Kartoon Studios, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2017 September (Form 10-Q)

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2017

o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ___________ to ___________

Commission file number: 000-54389

GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

310-273-4222

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  x No  o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes  x No  o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one)

Emerging growth company o

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x

The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, as of November 13, 2017 was 7,610,794.

GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

FORM 10-Q

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2017

Table of Contents

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Notes to Financial Statements

September 30, 2017 (unaudited)

Note 1: Organization and Business

Organization and Nature of Business

Genius Brands International, Inc. (“we”, “us”, “our”, or the “Company”) is a global content and brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content. Led by industry veterans, the Company distributes its content in all formats as well as a broad range of consumer products based on its characters. In the children's media sector, the Company’s portfolio features “content with a purpose” for toddlers to tweens, which provides enrichment as well as entertainment including the award-winning Baby Genius; new preschool property Rainbow Rangers; preschool property debuting on Netflix Llama Llama; tween music-driven brand SpacePop; adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab® available on public broadcast stations and the Company’s Kid Genius Carton Channel on Comcast's Xfinity on Demand, Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Prime; Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett. The Company is also co-producing an all-new adult-themed animated series, Stan Lee's Cosmic Crusaders, with Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment and The Hollywood Reporter. 

In addition, the Company acts as licensing agent for certain brands, leveraging its existing licensing infrastructure to expand these brands into new product categories, new retailers, and new territories. These include Llama Llama and Celessence Technologies.

The Company commenced operations in January 2006, assuming all the rights and obligations of its then Chief Executive Officer, under an Asset Purchase Agreement between the Company and Genius Products, Inc., in which the Company obtained all rights, copyrights, and trademarks to the brands “Baby Genius,” “Kid Genius,” “123 Favorite Music” and “Wee Worship,” and all then existing productions under those titles. In October 2011, the Company (i) changed its domicile to Nevada from California, and (ii) changed its name to Genius Brands International, Inc. from Pacific Entertainment Corporation (the “Reincorporation”). In connection with the Reincorporation, the Company changed its trading symbol from “PENT” to “GNUS”.

On November 15, 2013, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Merger Agreement”) with A Squared Entertainment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“A Squared”), A Squared Holdings LLC, a California limited liability company and sole member of A Squared (the “Parent Member”) and A2E Acquisition LLC, its newly formed, wholly-owned Delaware subsidiary (“Acquisition Sub”). Upon closing of the transactions contemplated under the Merger Agreement (the “Merger”), which occurred concurrently with entering into the Merger Agreement, the Acquisition Sub merged with and into A Squared, and A Squared, as the surviving entity, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. As a result of the Merger, the Company acquired the business and operations of A Squared.

On November 4, 2016, the Company filed a certificate to change its Articles of Incorporation to effect a reverse split on a one-for-three basis (the “2016 Reverse Split”). The 2016 Reverse Split became effective on November 9, 2016. All common stock (“Common Stock”) share and per share information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Form 10-Q”), including the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, have been adjusted to reflect retrospective application of the 2016 Reverse Split, unless otherwise indicated.

Liquidity

Historically, the Company has incurred net losses. For the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company reported net losses of $1,164,406 and $1,530,900, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company reported net losses of $3,732,183 and $4,363,567, respectively. The Company reported net cash used in operating activities of $5,029,810 and $1,885,328 for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of September 30, 2017, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $40,374,944 and total stockholders’ equity of $10,367,014. At September 30, 2017, the Company had current assets of $3,989,900, including cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash of $3,247,402 and current liabilities of $2,126,844, including certain trade payables of $925,000 to which the Company disputes the claim. The Company had working capital of $1,863,056 as of September 30, 2017, compared to a working capital deficit of $479,404 as of December 31, 2016.

During the first quarter of 2017, the Company completed two key transactions that enhanced cash and working capital balances:

Subsequent to the end of the period, on October 3, 2017, the Company sold, in a registered direct offering, 1,647,691 shares of Common Stock at an offering price of $3.90 per share and, in a concurrent private placement, warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,647,691 shares of Common Stock for gross proceeds of approximately $6,425,995 before deducting the placement agent fee and related offering expenses (See Note 15).

While the Company believes that its anticipated cash balances and working capital combined with its production facility and deal pipeline will be sufficient to fund operations for the next twelve months, there can be no assurance that cash flows from operations will continue to improve in the near future. If the Company is unable to attain profitable operations and attain positive operating cash flows, it may need to (i) seek additional funding, (ii) scale back its development or production plans, or (iii) reduce certain operations.

Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying 2017 and 2016 consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Genius Brands International, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiaries A Squared and Llama Productions as well as its interest in Stan Lee Comics, LLC (“Stan Lee Comics”). All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Business Combination

On November 15, 2013, the Company entered into a Merger Agreement with A Squared, the Parent Member, and the Acquisition Sub. Upon closing of the Merger, which occurred concurrently with entering into the Merger Agreement, our Acquisition Sub merged with and into A Squared, and A Squared, as the surviving entity, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. As a result of the Merger, the Company acquired the business and operations of A Squared.

The financial statements have been prepared using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805 Business Combinations.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods.

Financial Statement Reclassification

Certain account balances from prior periods have been reclassified in these consolidated financial statements to conform to current period classifications.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash

The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with initial maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Restricted Cash includes $1,000,000 that the Company deposited into a cash account to be used solely to produce its series Llama Llama as a condition of its loan agreement with Bank Leumi USA.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Accounts receivable are presented on the balance sheets net of estimated uncollectible amounts. The Company assesses its accounts receivable balances on a quarterly basis to determine collectability and records an allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts in an amount approximating anticipated losses based on historical experience and future expectations. Individual uncollectible accounts are written off against the allowance when collection of the individual accounts appears doubtful. The Company had an allowance for doubtful accounts of $110,658 at both September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of average cost or market and consist of finished goods such as DVDs, CDs and other products. A reserve for slow-moving and obsolete inventory is established for all inventory deemed potentially non-saleable by management in the period in which it is determined to be potentially non-saleable. The current inventory is considered properly valued and saleable. The Company concluded that there was an appropriate reserve for slow moving and obsolete inventory of $26,097 at both September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation on property and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from two to seven years. Maintenance, repairs, and renewals, which neither materially add to the value of the assets nor appreciably prolong their lives, are charged to expense as incurred. Gains and losses from any dispositions of property and equipment are reflected in the statement of operations.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations accounted for by the purchase method. In accordance with FASB ASC 350 Intangibles Goodwill and Other, goodwill and certain intangible assets are presumed to have indefinite useful lives and are thus not amortized, but subject to an impairment test annually or more frequently if indicators of impairment arise. The Company completes the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests at the end of each fiscal year. To test for goodwill impairment, we are required to estimate the fair market value of each of our reporting units, of which we have one. While we may use a variety of methods to estimate fair value for impairment testing, our primary method is discounted cash flows. We estimate future cash flows and allocations of certain assets using estimates for future growth rates and our judgment regarding the applicable discount rates. Changes to our judgments and estimates could result in a significantly different estimate of the fair market value of the reporting units, which could result in an impairment of goodwill or indefinite lived intangible assets in future periods.

Other intangible assets have been acquired, either individually or with a group of other assets, and were initially recognized and measured based on fair value. In accordance with FASB ASC 350 Intangible Assets, the costs of new product development and significant improvement to existing products are capitalized while routine and periodic alterations to existing products are expensed as incurred. Annual amortization of these intangible assets is computed based on the straight-line method over the remaining economic life of the asset.

Film and Television Costs

The Company capitalizes production costs for episodic series produced in accordance with FASB ASC 926-20 Entertainment-Films - Other Assets - Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized at actual cost and then charged against revenue based on the initial market revenue evidenced by a firm commitment over the period of commitment. The Company expenses all capitalized costs that exceed the initial market firm commitment revenue in the period of delivery of the episodes.

The Company capitalizes production costs for films produced in accordance with FASB ASC 926-20 Entertainment-Films - Other Assets - Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized at actual cost and then charged against revenue quarterly as a cost of production based on the relative fair value of the film(s) delivered and recognized as revenue. The Company evaluates its capitalized production costs annually and limits recorded amounts by their ability to recover such costs through expected future sales.

Additionally, for both episodic series and films, from time to time, the Company develops additional content, improved animation and bonus songs/features for its existing content. After the initial release of the film or episodic series, the costs of significant improvement to existing products are capitalized while routine and periodic alterations to existing products are expensed as incurred.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with FASB ASC 926-605 Entertainment-Films - Revenue Recognition. Accordingly, the Company recognizes revenue when (i) persuasive evidence of a sale with a customer exists, (ii) the film is complete and has been delivered or is available for delivery, (iii) the license period of the arrangement has begun and the customer can begin its exploitation, exhibition, or sale, (iv) the arrangement fee is fixed or determinable, and (v) collection of the arrangement fee is reasonably assured.

