmart, Costco) typically in lower single digits, while specialty and gift channels command higher rates.
2. Licensing Consulting Retainer and Override: MHS works on a success-based model for consulting services, charging a monthly retainer that varies based on how aggressively the client wants to engage in licensing. They also receive an override on sales of products bearing the licenses acquired for their client, creating alignment between MHS and client success.
3. Product Development Resources: Custom project-based pricing for product development services provided to manufacturers, creating original themed collections or developing towards specific trends.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MHS Licensing represents over 60 art brands and licenses their artwork to hundreds of consumer product manufacturers worldwide, earning royalty percentages on product sales. The company also provides licensing consulting services to manufacturers, identifying and acquiring licensed properties on their behalf through monthly retainers plus sales overrides, and offers product development resources that function as an outsourced design department for both domestic and overseas manufacturers.

Product overview

MHS Licensing + Consulting operates as a unified art licensing and consulting platform with three core service offerings: Art & Brand Licensing (representing 60+ artists and licensing their work to manufacturers), Licensing Consulting (advising manufacturers on property acquisition), and Product Development Resources (acting as an outsourced design department). The platform includes an Art Boards feature for organizing artwork selections, an artwork browsing platform with filtering capabilities, a newsletter subscription service, and an artist submission system. These products and services work together to connect artists with manufacturers and facilitate the licensing process from artwork selection through product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art + Brand Licensing Representation service in which MHS acts as licensing agent for over 60 Art Brands, licensing their artwork to hundreds of consumer product manufacturers worldwide and earning royalty percentages on product sales. The service connects artists seeking licensing representation with manufacturers seeking licensed art for their product lines.
• Licensing Consulting Expert consulting service for manufacturers that identifies, evaluates, and acquires licensed properties on the client's behalf, saving manufacturers time and money in the licensing process. Engagements are priced via monthly retainer based on intensity plus an override on sales of products bearing the acquired licenses.
• Product Development Resources Outsourced design department service for overseas and domestic manufacturers, providing product development support across various merchandise categories including creating original themed collections or developing towards specific trends. Priced on a custom project basis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Building a licensing program may take 18 months before first royalties start rolling in due to decision making lead-time, market timing, product development and buying lead-times

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Beanstalk: One of the largest global brand licensing agencies, representing licensors (including artists and brands) and connecting them with manufacturers across consumer product categories — the same two-sided intermediary model MHS operates, just at significantly greater scale.
• CopCorp Licensing: Licensing agency representing brands and properties for licensing into consumer products, offering similar licensor representation and manufacturer consulting services as MHS Licensing.
• Tycoon Enterprises: Licensing and brand management firm representing licensors across multiple consumer product categories, with similar services to manufacturers seeking licensed properties — directly comparable to MHS's licensing and consulting business.
• Global Icons: Licensing agency specializing in brand extension and consumer product licensing, connecting rights holders with manufacturers across multiple product categories — directly comparable in business model to MHS's art and brand licensing practice.
• Striker Entertainment: Licensing and brand management agency representing entertainment and lifestyle brands for licensing into consumer products — same intermediary agent model between rights holders and manufacturers that MHS runs in the art vertical.
• Brand Liaison: Licensing and brand extension agency providing representation, consulting, and sales outreach to rights holders and manufacturers — directly comparable intermediary services to those offered by MHS.
• Lisa Marks & Associates: Brand licensing consultancy that helps companies identify, evaluate, and acquire licensed properties — closely aligned with MHS's licensing consulting arm for manufacturers seeking art and brand properties.

Broad incumbents

• WildBrain: Large entertainment and licensing company managing well-known character brands (e.g., Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake) across consumer product categories — overlaps with MHS's character/brand licensing role but operates at much greater scale with owned IP rather than represented artists.
• Sanrio: Owner and licensor of Hello Kitty and other character brands, with an extensive global consumer product licensing program — a broad incumbent in the brand-licensing-for-merchandise space where MHS also operates, though Sanrio is the IP owner rather than an agent.

Others

• Brand Central: Licensing industry consultancy and operator of the Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit, providing advisory services to brand owners and manufacturers — adjacent to MHS's consulting arm and a relevant industry context for its services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mhslicensing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mhs-licensing
• Instagraminstagram.com/mhs_licensing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MHS Licensing