Following the Friday April 23rd premiere, exclusively on
Kartoon Channel!, of the highly-anticipated
animated children’s series,
Stan Lee’s Superhero
Kindergarten, starring
Arnold
Schwarzenegger,
Genius Brands International,
Inc. (“Genius Brands”) (NASDAQ:GNUS) announced that the
double-episode premiere delivered an enormous
two million+
views opening weekend.
Schwarzenegger will appear tonight on
Jimmy Kimmel Live! as part of Genius Brands’
ongoing comprehensive marketing campaign for Stan Lee’s Superhero
Kindergarten across all touchpoints—advertising, television
appearances, social media, traditional PR, influencers—to support a
groundswell of excitement driving viewership. Additionally, a
global consumer products retail program is in development and
Genius Brands is in negotiations with best-in-class licensing
partners.
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten is one of the
last creations from the genius mind of the late Stan Lee, who just
like in the Marvel movies, plays a cameo himself in every episode!
The series stars the voice of real-life action hero Arnold
Schwarzenegger, who is also an Executive Producer on the
series.
Schwarzenegger commented: “Stan
Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten is near and dear to my heart. What an
honor it was to collaborate with Stan on the creation of the
series, and I am absolutely thrilled that our new series has
resonated so strongly with audiences right out of the gate. Stay
tuned for more adventure and comedy as new episodes debut every
Friday on Kartoon Channel!”
Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands Andy
Heyward stated: “Typically, a new children’s series launch
takes time to gain traction among audiences; however, we have been
blown away by the extraordinary and immediate viewership and
positive feedback with over two million views in just the first
weekend! This breaks every record for us on the channel and goes
beyond our wildest expectation for the series weekend debut. In the
new world of streaming media, it’s hard to compare apples to
oranges, but if Superhero Kindergarten were a feature movie, we
would be doing cartwheels with this ‘opening weekend ‘box office.’
We know as we roll out new episodes every Friday on Kartoon
Channel!, this will only continue to build. Arnold has
been incredible with his passion and dedication to the development
and production of the series. Working closely with the iconic
comedy director John Landis, Arnold enriched every single line
reading. The two of them together were magic in the recording
booth, and never settled for anything less than excellence. The
show is full of winks at the camera and gems, which adults will
devour as much as kids. We know young audiences and their parents
will continue to discover this special series in the months and
years to come.”
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten is geared
towards kids and families and focuses on the adventures of six
unique kids who are learning to master their super skills, along
with their ABCs. With the help of their teacher Arnold Armstrong
(AKA ‘Captain Fantastic’, the greatest superhero to ever
live!).
It all began five years ago when Arnold
Armstrong faced off in a final fight against his nemesis, the evil
Dr. Superior, that left him powerless. Little did anyone know that
during the fight, super-energy particles rained down on a group of
unsuspecting toddlers. Now, those toddlers are kindergarten
students at Greenville Elementary School who, with the help of
Arnold Armstrong, must learn to control their powers as they go on
super adventures! Arnold Armstrong’s mission: to train these kids
to use their super-powers safely without revealing their
identities. They learn the values of teamwork, health, diversity
and anti-bullying while also protecting their town from rivals, and
the nefarious Dr. Superior who has returned as Headmaster Danforth
of the Academy for Superior Children across town.
Fun for the whole family, the series opens up
the superhero genre for a whole new demographic and draws kids in
with action and comedy, while parents can appreciate the quality of
content synonymous with Stan Lee. The series includes 26 half-hour
long episodes for season one that begins with a two-episode double
feature and will be rolled out on a weekly basis thereafter, every
Friday.
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten sees
Schwarzenegger voice-directed by John Landis, one
of the most successful movie directors of all time, with
Steven Banks, former head writer for SpongeBob
SquarePants, serving as head writer for the series. The series is
produced by Genius Brands and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment in
association with Schwarzenegger’s Oak Productions. Gill
Champion, CEO of Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment;
Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands;
Schwarzenegger; and Paul Wachter of Main Street
Advisors serve as executive producers.
Viewers can enjoy Stan Lee’s Superhero
Kindergarten by downloading the free Kartoon Channel! app on Apple
and Android devices; on Amazon Prime, on connected TVs and devices
by Samsung, LG, Roku, Tubi, Amazon Fire Stick and more; or by
visiting www.kartoonchannel.com. “That’s Kartoon with a “K”
says Schwarzenegger!”
About Kartoon Channel!
Available everywhere and anywhere kids are today, Genius Brands
International’s digital network, Kartoon Channel! is a family
entertainment destination that delivers enduring childhood moments
of humor, adventure, and discovery.
Delivering 1000’s of episodes of carefully
curated free family-friendly content, the channel features animated
classics for little kids, including The Wubbulous World of Dr.
Seuss, Babar, Mello Dees, Super Simple Songs and Baby Genius, and
hit content for bigger kids, such as Pac-Man, Angry Birds, and
Yu-Gi-Oh, to original programming like Stan Lee’s Superhero
Kindergarten, now premiering and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger,
KC! Pop Quiz coming in spring 2021, and Shaq’s Garage, starring
Shaquille O’Neal for 2022. Kartoon Channel! also offers STEM-based
content through its Kartoon Classroom!, including Baby Einstein,
and More.
Kartoon Channel! delivers positive and
purposeful content that is widely available and easily accessible
across all platforms (Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling
TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Android TV,
Android Mobile, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi,
Samsung Smart TVs, and LGTVs).
Kartoon Channel! can also be streamed on TVs and
mobiles device by downloading the app, or on desktops by visiting
www.kartoonchannel.com
About Genius Brands
InternationalGenius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq:
GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing,
marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties
and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The
Company’s ‘content with a purpose’ portfolio includes Stan Lee’s
Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon
Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal on Kartoon
Channel!; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix ; Llama
Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix; award-winning toddler
brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison's
Secret Lab; and entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett's Secret
Millionaires Club. Through licensing agreements with leading
partners, characters from Genius Brands’ IP also appear on a wide
range of consumer products for the worldwide retail marketplace.
The Company’s new Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Classroom! are
available in over 100 million U.S. television households via a
broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox,
DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon
Fire, Apple TV, Apple i0s, Android TV, Android Mobil,
Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, KartoonChannel.com,
Samsung Smart TVs and LG TVs. For additional information, please
visit www.gnusbrands.com.
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, our ability to generate revenue or
achieve profitability; our ability to obtain additional financing
on acceptable terms, if at all; the potential issuance of a
significant number of shares, which will dilute our equity holders;
fluctuations in the results of our operations from period to
period; general economic and financial conditions; our ability to
anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies, fashion
and technology; competitive pressure from other distributors of
content and within the retail market; our reliance on and
relationships with third-party production and animation studios;
our ability to market and advertise our products; our reliance on
third-parties to promote our products; our ability to keep pace
with technological advances; our ability to protect our
intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the
“Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report
on Form 10-K and in the Company's subsequent filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). 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.
MEDIA CONTACT:pr@gnusbrands.com
INVESTOR RELATIONS
CONTACT:
ir@gnusbrands.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/11c2d279-2889-44a6-aa2d-2b1fe88240de
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