The Company’s licensing and royalty revenue represents revenue generated from license agreements that are held in conjunction with third parties that are responsible for collecting fees due and remitting to the Company its share after expenses. Revenue from licensed products is recognized when realized or realizable based on royalty reporting received from licensees. Licensing income the Company recognizes as an agent is in accordance with FASB ASC 605-45 Revenue Recognition - Principal Agent. Accordingly, the Company’s revenue is its gross billings to its customers less the amounts it pays to suppliers for their products and services.

The Company sells advertising on its Kid Genius Cartoon Channel in the form of either flat rate promotions or impressions served. For flat rate promotions with a fixed term, the Company recognizes revenue when all five revenue recognition criteria under FASB ASC 605 are met. For impressions served, the Company delivers a certain minimum number of impressions on the channel to the advertiser for which the advertiser pays a contractual CPM per impression. Impressions served are reported to the Company on a monthly basis, and revenue is reported in the month the impressions are served.

The Company recognizes revenue related to product sales when (i) the seller’s price is substantially fixed, (ii) shipment has occurred causing the buyer to be obligated to pay for product, (iii) the buyer has economic substance apart from the seller, and (iv) there is no significant obligation for future performance to directly bring about the resale of the product by the buyer as required by FASB ASC 605 Revenue Recognition.

Share-Based Compensation

As required by FASB ASC 718 - Stock Compensation, the Company recognizes an expense related to the fair value of our share-based compensation awards, including stock options, using the Black-Scholes calculation as of the date of grant.

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings (loss) per common share (“EPS”) is calculated by dividing net income (loss) applicable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of Common Stock outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS is calculated by dividing net income (loss) applicable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of Common Stock outstanding, plus the assumed exercise of all dilutive securities using the treasury stock or “as converted” method, as appropriate. During periods of net loss, all Common Stock equivalents are excluded from the diluted EPS calculation because they are antidilutive.

Income Taxes

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using presently enacted tax rates. At each balance sheet date, the Company evaluates the available evidence about future taxable income and other possible sources of realization of deferred tax assets, and records a valuation allowance that reduces the deferred tax assets to an amount that represents management’s best estimate of the amount of such deferred tax assets that more likely than not will be realized.

Fair value of financial instruments

The carrying amounts of cash, receivables, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to the short-term maturity of the instruments. The carrying amount of the Production Loan Facility approximates fair value since the debt carries a variable interest rate that is tied to either the current Prime or LIBOR rates plus an applicable spread.

We previously adopted FASB ASC 820 for financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis. FASB ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with U.S. GAAP and expands disclosures about fair value measurements.

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. FASB ASC Topic 820 establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements). These tiers include:

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09”). ASU 2014-09 affects any entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of non-financial assets unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards (e.g. insurance contracts). This ASU will supersede all revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, and industry-specific guidance throughout the industry topics of the codification. The guidance's core principle is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In applying the revenue principles, an entity will identify the contract(s) with a customer, identify the performance obligations, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations and recognize revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied (either over time or at a point in time). The ASU further states that an entity should disclose sufficient information to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date”, which approved a one-year deferral of the effective date of the ASU from the original effective date of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, to annual reporting periods (including interim reporting periods) beginning after December 15, 2017, with an option for early adoption of the standard on the original effective date. Additionally, in March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)”, which clarified the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing,” that amended the revenue guidance on identifying performance obligations and accounting for licenses of intellectual property. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-11 “Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 805): Rescission of SEC Guidance Because of Accounting Standards Updates 2014-09 and 2014-16 Pursuant to Staff Announcements at the March 3, 2016, EITF Meeting,” which rescinded from the FASB Accounting Standards Codification certain SEC paragraphs as a result of two SEC Staff Announcements. The FASB also issued ASU 2016-12 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients,” which clarified guidance on assessment of collectability, presentation of sale taxes, measurement of noncash consideration, and certain transition matters. In the second and third quarters, the Company initiated and executed a project to evaluate the impact of these changes, which included a review of existing contracts with customers, an evaluation of the specific terms of those contracts and the appropriate treatment under the new standards, and a comparison of that new treatment to the Company’s existing accounting policies, to identify differences. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact on the its internal controls to identify any necessary changes. The standard can be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Company plans to implement these standards effective January 1, 2018 based on the modified retrospective method, but may opt for the full retrospective method depending on the final outcome of our evaluation. The Company believes that it is following an appropriate timeline to allow for proper adoption on the implementation date of January 1, 2018 and will continue to monitor new customer contracts through the remainder of 2017.

