Children's Entertainment Maven Margaret Loesch Joins Genius Brands International's Board of Directors

BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/26/15 -- Genius Brands International, Inc. "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS), a global brand management company dedicated to providing entertaining and enriching 'content with a purpose' for toddlers to tweens, continues to align with best-in-class talent with the addition of multiple award-winning children's entertainment maven Margaret Loesch to its Board of Directors. The announcement was made jointly today by GBI CEO Andy Heyward and President Amy Moynihan Heyward.

"Amy and I are overjoyed to welcome Margaret Loesch to our GBI Board of Directors," said Andy Heyward. "From her earliest days at Hanna-Barbera Productions and The Jim Henson Company, to her roles with Fox Kids Network Worldwide, Hallmark Channel US and the Hub Network, Margaret has earned a stellar reputation and unparalleled success in all phases of children's and family entertainment. She intuitively understands how to engage children and their families and has demonstrated that ability to the amazement of us all. As a Board member, her expertise and counsel will be invaluable to us as we continue to build the company."

"I have known Amy and Andy for many years and know the unique focus and passion they bring to the business," responded Loesch. "I'm very impressed by GBI's commitment to develop and deliver content with a purpose' for today's young viewers. This is an exciting time for this Company's growth, and I'm very happy to be included on their well-respected Board of Directors."

Loesch joins fellow GBI Board of Directors Anthony Thomopoulos, respected entertainment industry veteran; Gray Davis, former Governor of California; Lynne Segall, Publisher and Senior Vice President of The Hollywood Reporter; Bernard Cahill, Co-Founder of ROAR and Clark Hallren, former Managing Director of JP Morgan Entertainment Group. GBI CEO Andy Heyward and President Amy Moynihan Heyward complete the board. Loesch replaces Jeff Weiss, President and Chief Operating Officer of American Greetings Corporation, who will remain an advisor to GBI but will step down from his current seat on the board due to other obligations.

Loesch was the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hub Network, a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro, Inc., and had oversight of all business and creative areas of the network. The winner of multiple Emmy® Awards and numerous other industry accolades, Loesch has four decades of unparalleled success in all phases of children's and family entertainment. Her extensive resume includes the development and/or production of some of the most iconic programs in children's television, including Smurfs, My Little Pony, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, X-Men, Jim Henson's "Muppet Babies, Animaniacs, Transformers and the award-winning preschool educational series Bear in the Big Blue House, to name just a few.

Throughout her formidable career, Loesch has held senior roles with numerous leading companies as both a creative and business executive. She was the first President and CEO of Crown Media United States, responsible for the creation of its US cable television network, Hallmark Channel; and President of Television Worldwide, of The Jim Henson Company, where she served as executive producer of Bear in the Big Blue House.

In 1990, Loesch became the founding President and CEO of Fox Kids Network, Worldwide, which under her leadership expanded its dominant United States network into Latin America, Australia, and the United Kingdom, and for which she was named Vice-Chairman. Prior to that she was President and CEO of Marvel Comics' film production arm, Marvel Productions, where she executive produced multiple hit series, including G.I. Joe, Transformers, Jem and the Holograms, Dungeons and Dragons, My Little Pony, and Jim Henson's Muppet Babies, and oversaw a tenfold increase in revenue.

From 1979 to 1984, Loesch was Executive Vice President of Hanna-Barbera Productions, where she oversaw the development and production of more than 500 hours of programming, including Richie Rich, The World's Greatest Super Friends, Scooby Doo and Smurfs. Her additional experience includes work with ABC and NBC broadcasting networks and co-founding the family media company The Hatchery.

Loesch has served on the Board of Trustees of Sesame Workshop, producers of the iconic Sesame Street, and on the Advisory Board of the Coalition for Quality Children's Media and the Board of Directors for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation.

Among Loesch's industry awards are multiple Emmy® Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, a CableFAX Most Powerful Women in Cable Award, a CableFAX 100 Award, an International Film Festival (IFFF) Film Excellence Award, a Vision Award, the prestigious Chair Award from the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers, and Directors, and a career lifetime achievement honor from the Cynopsis Kids !magination Awards. Loesch is also a past BANFF World Media keynote speaker, and a recent inductee into the University of Southern Mississippi School of Mass Communication and Journalism (MCJ) Hall of Fame.

Genius Brands International
Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS) is a publicly traded global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content for toddlers to tweens. Led by award-winning creators and producers CEO Andy Heyward and President Amy Moynihan Heyward, GBI creates "content with a purpose," meaning content that is as entertaining as it is enriching. GBI's growing library of content includes the award-winning Baby Genius, Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, Thomas Edison's Secret Lab, Llama Llama, from the NY Times bestselling children's book franchise, and Stan Lee's Mighty 7, the first project from Stan Lee Comics, a joint venture with legend Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment.

A Squared Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Genius Brands International, is a brand management and licensing company that represents third-party properties across a broad range of categories in territories around the world. The company currently represents Psycho Bunny, a luxury apparel line; From Frank, a humor greeting card and product line; and Celessence Technologies, the world's leading microencapsulation company.

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 those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its 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.

GBI MEDIA CONTACT:
Three.Sixty Marketing + Communications
Michelle Orsi
310-418-6430
Email Contact

Carol Holdsworth
805-252-1848
Email Contact

GBI INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:
PLR Investor Relations
Michael Porter
212.564.4700
Email Contact

Source: Genius Brands International, Inc.

Released March 26, 2015