Genius Brands International, Inc. Issues Shareholder Letter

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. "Genius Brands" (NASDAQ: GNUS), the global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia entertainment content for children, released a letter to shareholders from Chairman & CEO Andy Heyward. The complete letter follows:

Dear Friends and Shareholders:

This morning we announced a groundbreaking joint venture between Genius Brands International (NASDAQ:GNUS) and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment to create STAN LEE UNIVERSE.
 
STAN LEE UNIVERSE, will assume worldwide rights, in perpetuity, to the name, physical likeness, physical signature, live and animated motion picture, television, online, digital, publishing, theme park, comic book, merchandising and licensing rights to Stan Lee and his IP creations past*, present, and going forward. 
 
In all of Hollywood, there is no greater prize. This is the Holy Grail. STAN LEE UNIVERSE is a once in a lifetime asset, drawn from over 100 original, heretofore unexploited properties, created by the most successful creator of intellectual property of our time. In my view, the potential value in this single asset, is greater than any IP anywhere in Hollywood.
 
Jointly owned by Genius and POW, and subject to due diligence and documentation, this deal will vest Genius Brands as the managing and controlling partner of the STAN LEE UNIVERSE joint venture.

Let me provide some context:
Stan Lee, was the creator of the most successful characters ever made, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Thor, Captain America, Ms. Marvel,  Silver Surfer, Antman, Nick Fury, Guardians of the Galaxy, and of course the #1 movie box-office franchise of all time, The Avengers.  For decades, Stan was the editor and creative force behind Marvel Comics, which was sold to the Walt Disney Company for $4.4 billion, and has since proved to be worth many multiples of that amount. 
 
In addition to the #1 movie box office hit of all time, Avengers Endgame, Stan Lee created 2 of the Walt Disney Company’s 3 biggest blockbusters, and 5 of the top 12 grossing movies of all time. 
 
It is almost impossible to conceive that one mind created all this wealth.  The spinoffs alone defy the imagination.  From humble beginnings in comic books, to motion pictures, to animated television, to toys, apparel, video games, and every conceivable licensed product imaginable, Stan Lee characters populate the screens and retail shelves worldwide. There is no creator who has influenced pop culture, and created more successful and more valuable entertainment, than Stan Lee. Not even Walt Disney. Over and over, again and again, Stan created characters and stories that resonated in the hearts and minds of all peoples of all ages around the world, with Billions and Billions and Billions of dollars of motion picture box-office, television, video games, and consumer product licensing.