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, “Leases.” The standard requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases on the balance sheet. A lessee should recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The new guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments should be applied at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach with earlier application permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force.” This standard requires restricted cash and cash equivalents to be included with cash and cash equivalents on the statement of cash flows under a retrospective transition approach. The guidance will become effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We have prospectively adopted ASU 2016-18. The impact to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows is minimal.

In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”, which requires an entity to perform a one-step quantitative impairment test, whereby a goodwill impairment loss will be measured as the excess of a reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value (not to exceed the total goodwill allocated to that reporting unit). It eliminates Step 2 of the current two-step goodwill impairment test, under which a goodwill impairment loss is measured by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. The standard is effective January 1, 2020, with early adoption as of January 1, 2017 permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In May 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update 2017-09, “Compensation—Stock Compensation: Scope of Modification Accounting”, which clarifies which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required if the fair value, vesting conditions or classification (equity or liability) of the new award are different from the original award immediately before the original award is modified. The standard is effective beginning January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

Various other accounting pronouncements have been recently issued, most of which represented technical corrections to the accounting literature or were applicable to specific industries/transactions or special circumstances, and are not expected to have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Note 3: Property and Equipment, Net

The Company has property and equipment as follows as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016:

During the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded depreciation expense of $17,661 and $16,574, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded depreciation expense of $51,527 and $49,637, respectively.

Note 4: Film and Television Costs, Net

As of September 30, 2017, the Company had net Film and Television Costs of $4,232,632 compared to $2,260,964 at December 31, 2016. The increase relates primarily to the production and development of SpacePop, Llama Llama, and Rainbow Rangers offset by the amortization of film costs associated with the revenue recognized for Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab and SpacePop.

During the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded Film and Television Cost amortization expense of $29,849 and $23,011, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, and 2016, the Company recorded Film and Television Cost amortization expense of $37,935 and $158,168, respectively.

The following table highlights the activity in Film and Television Costs as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016:

Note 5: Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Net

Goodwill

In connection with the Merger in 2013, the Company recognized $10,365,805 in Goodwill, representing the excess of the fair value of the consideration for the Merger over net identifiable assets acquired. Pursuant to FASB ASC 350-20, Goodwill is not subject to amortization but is subject to annual review to determine if certain events warrant impairment to the Goodwill asset. Through September 30, 2017, the Company has not recognized any impairment to Goodwill.

Intangible Assets, Net

The Company had the following intangible assets as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016:

Expected future intangible asset amortization as of September 30, 2017 is as follows:

Note 6: Deferred Revenue

As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had total short term and long term deferred revenue of $5,072,849 and $3,106,608, respectively. Deferred revenue includes both (i) variable fee contracts with licensees and customers in which the Company had collected advances and minimum guarantees against future royalties and (ii) fixed fee contracts. The Company recognizes revenue related to these contracts when all revenue recognition criteria have been met. Included in the deferred revenue balance as of December 31, 2016 is the $2,000,000 advance against future royalty that Sony paid to the Company in the first quarter of 2016. Included in the deferred revenue balance as of September 30, 2017 is the $2,000,000 advance against future royalties that Sony paid to the Company in the first quarter of 2016 as well as $1,489,583 attributable to the expansion of distribution rights acquired by Sony through the January 2017 Sony Transactions.

Note 7: Accrued Liabilities – Current

As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had the following current accrued liabilities:

Note 8: Production Loan Facility

On August 8, 2016, Llama Productions closed a $5,275,000 multiple draw-down, secured, non-recourse, non-revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) with Bank Leumi USA to produce its animated series Llama Llama, (the “Series”) which is configured as fifteen half-hour episodes comprised of thirty 11-minute programs anticipated to be delivered to Netflix in the fourth quarter of 2017. The Facility is secured by the license fees the Company will receive from Netflix for the delivery of the Series as well as the Company’s copyright in the Series. The Facility has a term of 40 months and has an interest rate of either Prime plus 1% or one, three, or six-month LIBOR plus 3.25%. As a condition of the loan agreement with Bank Leumi, the Company deposited $1,000,000 into a cash account to be used solely to produce the Series. Additionally, the Facility contains certain standard affirmative and negative non-financial covenants such as maintaining certain levels of production insurance and providing standard financial reports. As of September 30, 2017, the Company was in compliance with these covenants.

