I'M JOE LEFAVI

Paladin of Pop Culture
Ambassador of Awesome
Brand Builder Extraordinaire

WHO I AM?

An award-winning producer, publisher, brand manager, and creative director with over 20 years of experience across all forms of entertainment: Film, TV, Publishing, Gaming, Digital Media, and Consumer Products.

A licensing expert and seasoned Film/TV development executive in genre entertainment, I specialize in cultivating highly-engaged fan communities through the production and promotion of premium licensed content and consumer products. An authority on the adaptation process, I am uniquely proven and passionate about developing genre greats and beloved legacies in new markets and mediums. As producer and brand manager, I steer and safeguard companies through the creative process. I take accountability over approvals and the authentic adaptation of their IP as we broker the right deals, recruit the best partners, and holistically develop scalable licensing programs, story worlds, and fan communities across categories – making only the most meaningful contributions to their franchises and fandoms.

Proving myself as a passionate and versatile brand builder with a vast network of A-list partners, I’ve become an expert at driving business growth for market leaders like 20th Century Studios, Activision Blizzard, Alcon Entertainment, AMC Networks, Comic-Con International, Crunchyroll, DC Entertainment, Disney, Electronic Arts, eOne, HBO, Jim Henson Company, Legendary, Lionsgate, Madison Wells Media, Marvel Studios, Netflix, Niantic, Paradox Interactive, Powerhouse Animation, Skydance, Sony, SyFy, tinyBuild, Warner Media, Webtoon, and Wonderstorm, among others.

A market leader in producing best-selling, award-winning licensed games, my latest & greatest collaborations include the hit Alien RPG with Free League Publishing (2020 ENNIE Award – Best Game of the Year, 2021 UK Games Expo Award – Best RPG and Best RPG Adventure); the Altered Carbon RPG with Hunters Entertainment (2021 ENNIE Judges Spotlight Award); the Batman: Detective Chronicles tabletop game series with Portal Games; the Blade Runner tabletop RPG with Free League; the Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition video game with Nightdive Studios; The Dragon Prince master tabletop gaming rights, including Battlecharged from Brotherwise Games and the Tales of Xadia RPG with Fandom (2021 ENNIE Award – Best Family Game); the Dune master tabletop gaming license, including GF9’s top-selling Dune board game (2020 Golden Geek Award – Best Thematic Game), Dire Wolf’s hit Dune: Imperium (2022 SXSW Award – Tabletop Game of the Year, 2021 Golden Geek Award – Best Card Game), and the Dune: Adventures in the Imperium RPG from Modiphius (2021 Tabletop Gaming Award – Best RPG); the Hello Neighbor: The Secret Neighbor Party Game with Arcane Wonders; and the Vampire: The Masquerade – Rivals Expandable Card Game with Renegade Game Studios.

Beyond gaming, I’m also an award-winning literary packager, writer, and editor in licensed publishing with over 200 art books, graphic novels, comics, and manga on the shelves, including The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049 art book with Alcon Entertainment and Titan Books; the Fraggle Rock anthology (2011 Harvey Award nominee – Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers); Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (2012 Eisner Award – Best Graphic Album); the New York Times best-selling Return to Labyrinth manga series; the Thrilling Adventure Hour graphic novel anthology (2014 Eisner Award nominee – Best Anthology), the Voyage to the Stars comic book series; and the World of Darkness comic book program.

A University of Michigan grad in Film & TV Studies, I began my career in Film/TV development and production before launching my media consultancy, Quixotic Transmedia, in 2010. Veering more into brand management and media production over time, Quixotic rebranded in 2017 as Genuine Entertainment, now specializing in representing entertainment companies and intellectual properties as a producer and brand manager of premium licensed content and consumer products.

Alongside my work with Genuine, I’ve also served in senior management roles at top entertainment companies, including VP of Marketing for Lionsgate, Creative Director of Content Strategy and Franchise Management for Psyop, and the Head of Publishing and Director of Film/TV Development for The Jim Henson Company. My mission in licensing began at Henson, where I spearheaded IP acquisitions for Film/TV development and later founded a new publishing initiative responsible for many award-winning, best-selling books, comics, and manga. An authority on fandom and franchise culture, I’ve been welcomed as a guest speaker at over 50 industry conferences and regularly lecture at academic institutions including USC, UCLA, and UC Irvine.

