Buzzfeed Strikes First-Look Content Deal With Genius Brands' Frederator Network, Inc.

Deal Grants Frederator First Right to Develop and Produce Long-Form Series Based on Animated Content Created by BuzzFeed Animation Lab

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNUS), through its Frederator Network subsidiary (a division of WOW! Unlimited Media), today announced an exclusive content deal with BuzzFeed, a division of BuzzFeed, Inc. (NASDAQ: BZFD), a premier digital media company for the most diverse, most online, and most socially engaged generation the world has ever seen.

The deal provides Genius Brands’ Frederator Network the exclusive opportunity and first right to develop and produce longform series based on original digital properties created by the BuzzFeed Animation Lab. The first short-form content for series development by Frederator will be The Land of Boggs, a zany buddy comedy that currently boasts over10M followers. Other content under consideration for long-form development includes The Good Advice Cupcake, an aggressively optimistic pastry touting over 6M followers; the lowbrow sister comedy Weird Helga, with over 9M followers; and the adorable gender inclusive series, Chikn Nuggit, with over 7M followers.

Frederator Studios will serve as the global content sales agent, headed by Director of Development Isabel Schultz, and Genius Brands’ consumer products’ division will develop the retail program for the slate of IP, spearheaded by Chief Brand Officer, Kerry Phelan, and in close partnership with BuzzFeed.

Michael Hirsh, CEO of WOW! Unlimited Media, parent company of Frederator Network, stated: “Our partnership with BuzzFeed offers Frederator a tremendous opportunity to expand on the creativity of their animation lab to further develop their original IP into long-form series for global audiences. BuzzFeed is considered the most watched digital publisher with billions of global content views and nearly 30 million dedicated BuzzFeed Animation Lab fans, which gives us a huge audience and ability to promote each series to a highly-engaged fan base!”

Zee Myers, Head of BuzzFeed Animation Lab, commented: “The BuzzFeed Animation Lab has seen huge success and explosive growth for our animated properties, and we are thrilled to partner with Frederator Studios for development. They have an unparalleled track record in the industry and are the perfect shepherds to take our animated properties into a new format and expand our audience.”

About the Content
The Land of Boggs is a comedy about two best buds wreaking havoc on their hometown of Boggville during summer vacation.
www.tiktok.com/@thelandofboggs

The Good Advice Cupcake follows an aggressively optimistic cupcake who gives advice on surviving life and being a beautiful b*tch with her pastry friends.
www.tiktok.com/@thegoodadvicecupcake

Weird Helga is a coming of age, character-driven series that follows odd-couple twins Helga and Honey and the problems they face as 'blossoming' young adults.
www.tiktok.com/@weirdhelga

Chikn Nuggit is a gender inclusive comedy series about a weird, long-eared dog named Chikn Nuggit and his similarly magical fast-food-named pals.
www.tiktok.com/@chikn.nuggit

About Frederator
Frederator is a pioneer in streaming video and a leading independent producer of animation for streaming services, linear television, and on-line video platforms, owning and operating the largest global animation network on YouTube, with channels that boast over 2000 exclusive creators and influencers and garnering over a billion views every month. Over the past 20 years, Frederator Studios has produced 19 series and more than 250 short films for and with partners including Netflix, Amazon, Google, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Sony Pictures Animation, and Cartoon Network, including Butch Hartman’s The Fairly OddParents on Nickelodeon, Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time on Cartoon Network and Natasha Allegri’s Bee and PuppyCat on Netflix. Frederator is a Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) company and has offices in Burbank, CA and New York, NY.

About BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is home to the best of the Internet. Across food, news, pop culture and commerce, our brands drive conversation and inspire what audiences watch, read, buy, and obsess over next. Born on the Internet in 2006, BuzzFeed, Inc. is committed to making it better: providing trusted, quality, brand-safe news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people; making content on the Internet more inclusive, empathetic, and creative; and inspiring our audience to live better lives.

About Genius Brands International
Genius 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 IP portfolio of family-friendly content features the Stan Lee brand, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal, coming to Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix and more. Recently, Genius Brands entered into an agreement to acquire Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media (TSX-V: WOW), which includes 2,500 channels under the Channel Frederator Network, and has also made a strategic investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG (FRA:RTV), one of Europe’s largest distributors and broadcasters of high-quality programs for children and families.

Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! is a globally distributed entertainment platform with 100% penetration in the U.S. television market and international expansion with launches in key markets around the world. The channel is available in the U.S. via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Roku, YouTube, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart and LG TVs, the JetBlue Inflight platform and more. Genius Brands is now rolling out the subscription-based Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse, featuring metaversal content and exclusive titles.

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.

GENIUS BRANDS MEDIA CONTACT :
pr@gnusbrands.com

GENIUS BRANDS INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:
ir@gnusbrands.com

BUZZFEED CONTACT:
pr@buzzfeed.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/368d7228-f152-41f2-8652-334ed432dc7a

Buzzfeed Strikes First-Look Content Deal With Genius Brands' Frederator Network, Inc.

Deal Grants Frederator First Right to Develop and Produce Long-Form Series Based on Animated Content Created by BuzzFeed Animation Lab

Released February 14, 2023