Genius Brands International Appoints Anthony D. "Tony" Thomopoulos to Board of Directors

BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/06/14 -- Genius Brands International, Inc. (OTCQB: GNUS), a global brand management company dedicated to providing entertaining and enriching 'content with a purpose' for toddlers to tweens, today announced the election of entertainment industry veteran Anthony D. "Tony" Thomopoulos to the company's Board of Directors. The announcement was made by Andy Heyward, Chairman and CEO of Genius Brands International.

"Tony brings a tremendous wealth of creative and business experience to his position on the Genius Brands International board," said Heyward. "Having spent decades in positions of great responsibility and authority within the broadcast and film industry, his relationships, knowledge and access is invaluable as we look to broaden our brand awareness and expand the reach of our content."

"I am honored to join the Genius Brands International Board," said Thomopoulos. "Andy, Amy and the Genius Brands International team are deeply committed to developing content that is both innovative and informative, especially for young children, across all media platforms and I'm very happy to play a role in that mission."

Thomopoulos joins fellow board members Gray Davis, former Governor of California; Jeff Weiss, President and COO of American Greetings Corporation Inc.; Lynne Segall, Publisher and Senior Vice President of The Hollywood Reporter; and Bernard Cahill, co-founder of ROAR. Andy Heyward, Amy Moynihan Heyward, President of Genius Brands International, and Klaus Moeller, Genius Brands International's VP of Special Markets, complete the Genius Brands International Board of Directors.

A respected executive in the motion picture and television industry, Anthony D. "Tony" Thomopoulos is well known for the 12 years he spent with ABC, moving progressively from Vice President of Prime Time Programs, to President of ABC Entertainment, and ultimately to President of ABC Broadcast Group.

Thomopoulos began his longstanding entertainment career as a mail clerk with NBC, rising rapidly up the corporate ladder to senior positions in the company's marketing unit. In 1973, Barry Diller hired him to oversee primetime programming at rival ABC where he again rose through the ranks to become president of the entire ABC Broadcast Group.

Leaving ABC in 1985 to become chairman of United Artists Pictures, Thomopoulos supervised such productions as Betrayed, Baby Boom, and The Living Daylights. In 1989, Thomopoulos formed Thomopoulos Productions, an independent production company of both motion pictures and television programs.

From 1991 to 1995, he was President of Amblin Television, a division of Amblin Entertainment. He was responsible for the original placement of NBC's highly acclaimed program ER, in addition to several other successful series on network television.

In 1995, Thomopoulos joined International Family Entertainment, Inc. (IFE). His responsibilities included all aspects of programming for The Family Channel. He was named CEO of MTM Entertainment, Inc., a subsidiary of IFE, and was also responsible for all aspects of MTM Television and MTM Distribution.

From June 2001 through January 2004, Thomopoulos was Chairman and CEO of artist Thomas Kinkade's Media Arts Group, and subsequently founded Morning Light Productions, where he has been based since November of 2003.

Mr. Thomopoulos served as a state commissioner of the California Service Corps under Governor Schwarzenegger from 2005 to 2008.

From 2008 to the present, Thomopoulos continued to operate Thomopoulos Productions and consult to certain companies in the digital space.

Genius Brands International's unique "content with a purpose" undertaking transcends beyond conventional notions of educational programming to support parents and kids through the development of enriching, interactive and entertaining content that advances learning.

In addition to producing original content with subject matter experts, the company develops interactive digital entertainment in all formats including broadcast, online, mobile, tablets and more. A comprehensive consumer products program supports the extension of learning into other areas, outside of digital media, where kids play and learn.

About Genius Brands International:
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Genius Brands International (OTCQB: GNUS) is a publicly traded multimedia content and brand management company with the merged assets of A Squared Entertainment LLC and Genius Brands International, Inc.

Led by industry veterans, Andy Heyward and Amy Moynihan Heyward, Genius Brands International includes award-winning Baby Genius, Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, Gisele Bundchen's Gisele & the Green Team, Martha Stewart's Martha & Friends, Thomas Edison's Secret Lab and Stan Lee Comics, featuring its first movie, Stan Lee's Mighty 7. The Company provides "content with a purpose" for kids of all ages, meaning interactive content that is as entertaining as it is enriching.

Forward Looking Statements:
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its patent business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

MEDIA CONTACT:
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310-418-6430
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INVESTORS RELATIONS CONTACT:
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RedChip Companies
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Source: Genius Brands International

Released March 6, 2014