I am a genuine fan of the mediums and story worlds in which I play, and I’ve worked hard to become one of the most trusted names in fandom. Wherever I go, I continue to prove that I can attract the best partners and make things that matter to fans. It’s simple, really. To inspire fans to love what you do, you must make all you do a labor of love.

Among the many sandboxes in which I work and play, I am a market leader in publishing and gaming with 200+ books, comics, manga, art books, video games, tabletop games, and tabletop roleplaying games on the shelves, including numerous award winners and best sellers.

With one of the most proven and prolific track records in licensing, I’ve produced best-selling licensed goods and geekery that have won over 30 top awards in nearly every category, including the 2022 SXSW Gaming Awards for Tabletop Game of the Year, 2022 Cannes As d’Or Grand Prix Award for Best Expert Game of the Year, 2021 Golden Geek Award for Best Card Game, 2021 UK Games Expo Awards for Best RPG and Best RPG Adventure, 2021 ENNIE Award for Best Family Game, 2021 ENNIE Judges Spotlight Award, 2020 Golden Geek for Best Thematic Board Game, 2020 UK Games Expo People’s Choice Award for Best Strategic Game, the 2020 ENNIE Gold Award for Best Roleplaying Game, 2020 UK Games Expo People’s Choice Award for Best New Board Game (Strategic) and Best Roleplaying Game, and the 2012 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, along with over 35 additional award nominations such as Product of the Year, Best Game of the Year, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Solo Game, Best Roleplaying Game, Best Thematic Board Game, Best Strategic Board Game, Most Innovative Games, Best Anthology, Best Graphic Novel for Younger Readers, Best Artwork, Best Cartography, and Best Production Values.

On the corporate side, I am also responsible for various landmark deals and disruptive works, including serving as Managing Producer of the master tabletop gaming rights for Dune and The Dragon Prince, the Agency of Record (2010-2014) for comics publisher Archaia responsible for their Boom! Studios merger in 2013, and Editorial Director of The Jim Henson Company’s award-winning publishing division, notably responsible for Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand – the only licensed comic in Eisner history to win the top trophy for Best New Graphic Album of the Year.

SPECIALTIES & SUPERPOWERS INCLUDE:

• Global franchise strategy and business development
• Media rights management and licensing
• IP development and world-building
• Consumer marketing

• Licensing sales & acquisitions
• Deal negotiation/administration
• Product development & vendor sourcing
• Go-to-market strategy
• Consumer marketing and integrated campaigns
• Business intelligence & growth hacking

Prioritize passion and strategic planning in equal measure.
The most inspired ideas will never succeed without a plan. The most meticulously designed plan will never succeed without passion.
Joe LeFavi - Founder, Genuine Entertainment
Prioritize passion and strategic planning in equal measure.
The most inspired ideas will never succeed without a plan. The most meticulously designed plan will never succeed without passion.
Joe LeFavi - Founder, Genuine Entertainment

PASSION IS MY PROFESSION

I've been called many things in my career. Writer. Producer. Publisher. Creative Director. Editor. Development Executive. Brand Manager. Marketer. Consultant. Creator. Geek. Gamer. Techie. Bookworm. The list goes on for miles. Yet my profession, my purpose, my place in this world have only been defined by one label.

I AM A FAN.

And my genuine passion for pop culture and the stories that bring out our best will always be the very best part of me.

I proudly admit that I'm a product of pop culture. Attending fan conventions since I was a kid, I've grown up immersed in fandom; uniquely attune to how economies and communities alike can grow around inspired ideas. How pop culture can play a positive, powerful role in our everyday lives. How stories can inspire our personalities, professions, passions, and perspectives on life and the world around us.

Stories are the oldest and strongest building blocks of the human condition, and I've dedicated my life to the passionate pursuit of story, the vigilant protection of pop culture, and the privilege to make a positive impact on the ideas, industries, and fan communities that mean the world to me. Industries and priorities may change. Markets and mediums evolve. Gimmicks and buzzwords come and go. Yet I have come to believe one simple truth. A core philosophy around which this entire company, my entire career, has been built. 

There is simply no substitute for genuine entertainment.