Genius Brands International Licenses Content Distribution, Licensing and Merchandising Rights for Its Hit Music-Driven Brand, SpacePOP, in Southern Europe
Luk Internacional to Launch SpacePOP in 2017 Across Spain, Portugal and Italy
BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/13/16 -- Genius Brands International "Genius Brands" (NASDAQ: GNUS), a global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia entertainment content for children, has licensed the content distribution, licensing and merchandising rights to SpacePOP in Southern Europe, including Spain, Portugal and Italy, for a brand launch in 2017.
Genius Brands forged a new path in the children's media space by utilizing YouTube as its initial distribution path for SpacePOP, which launched exclusively on the YouTube SpacePOP channel on June 20th, 2016 and has already amassed approximately 11.5 million views. In the U.S., SpacePOP is also available across multiple digital platforms, including Toon Goggles, PopJam, BatteryPOP, and the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel on Comcast, and will be launching this month on OTT platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Roku, Google and more, which brings the combined audience reach to nearly 50 million. Additionally, Genius Brands launched on December 1st the first SpacePOP merchandise program in the U.S. mass retail market at Toys"R"Us, Kohl's, Claire's and more.
"The strategy we developed to launch SpacePOP, from utilizing YouTube as our launch media partner to the creation of a fashion-forward marketing and retail strategy and harnessing the power of today's top media influencers, has engaged millions of young girls," commented Stone Newman, President of Global Consumer Products, Worldwide Content Sales & Marketing for Genius Brands. "The key elements of SpacePOP-music, friendship, fashion and adventure-cross cultural boundaries, and we have no doubt that Luk Internacional will create a program that equally resonates with tweens throughout Spain, Italy and Portugal."
"SpacePOP has become a tween sensation in the U.S., and we intend to replicate its success across Southern Europe by bringing on board best in class media, licensing, retail and promotional partners to drive the growth of the brand," said Paco Gratacos, President of Luk Internacional S.A. "We anticipate SpacePOP to be the Galactic Star of 2017."
SpacePOP is comprised of over 100 serialized adventures featuring original music woven into a narrative that follows five teenage princesses who disguise themselves as musicians and form a band while they secretly plot to vanquish an evil Empress who is seeking to enslave the galaxy. SpacePOP offers a colorful blend of music, fashion, beauty, friendship and intergalactic adventures resulting in an engaging lifestyle and entertainment brand.
The SpacePOP series was developed with best-in-class development and production teams, including Emmy Award-nominated Steve Banks (head writer and story editor of Sponge Bob Square Pants) as content writer; Han Lee (Pink Fizz, Bobby Jack) for original character designs; multiple Grammy Award-winning producer and music veteran Ron Fair (Fergie, Mary J. Blige, Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, Christina Aguilera and more) together with his singer songwriter spouse Stefanie Fair (founding member of RCA's girl group Wild Orchid with Fergie) for the original SpacePOP theme music; and veteran music producer and composer John Loeffler (Kidz Bop, Pokémon) for original songs.
This past summer Genius Brands launched SpacePOP via marketing initiatives that included a YouTube influencer campaign; national promotional partnerships with Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, Dippin' Dots and Camplified; promotional campaigns with Musical.ly and PopJam; a robust social media campaign and the debut of a dedicated SpacePOP site, SpacePOPGirls.
About Genius Brands International
Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNUS) is a publicly traded global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content for children. Led by award-winning creators and producers, the Company 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, Genius Brands International's portfolio features "content with a purpose" for toddlers to tweens, which provides enrichment as well as entertainment, including tween music-driven brand SpacePOP; preschool property Llama Llama to debut on Netflix; 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 International's Kid Genius channel on Comcast's Xfinity on Demand; and 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'sCosmic Crusaders, with Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment and The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, under Genius Brands International's 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 Luk Internacional
Luk Internacional S.A., founded in 1979, is the largest independent company in Spain and Portugal dedicated to rights management for audiovisual content. Based in Barcelona, Luk Internacional has been in the business for 36 years. The company started as a theatrical distributor but changed its course later and placed its focus on the television market. It is in this context that it has earned its reputation as one of the leading distributors at the EMEA level.
At present, Luk Internacional manages a wide range of audiovisual products covering all genres: film, series, docs, factual and TV Movies, but also animation, having managed properties such as TMNT, Garfield, Peanuts, Doraemon and Shin Chan. Luk Internacional has made an effort to complement the services offered to the audiovisual industry by including licensing and promotion, cinema, video and mobile phone rights management of the main franchises it represents. Luk Internacional also handles the entire catalogue of Content Media Corporation for Spain and Portugal.
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 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.
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/12/13/11G124966/Images/GBI_Logo-436b06ba558a9bc0b61600bfe1261b00.jpg
GENIUS BRANDS MEDIA CONTACT:
Michelle Orsi/Carol Holdsworth
Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications
310-418-6430
Email contact
FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS:
Robert Haag
Managing Partner
IRTH Communications
Email contact
866-976-4784
Source: Genius Brands International, Inc.
Released December 13, 2016