Genius Brands International Expands Reach in Asia With Multi-Property Broadcast Licensing Agreements

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Indonesia's Spacetoon, Singapore's Mediacorp and Hong Kong's TVB Acquire Broadcast Rights to Children's 'Content With A Purpose'

LOS ANGELES, CA  -- (Marketwired) -- 04/26/16 -- Continuing to expand the global reach of its 'content with a purpose' for toddlers to tweens, global brand management company Genius Brands International, Inc. ("GBI") (OTCQB: GNUS), has secured new multi-property licensing agreements in Asia for Thomas Edison's Secret Lab, Stan Lee's Mighty 7 (SLAM7) and Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. The announcement was made today by Genius Brands International's SVP of Global Sales, Andrew Berman.

Singapore's Mediacorp television network has acquired broadcast rights to the 90-minute animated superhero feature, Stan Lee's Mighty 7, and 26 x 30' episodes of the comedy adventure series, Thomas Edison's Secret Lab. Indonesia's Spacetoon, the television channel that specializes in animation and children's entertainment programs, has licensed the rights to 26 x 30' episodes of Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, Thomas Edison's Secret Lab and Stan Lee's Mighty 7. TVB in Hong Kong has also licensed the rights to Thomas Edison's Secret Lab.

"As Genius Brands continues to build and distribute our catalog across multiple platforms worldwide, our strategy is to collaborate with media partners that can deliver our content to our core demographic, and we are happy to welcome Spacetoon, Mediacorp and TVB to the family as we debut our programming throughout Asia," commented Berman. "The appeal of our content continues to prove itself in virtually every market around the globe, resonating with young viewers and assuring parents feel comfortable about the entertainment choices they are making for their kids."

Thomas Edison's Secret Lab , which recently launched in the U.S. on 160 public television stations throughout the U.S., and the all-new Kid Genius channel on Comcast's Xfinity on Demand, follows Angie, a 12-year-old prodigy, and her young science club after they accidentally discover Thomas Edison's Secret Lab. The 'tricked out' dream lab is equipped with gizmos and gadgets, including two of Edison's very last inventions: a hologram that brings Mr. Edison himself "to life," and a virtual reality machine that lets them go anywhere. Thomas Edison's Secret Lab delivers fun-filled comedy, exploration and adventure to show kids how much fun science can be, encouraging them to explore the possibilities of their own imaginations. It even has a wacky (and slightly nervous) robot called Von Bolt, who becomes part of every adventure. In each of the episodes, Edison encourages and inspires the kids through a variety of scientific and technological explorations and lots of other fun, whacky, wild and engaging topics. Genius Brands Music will distribute the School House Rock-style music videos, created by Ron and Stefanie Fair. Genius Brands Music will also collaborate with other artists on the creation of an original pop album and music videos supported by an animated series and merchandise and licensing programs.

In Stan Lee's Mighty 7, the first of three 90-minute movies, Lee stars as an animated version of himself, a legendary superhero creator, who teaches a crew of alien prisoners and their jailers, who have crash-landed on Earth, how to work together and use their powers to be superheroes. Each alien superhero has his or her unique powers and strengths, which aid in the group's ability to combat enemies.

Created with Stan Lee, Stan Lee's Mighty 7 is produced by Stan Lee Comics, a joint venture among Genius Brands International and Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment. The animated movie stars Stan Lee and features an all-star cast with Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Jim Belushi (The Defenders), Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory), Darren Criss (Glee), Flea (of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers), Armie Hammer (The Lone Ranger), Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Michael Ironside (Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising) and Christian Slater (Breaking In).

Secret Millionaires Club , created in partnership with and starring an animated Warren Buffett, features a group of kids who have adventures in business. Secret Millionaires Club empowers kids by helping them understand the world they live in, teaching them about the impact their decisions have on their own lives…and teaching them to have the confidence to be the best they can be. The series makes it fun for kids to learn to think like entrepreneurs and features a robust list of guest talent, including Bill Gates, Jay-Z, Shaquille O'Neal, Nick Cannon, Gisele Bündchen and Kelly Rowland. The celebrities play themselves; provide their own voiceovers and lend the lessons of their own life experiences in the context of stories that are relatable and inspirational to kids. The series currently airs in countries all over the world and is available on digital platforms, including the Kid Genius channel on Comcast. The Secret Millionaires Club brand also includes the recently released book, How To Start Your Very First Business, from Downtown Bookworks; the successful annual "Grow Your Own Business Challenge" nationwide contest for kids and an in-school program in over 100,000 schools nationwide. This year, GBI will further expand the brand with new broadcast, licensing and retail partners.

About Genius Brands International

Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International, Inc. "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS) is a publicly traded global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content for toddlers to tweens. Led by award-winning creators and producers, GBI creates "content and products with a purpose," providing enrichment as well as entertainment. The Company distributes its content worldwide in all formats, as well as a broad range of consumer products based on its characters. GBI's portfolio includes award-winning Baby Genius, recently re-launched with new entertainment and over 40 new products; adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab®, available on Netflix, public broadcast stations and GBI's Kid Genius channel on Comcast's Xfinity on Demand reaching 21 million households; animated movie Stan Lee's Mighty 7, the first project from Stan Lee Comics, a joint venture with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment and featuring an all-star voice cast led by legendary Stan Lee; and Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett. The Company is also producing a new animated preschool series based on Llama Llama, the NY Times bestselling children's book franchise; and the music-driven tween adventure series SPACEPOP. 

GBI's wholly owned subsidiary A Squared Entertainment 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 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.

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.

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GBI MEDIA CONTACT:
Michelle Orsi/Carol Holdsworth 
Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications 
310-418-6430
Email contact
 

FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS:
Michael Porter
PLR Investor Relations
212.564.7000
Email contact

Source: Genius Brands International, Inc.

Released April 26, 2016