Name: Steven Fuller
Position/Institution: Trademarks and Licensing Manager for the University of Southtern California
Number of years in your position: 2
Alma Mater(s): University of Utah/San Diego State University
Hometown: Utah

1. Why did you become involved in ICLA?
I joined the team at USC in February 2014 and USC has been an ICLA member for quite some time.  I wanted to make sure I utilized our membership as much as possible.

2. What is your favorite part about being a member of ICLA?
I enjoy how willing everyone is to help.  Collegiate licensing is not a cookie cutter program across different universities.  Every university manages their program a little differently, and it is valuable to have a resource like ICLA to help pull everyone together and spur intelligent discussions and share best practices.

3. What is the biggest challenge to working in a university environment?
The biggest challenge is understanding how segmented each campus department is and navigating interdepartmental relationships effectively.

4. What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment to date?
I am most proud of getting this job.  Unlike many where licensing “found” them, I targeted collegiate licensing during my MBA program and worked hard to put myself in a position to work in this industry when I graduated. Working at USC in licensing has been a dream job for me.

5. What is the most important skill you have developed in your career?
The most important skill I have developed has been becoming an asset to other campus entities, not a hindrance.  It is easy to just be the folks who always say, “no” but to really help brainstorm with people and give them alternatives to accomplish their goals has worked much better for us.

6. Who has been the most influential person in your career?
Our Director Matt Curran, who took a shot on me coming right out of MBA school with limited licensing experience.  He is a great example of giving personalized help when needed, but still letting me figure out the hard stuff on my own so I can grow.  The level of autonomy he has given me since day one has given me the confidence to run this department effectively.

7. What is one item you cannot live without?
Sadly, my TV.  My wife and I admittedly watch way too much TV but we have our favorite shows and we love them.

8. Who would you choose to switch places with for a day?
Anyone on a cruise ship.  Unless it was the Carnival ship whose sewage system overflowed and everyone got sick.

9. What is your favorite sporting event you have ever attended?
The 2008 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans to watch the Utes beat Alabama!  Go UTES!

10. Why/when did you decide to pursue a career in collegiate licensing?
I got my MBA at San Diego State’s Sports MBA program.  We had a licensing class, which is unusual for an MBA program.  It was there that I realized that licensing was the perfect mix of marketing, product development, analytics, and business strategy.  My wife didn’t want to move to NYC, which meant that working in professional sports licensing wouldn’t happen.  I targeted collegiate licensing and never looked back.

11. In your mind, who in this industry can serve as a good role model?
Matt Dyste was my mentor in the ICLA mentorship program.  He has handled on-field success very well and runs a smart licensing program at Oregon.  His willingness to help others and give advice is something I hope to emulate.

12. How has your involvement with ICLA influenced your career?
I have now been to a few conferences, been the recipient of the stipend program, and participated as an ICLA mentee.  These experiences have helped build my professional network and I’ve made some great friends along the way.

13. What educational or business experiences best prepared you for a career in licensing?
My licensing class at SDSU.  After that I got an internship working on the licensee side of the business.

14. What challenges do you face when working with students or vendors?
We recently significantly reduced the total number of licensed promo vendors.  Many vendors were unhappy, and students are still getting used to having to go through the new shortened list.  It’s a process, but we’re getting there.

15. In your opinion, where is collegiate licensing headed in the future?
I couldn’t say exactly what’s going to happen, but I know it’s an exciting time to be a part of collegiate licensing.  Many changes could be in the near future and it will be interesting to watch how our business adapts to those changes.

16. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
The seven most expensive words in business are, “We have always done it that way!”

17. What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the field of collegiate licensing?
Network, network, network.  The folks in collegiate licensing aren’t used to people outside of the business being interested in them or what they do.  I found that most are more than willing to give their time for informational interviews. 

18. What was your biggest professional failure/mistake and how did you learn from it?
Many mistakes I have made come from either not taking enough time to seriously consider the pros and cons, or forgetting how to say “no.”  I’m a people pleaser at heart.

19. What percentage of your work-week is spent in your office?
80%-90%.

20. What are you most looking forward to at the next ICLA Convention or Winter Symposium?
ICLA always has an evening reception at some fun venue.  I’m sure it will be great.