The Blair Partnership, the agency associated with Harry Potter and other major literary properties, has appointed Will Obbard to lead a five-year growth strategy as it seeks new commercial opportunities across its client and intellectual-property portfolio. Obbard joins from Merlin Entertainments, where he was vice-president of partnerships. Alex Flanagan, who has extensive experience in entertainment law and licensing, is also part of the company's strengthened senior leadership.
Will Obbard's remit centres on new revenue streams
Obbard's role is focused on developing partnerships, exploring new franchises and identifying opportunities through mergers and acquisitions. He will also look for additional revenue sources for existing clients and intellectual property. The appointment gives the agency a leader with experience in partnerships and commercial strategy at a major international attractions operator.
The five-year growth plan suggests a longer horizon than a single licensing campaign. Literary and entertainment representation increasingly involves opportunities across books, screen adaptations, live experiences, merchandise and digital formats. The challenge is to develop those opportunities while maintaining the creative and rights-holder relationships that make the underlying properties valuable.
Alex Flanagan brings entertainment legal experience
Flanagan was appointed group general counsel earlier in the year and brings experience from Amazon's global media and entertainment division, where she worked on licensing agreements involving Amazon Music and Prime Video. Her earlier roles included global digital legal and business affairs at Universal Music Group and legal leadership at the independent artist distribution platform Spinnup.
That background is relevant to a company whose clients and properties may move between publishing, audiovisual production, music, consumer products and live experiences. Rights agreements can involve different territories, formats, windows and counterparties. Strong legal oversight can help an agency navigate those arrangements while protecting the interests of authors and creators.
A portfolio built around stories and intellectual property
The Blair Partnership represents authors, creators and intellectual property, including Harry Potter, The Wombles and the world of Neverland from Peter Pan. Those properties illustrate the range of rights and audiences that can sit within a literary agency's portfolio. Each can support different forms of adaptation and licensing, but each also carries distinct expectations from its audience and rights holders.
The company's growth plan therefore involves more than finding new commercial outlets. It must consider how partnerships fit the identity of each property, how new adaptations preserve the value of the original work and how rights are managed across media. The leadership appointments bring commercial and legal expertise to those decisions.
Why partnerships matter in the current entertainment economy
The value of intellectual property can extend well beyond a single book or screen adaptation. A successful story may generate publishing, television, film, stage, games, merchandise and location-based experiences. Partnerships can connect those formats to specialist operators, while licensing arrangements can make it possible to reach new audiences without the agency producing every element itself.
However, expansion also creates coordination challenges. Rights can be fragmented, different partners may have competing goals and audiences can react negatively when a familiar property is used in ways that feel disconnected from its creative identity. A growth strategy needs to balance commercial ambition with stewardship of the underlying work.
The appointments connect commercial strategy with rights management
Obbard's growth remit and Flanagan's legal experience are complementary. Partnerships and acquisitions can open new opportunities, while legal expertise helps structure those opportunities and manage the rights involved. The combination may allow the agency to pursue more complex deals without treating legal review as a separate final step.
The appointments also reflect the changing nature of representation. Agents increasingly work across a broader ecosystem of producers, platforms, publishers, brands and experience operators. Their role can include shaping strategy and managing long-term rights value, not simply negotiating a single contract or introducing a creator to a buyer.
What the company has not announced
The Blair Partnership has not disclosed specific acquisitions, new franchise launches or financial targets tied to the five-year strategy. Obbard's appointment defines the area of responsibility, but it does not establish which properties will be developed next or what commercial arrangements are already under negotiation. Those details should not be inferred from the appointment alone.
The agency's existing portfolio provides context for the strategy, while the new leadership offers a structure for pursuing it. Future announcements about partnerships, adaptations or licensing agreements will provide the clearest evidence of how the plan is being implemented.
A leadership change with a long-term focus
The appointments position The Blair Partnership to pursue growth across a portfolio that combines literary talent with entertainment opportunities. Obbard brings partnership and business-development experience, while Flanagan adds legal and licensing expertise from major media companies. Together, those capabilities address two practical requirements of intellectual-property expansion: finding sustainable opportunities and structuring them responsibly.
The next phase will be measured by concrete projects and relationships rather than the announcement itself. For now, the company has set out a five-year direction and strengthened the leadership responsible for delivering it.
PUBLISHED BY SUYASH PACHAURI, FOUNDER & OWNER, GLOBAL BOLLYWOOD | THE HOLLYWOOD SCOPE.