As of September 30, 2017, the Company had gross outstanding borrowing under the facility of $3,624,263 against which financing costs of $128,739 were applied resulting in net borrowings of $3,495,524. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had gross outstanding borrowing under the facility of $1,505,307 against which financing costs of $173,303 were applied resulting in net borrowings of $1,332,004.

Note 9: Stockholders’ Equity

Common Stock

As of September 30, 2017, the total number of authorized shares of Common Stock was 233,333,334.

On October 29, 2015, the Company entered into securities purchase agreements with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the Company sold an aggregate of 1,443,362 shares of its Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, and warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,443,362 shares of Common Stock (the “Original Warrants”) for a purchase price of $3.00 per share and the associated warrants for gross proceeds to the Company of $4,330,000 (“2015 Private Placement”). The closing of the 2015 Private Placement occurred on November 3, 2015. Stock offering costs were $502,218. (See Note 11 for additional information about these warrants.)

On October 6, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized a reverse stock split in preparation for the Company’s anticipated uplisting on the NASDAQ Capital Market.

On November 4, 2016, the Company filed a certificate of change to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada to effect a one-for-three reverse stock split of the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Stock. As a result of the 2016 Reverse Split, every three shares of the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Stock were automatically combined and reclassified into one share of the Company’s Common Stock. The 2016 Reverse Split affected all issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, as well as Common Stock underlying stock options and warrants outstanding. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the 2016 Reverse Split. Stockholders who would otherwise have held a fractional share of Common Stock received an increase to their Common Stock as the Common Stock was rounded up to a full share. The total number of authorized shares of Common Stock was reduced from 700,000,000 to 233,333,334 in conjunction with the 2016 Reverse Split. The 2016 Reverse Split became effective on November 9, 2016. All disclosures of shares and per share data in these consolidated financial statements and related notes have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split for all periods presented.

On February 9, 2017, the Company entered into the Private Transaction pursuant to the Agreement with certain holders of the Original Warrants. Pursuant to the Agreement, the holders of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holders would exercise their Original Warrants in full, and the Company would issue to each such holder new warrants. (See Note 11 for additional information about these warrants.) In association with the Private Transaction, the Company issued 1,171,689 shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a portion of the Original Warrants for which it received gross proceeds of $3,866,573 and recording offering costs of $464,649 for net proceeds of $3,401,924.

As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, there were 5,938,103 and 4,010,649 shares of Common Stock outstanding, respectively. Below are the changes to the Company’s Common Stock during the nine months ended September 30, 2017:

Preferred Stock

The Company has 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock authorized with a par value of $0.001 per share. The Board of Directors is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, without further vote or action by our stockholders, to issue from time to time shares of preferred stock in one or more series. Each series of preferred stock will have such number of shares, designations, preferences, voting powers, qualifications and special or relative rights or privileges as shall be determined by our Board of Directors, which may include, among others, dividend rights, voting rights, liquidation preferences, conversion rights and preemptive rights.

As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, there were 3,605 and 4,895 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding, respectively.

On May 12, 2014, the Board of Directors authorized the designation of a class of preferred stock as “Series A Convertible Preferred Stock”. On May 14, 2014, the Company filed the Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights of the 0% Series A Convertible Preferred Stock with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada.

Each share of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock is convertible into shares of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, based on a conversion calculation equal to the Base Amount divided by the conversion price. The Base Amount is defined as the sum of (i) the aggregate stated value of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to be converted and (ii) all unpaid dividends thereon. The stated value of each share of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock is $1,000 and the initial conversion price is $6.00 per share, subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, dividends and recapitalizations. Additionally, in the event the Company issues shares of its Common Stock or Common Stock equivalents at a per share price that is lower than the conversion price then in effect, the conversion price shall be adjusted to such lower price, subject to certain exceptions. The Company is prohibited from effecting a conversion of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to the extent that as a result of such conversion, the investor would beneficially own more than 9.99% in the aggregate of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s Common Stock, calculated immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon conversion of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock. The shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock possess no voting rights.

