Genius Brands Appoints VP of Business Development

Genius Brands International is expanding its executive team with the recent hire of Jon Ollwerther as the company’s new VP of business development.

As VP of business development, Ollwerther will aim to drive value across all areas of Genius Brands, working in tandem with Michael Jaffa, general counsel and senior VP of business affairs; CFO Robert Denton; Natalie Setton, head of global distribution; Deb Pierson, VP of domestic content distribution and president of Kid Genius Cartoon Channel; and Lloyd Mintz, senior VP of global consumer products. Ollwerther will report to Genius Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward.

Ollwerther’s last post was as the VP of media for Drone as a Service (DaaS) company Measure, where he grew the Arts & Entertainment division and worked with the likes of ABC, CBS, ESPN, Red Bull Media House, Coach, Prada, Maker’s Mark and Nissan.

Heyward said: “Having known Jon for many years now, the sheer amount of energy, and wealth of knowledge and expertise in marrying technology with entertainment that he brings to the table in his new role will be instrumental in identifying fresh and unique opportunities for reaching and engaging consumers. Working in collaboration with our strong senior management team, we’re poised to take our worldwide operation to the next level.”

“The majority of my career has been with venture-backed startups,” added Ollwerther. “That said, I’ve known Mr. Heyward and many of his senior staff for the better part of a decade. I am thrilled to be working with the forward-thinking and visionary team that he has attracted to Genius Brands, and am excited to help drive the myriad possibilities for growing every aspect of its business.”