Genius Brands International Inc (GNUS)

[rickn23]

Genius Brands International Expands Worldwide Consumer Products Program for Rainbow Rangers With Appointment of Key New Licensees

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3378517

BEVERLY HILLS, CA--(Marketwired - June 13, 2017) - Genius Brands International, Inc. "Genius Brands" (NASDAQ: GNUS), a leading media company that creates, produces and licenses children's multimedia entertainment content and products for global broadcast, digital and retail distribution, continues to amass key partners for its upcoming animated preschool series Rainbow Rangers with the appointment of a trio of top-tier licensees, The Bentex Group (apparel), Jay Franco (bedding and home décor) and H.E.R. Accessories (accessories), to create new branded products.

The announcement of the new licensing partners follows recent news that Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. licensed exclusive U.S. and Caribbean Basin broadcast rights for season one of Rainbow Rangers, which will premiere in 2018; and the appointment of Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price Toys as Global Master Toy Partner for the brand. Both announcements have spurred strong market expectations for the brand.

"The marketplace shares our excitement about Rainbow Rangers, especially with the early endorsements of broadcast partner Nickelodeon and our master toy licensee Mattel's Fisher-Price Toys," said Stone Newman, Genius Brands President of Global Consumer Products, Worldwide Content Sales & Marketing. "This bright and colorful series, developed by the best in the business, will delight preschoolers and empower little girls the world over, which is why our licensing program for the brand continues to attract partners like The Bentex Group, H.E.R. Accessories and Jay Franco. We've made our list of preferred licensees and will actively pursue agreements, developing a robust global merchandising, licensing and retail program encompassing all key categories to coincide with the series launch."

As Master Apparel partner, The Bentex Group will develop an extensive contemporary, fashion forward range of collections in all size rangers that capture the color, essence and spirit of this brand. Jewelry and accessories will play an integral part of the series, as they do in the lives of girls, and H.E.R. Accessories will create high quality, cutting-edge and on trend merchandise, including watches, jewelry, hair accessories and other age-appropriate fashion accessories. Finally, Jay Franco will allow every little girl to turn her room and bathroom into her own Kaliedoscopia (home of the Rainbow Rangers) with a complete offering of bedding, room décor and bath textiles and accessories.

"The industry is buzzing about Rainbow Rangers and between the deep roster of talent developing the series and Nickelodeon and Mattel being on board, we had to learn more. Once we saw Rainbow Rangers and met the creators, it was simply a matter of where do we sign as we knew and know that this will be the next big thing in girl's character apparel. We cannot wait to shout Ride Rangers Ride and now we can!" commented The Bentex Group's Susan Peia, Executive Vice President of Licensing.

"We're proud to be associated with Genius Brands exciting new preschool brand and are thrilled to translate the colorful, fun designs of the heroines of Rainbow Rangers to an array of age-appropriate fashion accessories," said H.E.R. Accessories President & CEO, Hymie Anteby.

"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved with this new property at its inception, especially with Rainbow Rangers' level of pedigree and partnerships. We're very much looking forward to consumers' response to both the program and its licensed product offerings. The idea of creating so many looks and environments, giving girls the opportunity to turn their bedroom into Kaliedascopia or their favorite Rangers' room, is very exciting to us at Jay Franco," said Jay Franco's VP of Sales, Joe A. Franco.

Created as the first mission-based action adventure series targeting preschool girls, Rainbow Rangers is an empowering, exciting, behind-the-curtain peek at the lives of Earth's First Responders whose mission is to help protect the earth's environment and its animal inhabitants. The series seamlessly blends fantasy and action-adventure with relatable, accessible stories about friendship and saving the environment. The Rainbow Rangers -- seven girls, each a different color of the rainbow with her own wildly unique personality and special power -- band together to save the day whenever there's trouble for the animals or natural wonders of Earth. Every storyline is designed to show young viewers the importance of working together and that actions both big and small can make the world a better place.

Boasting a unique and highly-accomplished team of creators from the animated motion picture world, Rainbow Rangers' creative development and production team includes Rob Minkoff (Disney's The Lion King director), Shane Morris (Disney's Frozen co-writer), Tim Mansfield and New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer Elise Allen (Dinosaur Train, Lion Guard, Barbie specials) who is serving as head writer and co-creator. Genius Brands' Chairman and CEO and multiple Emmy Award-winning producer of more than 5,000 episodes of children's programming, Andy Heyward, serves as executive producer and Shelly Hirsch as Co-Executive Producer. Legendary Disney Alum Ruben Aquino created key designs. Aquino is responsible for the design and animation of many of Disney's most iconic characters from award-winning films, including "The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid," "Mulan" and "Frozen."

About The Bentex Group
Bentex, Extreme Concepts, Dreamwave and H.I.S. International are category leaders in children's apparel. Production capabilities include trend-right fashion apparel as well as value-priced apparel in knits and wovens. Its extensive portfolio of character license properties is unmatched in the industry and makes the companies of The Bentex Group are a one-stop destination for all things character. Additionally, it has a well-developed private label business and growing brand business including Cherokee and Scholastic. For more information, visit https://www.bentex.com/

About Jay Franco & Sons, Inc.
Jay Franco and Sons, Inc. is the leading importer in the licensed Home Furnishing industry featuring Bedding, Bath and Beach accessories for over 60 years. The company prides themselves on providing their customers with superior expertise, expansive and innovative production capabilities, the latest textile fabrications and selling their products in mass merchants, department stores, and specialty retailers nationwide for the best price. Jay Franco and Sons, Inc. has affiliated offices in Taiwan, Shanghai, India and Pakistan.

About H.E.R. Accessories
H.E.R. Accessories was founded in 2000 with the focus of bringing high quality, cutting edge, fashion forward merchandise to the consumer. It has earned a reputation as an industry leader in today's fast-paced, fashion industry. H.E.R. Accessories designs, manufactures, and sells watches, cosmetics, jewelry, hair accessories and everything in between, featuring licensed brands and private label lines. With offices in NY and Hong Kong, H.E.R. Accessories is vertically geared to service customers with an attention to detail that is second to none. For more information, visit http://heracc.com/