On May 14, 2014, we entered into securities purchase agreements with certain accredited investors pursuant to which we sold an aggregate of 6,000 shares of our then newly designated Series A Convertible Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share for gross proceeds to us of $6,000,000. Related to the sale, we incurred offering costs of $620,085 resulting in net proceeds of $5,379,915. The transaction closed on May 15, 2014.

As the conversion price of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock on a converted basis was below the market price of the Common Stock on the closing date, this resulted in a beneficial conversion feature recorded as an “imputed” dividend of $2,010,000. In addition, during the fourth quarter of 2015, in connection with the 2015 Private Placement in which the Company’s Common Stock was sold at $3.00 per share, the conversion price of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock decreased to $3.00. This decrease resulted in an additional beneficial conversion feature of $3,383,850 recognized as of the time of the 2015 Private Placement.

Note 10: Stock Options

On December 29, 2008, the Company adopted the 2008 Stock Option Plan (the “Plan”), which provides for the issuance of qualified and non-qualified stock options to officers, directors, employees and other qualified persons. The Plan is administered by the Board of Directors of the Company or a committee appointed by the Board of Directors. The number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock initially reserved for issuance under the Plan was 36,667. On September 2, 2011, the stockholders holding a majority of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock adopted an amendment to the Company’s 2008 Stock Option Plan to increase the number of shares of Common Stock issuable under the plan to 166,667.

On September 18, 2015, the Company adopted the Genius Brands International, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”). The 2015 Plan was approved by our stockholders in September 2015. The 2015 Plan as approved by the stockholders authorized the issuance up to an aggregate of 150,000 shares of Common Stock. On December 14, 2015, the Board of Directors voted to amend the 2015 Plan to increase the total number of shares that can be issued under the 2015 Plan by 1,293,334 from 150,000 shares to 1,443,334 shares. The increase in shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan was approved by stockholders on February 3, 2016. On May 18, 2017, the Board of Directors voted to amend the 2015 Plan to increase the total number of shares that can be issued under the 2015 Plan by 223,333 shares from 1,443,334 shares to an aggregate of 1,666,667 shares. The increase in shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan was approved by the stockholders on July 25, 2017.

The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s stock option plan during the nine months ended September 30, 2017:

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company granted options to purchase 1,407,775 shares of Common Stock to officers, directors, employees, and consultants. These stock options generally vest between one and three years, while a portion vested upon grant. The fair value of these options was determined to be $2,402,460 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following assumptions:

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the Company recognized share-based compensation expense of $358,919 and $1,236,880, respectively. During the first quarter of 2016, the Company recognized $220,564 of true-up expenses from prior periods which reflected certain revisions meant to (i) align with the graded vesting of the majority of the options granted in 2015, (ii) make adjustments in certain accounting estimates utilized in the Black-Scholes model, and (iii) reflect the accurate number of options granted in 2015. The Company has assessed these adjustments individually and in aggregate and considers them immaterial to the current and prior periods.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recognized $108,476 and $514,108, respectively, in share-based compensation expense. The unvested share-based compensation as of September 30, 2017 was $278,819 which will be recognized through the second quarter of 2019 assuming the underlying grants are not cancelled or forfeited.

Note 11: Warrants

The Company has warrants outstanding to purchase up to 1,766,698 and 1,651,698 at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

In connection with the sale of the Company’s Series A Convertible Preferred Stock in May 2014, Chardan Capital Markets LLC (“Chardan”) acted as sole placement agent in consideration for which it received a cash fee of $535,000 and a warrant to purchase up to 100,002 shares of the Company’s Common Stock. These warrants are exercisable immediately, have an exercise price of $6.00 per share, and have a five-year term.

In connection with the 2015 Private Placement, the Company issued to accredited investors the Original Warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,443,362 shares of Common Stock for a purchase price of $3.00 per share. The Original Warrants are exercisable into shares of Common Stock for a period of five (5) years from issuance at an initial exercise price of $3.30 per share, subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, dividends and recapitalizations. The Original Warrants are exercisable immediately. The Company is prohibited from effecting an exercise of the warrants to the extent that as a result of such exercise, the holder would beneficially own more than 4.99% (subject to increase up to 9.99% upon 61 days’ notice) in the aggregate of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, calculated immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the warrant.

In connection with the 2015 Private Placement, Chardan acted as sole placement agent in consideration for which it received a cash fee of $300,000 and a warrant to purchase up to 141,668 shares of the Company’s Common Stock. These warrants are exercisable immediately, have an exercise price of $3.60 per share, and have a five-year term.

