Genius Brands International Signs Broadcast License Deal

Company Appoints Tycoon Enterprises as Brand’s Pan-Latin American Licensing Agent

Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab Premieres on Nat Geo Kids In All Spanish-Speaking Markets in July

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Genius Brands International, Inc. "Genius Brands" (NASDAQ:GNUS) has signed a broadcast licensing agreement with Nat Geo Kids that will bring Genius Brand’s animated children’s series, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab , to young viewers throughout Latin America.  Genius Brands has also appointed Latin American independent licensing agency Tycoon Enterprises as the pan-Latin American licensing agent for the Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab brand.

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“ Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab blends real science with kids’ natural curiosity to create engaging, entertaining and informative content that blends beautifully with the Nat Geo Kids personality, and as we continue to drive the brand’s global development and expansion, the association with the National Geographic brand underscores both the educational and entertainment value of the series,” explained Genius Brands’ President of Global Consumer Products, Worldwide Content Sales & Marketing Stone Newman.  "We are also excited to begin working with the Tycoon team to develop new product for retail distribution across the region that supports the launch of the series.”

Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab premiered on Nat Geo Kids in all Spanish-speaking markets on July 1, 2017 and will premiere in all Portuguese-speaking markets on September 1, 2017.  As the new licensing agent for Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab in Latin America, Tycoon will work with Genius Brands to develop and execute a strategic and comprehensive licensing and merchandising program based on the franchise, building on the brand’s multimedia, cross-platform identity. Categories include toy, apparel, accessories, school supplies, electronics, collectibles, novelty and publishing. The retail program will begin rolling out in 2018.

“As we were looking for new content for Nat Geo Kids there was no doubt that 'Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab' was a wonderful addition for us,” said Diego Reck, EVP National Geographic Partners in Latin America. “We look forward to developing and promoting the passion for science in children. This content is a perfect fit for Nat Geo Kids, as it’s fully aligned with the mission of our brand.”

“We are honored that Genius Brands has chosen us to introduce this creative, fun brand into the Latin American marketplace,” added Tycoon Enterprises’ Co-Founder & President Elias Fasja.  “With our extensive knowledge of both the consumer and retail markets as well as our myriad relationships with licensees and manufacturers across Latin America, we are eager to support the launch of Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab on Nat Geo Kids with an all-encompassing program that will create the level of consumer awareness warranted by this engaging children’s series.”

Zasha Robles, Director of Spiral International, a subsidiary of The Ecetera Group and Genius Brands’ exclusive content distribution agent in Latin America, commented, “I look forward to working together with our best-in-class partners, Nat Geo Kids and Tycoon, to deliver a stellar brand launch across Latin America for Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab ."

Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab series is filled with fun, comedy, exploration and adventure to show kids how fun science can be, encouraging them to explore the limits of their imaginations.  The series follows Angie, a 12-year-old prodigy and her young science club who accidentally discover Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab – a ‘tricked out’ dream lab 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.   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, School House Rock style music videos and more, showing kids just how much fun science can be. 

Emmy-nominated writer Steve Banks ( SpongeBob Square Pants ) wrote the pilot episode; Grant Moran ( Word Girl, New Adventures of the Magic School Bus ) and Betsy McGowan (Senior VP Kids' WB!, co-creator Camp Lakebottom ) are co-story editors; Emmy Award-winning Michael Maliani ( Madeline, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego ) serves as co-producer and director; Kevin O’Donnell is the series co-creator; and Emmy Award-winning Mark Young ( All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, Tutenstein ) serves as co-producer. 

An academic team led by Professor Emeritus Don Roberts of Stanford University, and Dorothy Singer of Yale, have overseen the development, as well as the episodic content to ensure it meets E/I (educational and informational) standards.

About National Geographic Partners LLC:
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Nat Geo People) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of the world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 128 years, and now it is committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for consumers… all while reaching over 730 million people around the world in 171 countries and 45 languages every month. NGP returns 27 percent of its proceeds to the non-profit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com.

About Tycoon Group
Tycoon Group ( www.tycoon.mx ) is the largest Licensing network in Latin America. Since first start in 1990, Tycoon has been both a pioneer and an agent of transformation and has rewritten the Licensing business in the region for countless brand owners.  Structured via on-the ground offices in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru & Costa Rica, Tycoon offers comprehensive Licensing services  across the region . Tycoon’s experience includes brands from the character, entertainment, sports and lifestyle fields, and its performance in the development of Merchandising, Promotional and Retail programs has been internationally commended.  Love for brands and business motivation, paired with advanced management systems, Tycoon continues to represent the most professional and passion-driven licensing practice in the region.  As part of its regional operations, Tycoon Group has developed two separate business areas in addition to Licensing & Merchandising: Tycoon Gou Productions, and Blink Solutions. 

About Genius Brands International
Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ:GNUS) is a leading global media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media distribution and retail channels. Led by award-winning creators and producers, Genius Brands distributes its content worldwide in all formats, as well as a broad range of consumer products based on its characters. In the children's media sector, its portfolio features "content with a purpose" for toddlers to tweens, which provides enrichment as well as entertainment, including new preschool property  Rainbow Rangers ; tween music-driven brand  SpacePOP ; preschool property debuting on Netflix  Llama Llama ; award-winning  Baby Genius , re-launched with new entertainment and over 40 new products; adventure comedy  Thomas Edison's Secret Lab ® , available on Netflix, public broadcast stations and Genius Brands'  Kid Genius  channel on Comcast's Xfinity on Demand; Warren Buffett's  Secret Millionaires Club ,  created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett. The Company is also co-producing an all-new adult animated series,  Stan Lee's   Cosmic Crusaders , with Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment and The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, under Genius Brands' wholly owned subsidiary, A Squared Entertainment, the company represents third-party properties, including  From Frank , a humor greeting card and product line, and  Celessence Technologies , the world's leading micro encapsulation company, across a broad range of categories in territories around the world. For additional information please visit  www.gnusbrands.com .

About Spiral International
Spiral is a content distribution company with headquarters in Miami Florida and focuses in Distribution and Brand Development within the Latin American market.  Spiral is a subsidiary of  Etcetera Group  with 42 years of experience and success, with regional offices in the US, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil.

Forward-Looking Statements:
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 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, under the heading "Risk Factors," and other 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.