{"id":20020,"date":"2021-02-02T11:34:13","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T16:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-navigating-kids-business\/"},"modified":"2021-02-02T11:34:13","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T16:34:13","slug":"andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Andy Heyward, Harold Chizick on Navigating the Kids\u2019 Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO of Genius Brands International, and Harold Chizick, CEO and co-founder of ChizComm, discussed the rapidly evolving children\u2019s media landscape and what companies should consider in order to thrive in their TV Kids Festival keynote, which wrapped with a sneak peek at Stan Lee\u2019s Superhero Kindergarten<\/em>, introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger.<\/p>\n

The session, The Genius Approach, was moderated by Anna Carugati, the group editorial director of World Screen<\/em> and TV Kids<\/em>, and took place on day one of the TV Kids Festival. It opened with Heyward discussing Genius Brands\u2019 November 2020 acquisition of ChizComm and its media research, planning and buying division, ChizComm Beacon Media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been a huge fan of Harold and the company for many, many years,\u201d said Heyward. \u201cI understood that media buying in kids is so important, and they represent pretty much every major client in the toy business.\u201d After meeting Chizick, Heyward said they were both clear on the opportunities \u201cfor how to create value and grow our businesses together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chizick added, \u201cWhen you think about the business we\u2019re in and how it works and what manufacturers and partners are looking for in terms of that one group where they can get a little bit of everything and the expertise to amplify brands and their businesses, [the deal] was a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carugati asked Heyward about the Genius Brands ethos. \u201cWe try to distinguish ourselves from the competition in a couple of ways. First, we are producing \u2018content with a purpose.\u2019 We\u2019re very focused on doing things that bring some kind of positivity and enrichment to kids. Everything we\u2019re doing has to have entertainment value for kids and commercial value that will bring profits to our investors and shareholders. But at the same time, we think we can get there better and also be better citizens if we\u2019re producing things that have some form of enrichment to the kids\u2014they can take something away from every story they see.\u201d<\/p>\n

On managing the challenges of 2020, Chizick noted, \u201cWe had to adapt. Our sweet spot in most of our business is with the emerging and mid-size companies, so we\u2019ve been instrumental in helping their growth, and they ours. They stuck with us through the hard times.\u201d The first half of the year was particularly tough, Chizick noted. \u201cWe had ambitious goals for growth, and all of a sudden, we thought we were going to be stunted.\u201d E-commerce, and being in the more pandemic-proof kids\u2019 and family space, certainly helped the company overcome the obstacles of 2020. \u201cWhile [our clients\u2019] businesses had some hurdles, as things started to normalize and sales started to come, it\u2019s unbelievable how we made up what we thought would impact our overall year growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may have shifted some of the ways we executed marketing plans, and we may not have had the luxury of our clients committing as early as they normally would, but thankfully our network partners stepped up and made it so that our client base was afforded a little bit of extra time, a little bit of leeway, knowing that as the market was emerging and normalizing from a marketing standpoint, the media dollars would be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was also a good year for Genius Brands, Heyward said, referencing the launch of the Kartoon Channel! \u201cIt\u2019s like a Netflix for kids, but free,\u201d Heyward noted. \u201cThe importance of being for free can\u2019t be overlooked. In today\u2019s world, when so many families are being challenged with their budgets, you can only subscribe to so many [SVOD services]. At some point you say, we can\u2019t afford all these services for our kids. Our service is advertiser supported; it\u2019s 100 percent free.\u201d It is available on Amazon, Apple and Android devices. On top of that, Kartoon Channel! has a presence on Comcast, Cox, DISH, Roku, Tubi and a range of smart TV devices, including Samsung and LG. \u201cThe platform has been established. We are now investing very heavily in premier content, not just content we acquire but original content.\u201d The first of the Kartoon Channel! originals is Stan Lee\u2019s Superhero Kindergarten<\/em>, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Genius Brands is also working with Shaquille O\u2019Neal on a new series, Shaq\u2019s Garage<\/em>. Other originals are in the works.<\/p>\n

Heyward noted that Genius Brands is also focused on investing in \u201ctop-tier talent and human capital,\u201d with a management team that includes Margaret Loesch as executive chairman of Kartoon Channel!; David Neuman, formerly president of Walt Disney Television, as the chief creative officer of the service; and Batman<\/em> producer Michael Uslan as head of development for Stan Lee Universe. Meanwhile, ex-Hasbro exec Lloyd Mintz oversees Genius Brands\u2019 consumer-products business.<\/p>\n

Carugati asked Heyward about the importance of controlling both the IP and the distribution platform. \u201cYou can have the greatest brand, the greatest property, the best writers, the best directors and beautiful designs. If you don\u2019t get it out there, it doesn\u2019t do any good. By the same token, you can have the greatest distribution system in the world, but if you don\u2019t have the right content to put on there, you\u2019re not going to get the eyeballs. You need both. That\u2019s what drew us to taking command of our future and building our own channel. You can stunt it, you can promote, you can do all kinds of maneuvers that you wouldn\u2019t have the wherewithal to do if you\u2019re just a singular producer or if you\u2019re a broadcaster that doesn\u2019t own the content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chizick added, \u201cWhen you have that A-level content and you control that content, and you create a platform for that content to be on, and are able to share it and sell it into other markets, it really does change the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation then moved to the crucial role of content with educational value today, with many kids still home-schooling. To respond to the market\u2019s needs, Genius Brands launched Kartoon Classroom! in the fall, delivering shows with academic agendas, Heyward said, among them Warren Buffett\u2019s Secret Millionaires Club<\/em>, which teaches financial literacy lessons amid fun and entertaining storylines. \u201cIn these times, with kids home from school, it is important to have some kind of content that can be enriching for the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as kids\u2019 needs have changed amid the pandemic, the demands of advertisers have also evolved. \u201cWe\u2019ve known for the last couple of years there\u2019s been more and more of a shift to digital outlets and getting the right mix,\u201d Chizick said. \u201cIn 2020, we saw that expedited well beyond where we thought it was. It gave our clients a lot of confidence in digital platforms and alternative methods of reaching the audience. And that changed the model of our business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last two years, the company\u2019s biggest investment as a media buyer was its creation of a research department so that it would have access to metrics beyond traditional providers like Nielsen and Comscore. \u201cThat has been the biggest asset to our clients. It\u2019s taking all the data, all the insights, looking at every campaign we\u2019re running and coming up with the secret sauce that is based on information, data and research. And the clients trust it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heyward reiterated that ChizComm Beacon Media is the largest buyer of children\u2019s media in North America. \u201cThe cumulative spend that Harold brings to the table is extraordinary. That opens up so many doors.\u201d<\/p>\n

