Genius Brands International Expands Popular From Frank Character Brand Merchandise Program With Appointment of License 2 Play

BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/22/15 -- Genius Brands International, Inc. "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS), and its wholly owned subsidiary A Squared Entertainment, has finalized a licensing agreement with License 2 Play for the development of plush toys for From Frank, the humorous character brand that marries clever witticisms and cute canine and feline images "to make humans smile." The announcement was made today by GBI's President of Global Consumer Products, Stone Newman.

The agreement with License 2 Play complements the growing retail presence for the From Frank brand with License 2 Play developing a broad range of plush consumer products based on the From Frank images and witticisms. The products will be available for holiday 2015 through a variety of national stores and online retailers.

"From the first time you see a From Frank greeting card, the infectious humor and good-natured advice offered by this charming canine and his equally adorable animal friends sticks with you," commented Newman. "As we grow the brand organically across a wide variety of consumer product lines, it's important to convey the endearing humor that is the hallmark of the From Frank brand. License 2 Play understands that prerequisite and is committed to ensuring the integrity of From Frank in all its licensed product forms."

"We're very excited to be working with GBI on From Frank as we've been following the brand since its first inception as a greeting card line in 2013 at Target Stores nationally," added License 2 Play's Owner Jayson Esterow. "We are eager to explore the wide variety of fun, engaging plush toys that lend themselves to the humor of the From Frank brand."

"We are thrilled with the continued expansion of From Frank under the guidance of Genius Brands and have no doubt that License 2 Play will create an amazing assortment of plush toys that embody the core mission of our brand, 'to make humans smile,'" commented From Frank brand Owner and Founder Kate Smith.

From Frank began as a line of witty greeting cards just a few years ago and has grown to become a humor character brand with a tremendous range of new products to be introduced in 2015, including previously announced master gift categories (Enesco); book and wall calendar (Chronicle Books); lottery tickets (GTECH); sticky notes, boxed cards and notepads (Galison/Mudpuppy); emoticons and a photo bomb app (Bare Tree Media); a 2015 Wall Calendar and 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles (Calendar Club); and pins, stickers, air fresheners, and magnets (Hot Properties). GBI is also currently in discussions with partners to develop pet products, stationery, party supplies, apparel, accessories, novelty and more.

About From Frank
The idea for From Frank, the brainchild of Kate Smith and her French bulldog Frank the Tank, was born in 2008 when Smith combined images capturing Frank's humorous, human-like personality with the quirky, yet happy, comments she imagined Frank saying. Frank's main goal in life is to make humans smile, and since he's not allowed to venture more than a block from his house, his cards and other gift products help him do that. Frank knows how to live life -- he appreciates the little things and quickly forgets the bad ones. Our goal is to share these values with our customers, help them to take life a little less seriously and ultimately, to make them smile.

About Genius Brands International
Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS) is a publicly traded global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content for toddlers to tweens and develops comprehensive consumer products programs based on these original intellectual properties. Led by award-winning creators and producers CEO Andy Heyward and President Amy Moynihan Heyward, GBI creates "content and products with a purpose," meaning content and products that are as entertaining, as well as enriching for kids. GBI's growing library of content includes the award-winning Baby Genius, Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, Thomas Edison's Secret Lab, Llama Llama, from the NY Times bestselling children's book franchise, and Stan Lee's Mighty 7, the first project from Stan Lee Comics, a joint venture with legend Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment.

A Squared Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Genius Brands International, is a brand management and licensing company that represents third-party properties across a broad range of categories in territories around the world. The Company currently represents Psycho Bunny, a luxury apparel line, From Frank, a humor greeting card and product line, and Celessence Technologies, the world's leading microencapsulation company.

For additional information please visit www.gnusbrands.com.

About License 2 Play
License 2 Play is an experienced sales company representing a variety of the best available products for sale in the market place. By working directly with the manufacturer for more than 25 years, it is able to introduce clients to the best-selling licensed products at the lowest wholesale prices. Through its experienced sales force and courteous customer service, License 2 Play has the unique ability to service all of its clients' licensed product needs with just a click of the mouse.

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 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.

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Source: Genius Brands International, Inc.

Released June 22, 2015