Of all the professional relationships Joann Guevara has cultivated over the years, the longest-lasting one belongs to a character who lives in a pineapple under the sea. The senior vice president of soft lines licensing at Paramount remembers one of the first big licensing deals she was involved with at loungewear manufacturer Briefly Stated Inc., at the beginning of her career: Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants.
Since scoring that license, Guevara and SquarePants have stayed in each other’s orbit for twenty-five years. As Paramount celebrates a quarter of a century with an animated character who has become as famous as any glove-wearing mouse or conniving rabbit, Guevara has an awful lot to be proud of and so many properties that keep fans demanding new and innovative merchandise.
Guevara began her career with all odds against her. At seventeen, the future SVP was a single mother. While most were preparing to graduate high school, she had another life besides her own to care for and cultivate.
“It was a lot to handle at such a young age, but I think I knew that I could find my purpose and defy those odds,” Guevara explains. “I knew hard work and perseverance could make it happen, and I think even at that age, I had a bold vision for what I wanted my life to be.”
Guevara’s first job was as a receptionist at the same loungewear manufacturer where she would learn all about the world of licensing. There, she became a coordinator and started a journey that would take her from the vendor side to the studio side of the soft lines business. She then moved on to Nickelodeon at what is now Paramount Global, where she climbed the ladder from coordinator of apparel to manager of accessories, then a director of home furnishings role, all the way up to VP of apparel and accessories, and later, soft lines licensing for all of Paramount.
Time For Yourself Is Important
Twenty-five years on, Joann Guevara has lived up to the high hopes she had for herself. The mother of four is happily married, an SVP at one of the most well-known names in entertainment, and can truthfully document binge-watching shows as work research.
When not deeply engaged in that research, Guevara says she’s learned to set aside three hours a week for exercise. As a wife and mother, the time is one of the few that can solely be dedicated to her and her alone and allows her valuable time to refresh and reconnect with herself.
“It’s the only time I have that’s just for me,” Guevara says. “There’s those hour blocks on my calendar that I won’t move for anyone.”
“Joann has the ability to think outside of the box, bringing new ideas to both Mad Engine and Paramount, allowing us to partner and sell [a] greater volume of apparel products that consumers love,” says Dean Allen, president and chief marketing officer of Mad Engine Global. “Even under this most challenging of circumstances she thrives and delivers excellent results.”
An SVP since 2022, Guevara has a bold vision for her business driven by years of experience and skill, bringing apparel and merchandise to life for fans of Paramount franchises, like perennial preschool juggernaut PAW Patrol, multigenerational favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the show that launched a thousand shows: Yellowstone.
“I have the opportunity to harness the power of the amazing portfolio at Paramount for the everyday lives of fans all around the world through consumer products, specifically through licensing our best-in-class creative merchandising, retail sales, and marketing,” the SVP says. “We develop products to super-serve all of our fans across all demographics, retailers, and categories including toys, apparel, and accessories.”
At present, Guevara has her hands full celebrating the long reign of SpongeBob SquarePants and the reintroduction and relaunch of Dora, planned (at time of speaking) to stream on Paramount+ in April 2024.
“It means a lot to be able to celebrate the triumphant return of our iconic Latina heroine, Dora the Explorer,” Guevara says. “For Dora, we’re gearing up for a consumer products launch in 2025 that should be very exciting.”
In her role, Guevara has had a chance to reach new and diverse audiences with characters that fans from all walks of life can connect with. The SVP was particularly proud of a vendor partnership that made its way to twelve HBCU colleagues for the first time ever.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Joann for many years now. She is inspiring, hard-working, professional, and always passionate about what she does,” says Jennifer Snyder, vice president of global licensing at Delta Children. “For this reason and many others, Joann has always been someone we entrust here at Delta Children to help build and strengthen our decades-long partnership, whether it be with new initiatives at retail, or incremental growth opportunities with our latest innovative products and designs.”
And in pursuing those vendor relationships, Guevara and her team have sought out vendors with diverse backgrounds and collaborated with them to create flexible business models to ensure success.
“We’ve partnered with several diverse vendors and worked closely with them to expand their knowledge of licensing,” the SVP explains. “We were able to break one of our vendors into a mass retailer, which was amazing.”
But even the most ideal of vendor partnerships doesn’t ensure success. With twenty-five years in the space, Guevara has seen the shift of the soft lines space in truly monumental ways. She’s watched as fans have become far more discerning and particular about how they choose to show their fandom. Fans want curated merchandise, and they most assuredly want it now.
“Whether it’s TikTok influencers or other social media that we all love to watch, those movements feed and influence our business in ways that make it change all the time,” Guevara says. “We’re working on tighter timelines with much more competition in the retail space. Consumers have so many options open to them.”
Paramount has seen a high uptick in its e-commerce platform, and Guevara says her team has learned to work as agile as possible, pivoting when required and making sure they’re abreast of what’s happening in the space.
“Joann just gets it done,” says Hymie Shamah, president of C-Life Group. “She is a straightforward problem-solver and has been since we first met back in her days as a coordinator on the Nickelodeon team. Now she’s an inspiring and effective leader and still a pleasure to work with.”
One of Guevara’s most impactful moments in her career bears repeating because of how much it might serve to influence others. Guevara was at a critical moment of her career development, and she remembers telling her boss in a one-on-one meeting that she felt stuck. She knew she was growing, but she didn’t know what she should do next.
“I’ll never forget, my boss told me that I should never wait for someone to give me the answer,” Guevara remembers. “She told me that I had to be the one to seek out those opportunities and put myself out there. It shifted my perspective. It’s my job to tell them what I want and what my plan is to get there. That’s my responsibility.”
Jay Franco & Sons has crafted excellence in home textiles and beyond since 1942. A top choice for retailers, Jay Franco is trusted by leading global brands and customers alike. Our diverse team and international presence set the standard for quality and design. From cozy bedding to home décor, we infuse comfort and style, leaving a distinctive spark in every home.
