Genius Brands Appoints New VP of Retail Development

Genius Brands International has tapped licensing industry veteran Jeff Shapiro for the role of VP of retail development.

In his new position, Shapiro will work closely with the company’s senior VP of global consumer products, Lloyd Mintz, to build retail partnerships and programs for Genius Brand’s properties, including Rainbow Rangers—which currently airs on Nick Jr. and is slated for an upcoming U.S. retail launch—and Netflix’s Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner.

The Baby Genius brand is also set to relaunch, and strategic retail initiatives are in the works for Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, and other brands in development.

Shapiro joins Genius Brands International from Warner Bros. Entertainment, serving for six years as director of sales, a role that saw him manage marketing and sales initiatives for retailers including Target, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Sears and Kmart. He began his career at The Walt Disney Company, working for 12 years across multiple divisions. Following The Walt Disney Company, Shapiro held executive positions at Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox and Cookie Jar Entertainment.

“Jeff brings a breadth of knowledge and wealth of experience in the licensing, merchandising and retail business that is unparalleled, working on such brands as Harry Potter, Batman, DC Comics, Marvel, LEGO, The Simpsons, Strawberry Shortcake and Scooby-Doo, among others,” stated Mintz. “We are fortunate to have an executive of his caliber to drive our retail programs as we begin launching our flagship properties, Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama, into the marketplace in 2019 and 2020.”

Shapiro added: “I have a lot of respect for Lloyd’s expertise as well as the many successes that Andy has had over his impressive career. I am genuinely thrilled with the growth opportunity Genius Brands represents as I work with a stellar team to develop and execute the retail launches for these highly-anticipated properties.”