Genius Brands International Rebranding

Genius Brands International is changing its name to Kartoon Studios.

In connection with the name change, the company plans to transfer its listing from the Nasdaq Capital Market to the NYSE American exchange. It will commence trading on the NYSE American exchange when markets open on Monday, June 26.

Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO of Genius Brands, commented, “The name change from Genius Brands to Kartoon Studios was conceived to reflect the core DNA of the company, making high-quality and socially responsible animated cartoons for children, distributing them worldwide and licensing consumer products based on the character images. In conjunction with the renaming of the company, we are transitioning our stock listing to the NYSE American exchange, which we believe is more aligned with our strategy to become a leading provider of children’s entertainment. NYSE is home to major multimedia powerhouses like Disney, Sony, Roblox, AMC and others. We are heading into our next phase of growth, so the timing is ideal for us as a company and our shareholders to make the move. I encourage investors to join ‘Stan Lee’ [via animation], along with management and the board, as he rings the NYSE opening bell on June 26, 2023, to celebrate this momentous occasion.

“The defining focus of our new Kartoon and animation rebranding reflects the recent vertical integration of the business following several acquisitions over the past year, including WOW! Unlimited Media in Canada and its subsidiaries Frederator Studios, Frederator Network and Mainframe Entertainment; Ameba TV; Beacon Media; as well as taking a major stake in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment, the largest children’s animation catalog in Europe. We now have capabilities to do everything in-house, from content creation to production, distribution and global merchandising.”

The company is also expanding its content across wider demographics, ranging from toddlers to young adults, including its recently launched series Shaq’s Garage, which premiered on Pluto TV, starring and co-produced by NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal.

“Additionally, through our Frederator Studios subsidiary, we have several initiatives in content development that skew to a broader audience. We have an exclusive deal with BuzzFeed Animation Lab to develop select properties into full series based on hit YouTube shorts, including Chikn’ Nuggit. Frederator also signed a deal with Jimmy Kimmel’s Wheelhouse DNA and YouTube sensation Adam Waheed ‘Adam W’ for an animated series. Concurrently, the company’s series Bee and PuppyCat, co-produced with TOHO of Japan, has been a breakout hit that led to a Netflix series and merchandise program with Hot Topic.”

“While other companies in the entertainment industry are struggling and declining in the current economic market and industry challenges, Kartoon Studios continues to rapidly grow, best illustrated by a nearly eight-fold increase in revenue for 2022. Multiple new productions are in various stages of development.”

The company is in development on Blue Origin Space Rangers, in partnership with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Michael Strahan’s SMAC productions. It is also in development on Wolfgang Puck’s Chef Academy, in collaboration with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck.

“The Kartoon Channel! distribution platform, under the leadership of Walt Disney veterans Todd Steinman domestically and Paul Robinson internationally continues to grow worldwide. In the U.S., the platform has 100 percent television household market penetration across a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobile, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, YouTube, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung smart TVs and LG TVs, as well as on multiple airline entertainment systems. Internationally, Kartoon Channel! is currently available in key territories around the world, including the recently announced Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa (StarTimes), Australia and New Zealand (Samsung TV Plus), Germany (Waipu) and the Philippines (Tapp Digital). Kartoon Channel! branded blocks are also currently available daily in 69 countries across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Europe.”