ChizComm Beacon Media\u2019s leading position comes from having a broad client base of toy companies, with varying levels of ad budgets available, and a cumulative approach to buying commercial air time, Chizick said. \u201cWe go into the networks and we say, We want to buy X number of commercials. We aggregate all of our client base of over 30 clients, so we\u2019re able to get a much-preferred rate for those television commercials because we\u2019re buying in such volume. That\u2019s our advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

On serving Genius Brands\u2019 shareholders and audiences, Heyward said, \u201cIf we take care of our viewers, the shareholders will be taken care of automatically.<\/p>\n

The discussion moved to the importance of aligning with A-level talent. Heyward talked about Genius Brands\u2019 alliance with Shaquille O\u2019Neal: \u201cEverything he has touched has seen huge increases in their business. We developed our show with him and in fact he became a shareholder of the company; he was so excited about what we were doing together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heyward also discussed Genius Brands\u2019 affiliation with the late Stan Lee. \u201cFive of the top-grossing 17 movies of all time were created by Stan Lee,\u201d Heyward said. Last summer, the company announced Stan Lee Universe, a joint venture that holds the merchandising and licensing rights to Stan Lee and his post-Marvel IP, including his name, physical likeness and signature. \u201cWe will roll something very special out for Stan\u2019s 100 birthday in December 2022,\u201d Heyward said.<\/p>\n

Heyward went on to note that the company\u2019s management team and board of directors have been instrumental in helping the company to attract top-level talent. \u201cWe think a great deal about who we can attract to the company. Not just celebrities, but also important people who know how to execute,\u201d alongside leading directors and writers. \u201cWe aim for excellence, whether it\u2019s people in management or the creative field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carugati asked Heyward about his close relationship with the late Stan Lee. \u201cHe was a mentor, a friend, a father figure, someone who I admired. We would write to each other every day by email. I have a book that was published of our pen-pal correspondence. I would get notes from him, so erudite you can\u2019t imagine, in Latin, in foreign languages, quoting ancient Greeks. He was a magical person. I feel privileged that we are now the steward of his brand. There\u2019s going to be extraordinary value coming from that for our shareholders, and joy and creativity for his fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Lee and Schwarzenegger, Genius Brands developed the new series Stan Lee\u2019s Superhero Kindergarten<\/em>. \u201cStan was a big fan of Arnold\u2019s,\u201d Heyward said. \u201cHe thought Arnold was a superhero! I had the honor of introducing them when Arnold was just finishing his term as Governor [of California]. They decided they were going to create something together. Stan was a huge fan of Kindergarten Cop<\/em>; he thought, Why don\u2019t we do something like a Kindergarten Cop<\/em>, but make them superheroes? The superhero marketplace is very crowded; Stan\u2019s idea was, let\u2019s tilt and make it for preschoolers. What would Batman, Superman, Spider-Man be like if they were 6-year-olds? That\u2019s what these stories are. Arnold is a former superhero on the show. He teaches [his students] how to use their powers, and at the same time, brings along some positive lessons about health, exercise, nutrition. It\u2019s full of fun and hijinks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the conversation, Schwarzenegger introduced a sneak peek at the show. \u201cI\u2019m sad that Stan isn\u2019t with us anymore, but I\u2019m honored that we\u2019re bringing his vision to life,\u201d Schwarzenegger said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO of Genius Brands International, and Harold Chizick, CEO and co-founder of ChizComm, discussed the rapidly evolving children\u2019s media landscape and what companies should consider in order to thrive in their TV Kids Festival keynote, which wrapped with a sneak peek at Stan Lee\u2019s Superhero Kindergarten, introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":20021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[1810,5751,1503,5833,5723],"class_list":["post-20020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-andy-heyward","tag-chizcomm","tag-genius-brands-international","tag-harold-chizick","tag-tv-kids-festival","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nAndy Heyward, Harold Chizick on Navigating the Kids\u2019 Business - TVKIDS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Andy Heyward, Harold Chizick on Navigating the Kids\u2019 Business - TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO of Genius Brands International, and Harold Chizick, CEO and co-founder of ChizComm, discussed the rapidly evolving children\u2019s media landscape and what companies should consider in order to thrive in their TV Kids Festival keynote, which wrapped with a sneak peek at Stan Lee\u2019s Superhero Kindergarten, introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-02T16:34:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/07\/2021-02-02-gnus.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"319\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business\/\",\"name\":\"Andy Heyward, Harold Chizick on Navigating the Kids\u2019 Business - TVKIDS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-02T16:34:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-02-02T16:34:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/andy-heyward-harold-chizick-on-navigating-the-kids-business\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Andy Heyward, Harold Chizick on Navigating the Kids\u2019 Business\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\",\"name\":\"TVKIDS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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