On February 9, 2017, the Company entered into the Private Transaction pursuant to the Agreement with certain holders of the Original Warrants. Pursuant to the Agreement, the holders of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holders would exercise their Original Warrants in full, and the Company would issue to each such holder new warrants, with the new warrants being identical to the Original Warrants except that the termination date of such new warrants is February 10, 2022 (the “Reload Warrants”). In addition, depending on the number of Original Warrants exercised by all holders of the Original Warrants, the Company also agreed to issue to the holders another new warrant, identical to the Original Warrant except that the exercise price of such warrant is $5.30 and such warrant is not exercisable until August 10, 2017 (the “Market Price Warrants” and together with the Reload Warrants, the “New Warrants”).

The Company received gross proceeds of $3,866,573 from the exercise of the Original Warrants and issued Reload Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 799,991 shares of the Company’s Common Stock and Market Price Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 371,699 shares of the Company’s Common Stock. In association with the Private Transaction, the Company recorded $1,402,174, representing the difference in the fair market value of the Original Warrants and the New Warrants, as an adjustment to additional paid-in capital.

Chardan acted as financial advisor on the Private Transaction in consideration for which Chardan received $363,617 and was issued New Warrants for 115,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock.

The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s outstanding warrants during the nine months ended September 30, 2017:

Note 12: Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740 Income Taxes, which requires the recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets at currently enacted tax rates for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. A valuation allowance is recognized to reduce the net deferred tax asset to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized.

ASC 740 provides guidance on the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in a company’s financial statements. ASC 740 requires a company to determine whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination based upon the technical merits of the position. If the more-likely-than-not threshold is met, a company must measure the tax position to determine the amount to recognize in the financial statements.

At the adoption date of January 1, 2008, the Company had no unrecognized tax benefit which would affect the effective tax rate if recognized.

The Company includes interest and penalties arising from the underpayment of income taxes in the statements of operation in the provision for income taxes. As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had no accrued interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions.

The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and in the state of California and Massachusetts. The Company is currently subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities since inception of the Company.

Note 13: Commitments and Contingencies

The Company has various contractual obligations, which are recorded as liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. Other items, such as certain purchase commitments and other executory contracts are not recognized as liabilities in our consolidated financial statements but are required to be disclosed in the footnotes to the financial statements. For example, the Company is contractually committed to make certain minimum lease payments for the use of property under its operating lease. In addition, the Company has contractual commitments for employment agreements of certain employees.

During the first quarter of 2015, the Company entered into an agreement for new office space to which it relocated its operations upon the expiration of its prior lease. Effective May 1, 2015, the Company began leasing approximately 3,251 square feet of general office space at 301 North Canon Drive, Suite 305, Beverly Hills, California 90210 pursuant to a 35-month sub-lease that commenced on May 1, 2015. The Company will pay $136,542 annually subject to annual escalations of 3%.

Rental expenses incurred for operating leases during the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were $35,862 and $34,818, respectively. Rental expenses incurred for operating leases during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were $71,022 and $69,825, respectively.

The following is a schedule of future minimum contractual obligations as of September 30, 2017, under the Company’s operating leases and employment agreements:

In addition to employment agreements and operating leases, in the normal course of its business, the Company enters into various agreements associated with its individual properties. Some of these agreements call for the potential future payment of royalties or “profit” participations for either (i) the use of third party intellectual property, such as the case with Stan Lee and the Mighty 7 and Llama Llama among others, in which the Company is obligated to share net profits with the underlying rights holders on a certain basis as defined in the respective agreements or (ii) services rendered by animation studios, post-production studios, writers, directors, musicians or other creative talent for which the Company is obligated to share with these service providers a portion of the net profits of the properties on which they have rendered services, as defined in each respective agreement. Other agreements contain options to acquire rights to intellectual property and would require payment to the rights holders contingent upon the Company securing minimum production, broadcast, or other financing commitments from third parties.

Note 14: Related Party Transactions

On April 21, 2016, the Company entered into a merchandising and licensing agreement with Andy Heyward Animation Art (“AHAA”), whose principal is Andy Heyward, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Company entered into a customary merchandise license agreement with AHAA for the use of characters and logos related to Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club and Stan Lee’s Mighty 7 in connection with certain products to be sold by AHAA. The terms and conditions of such license are customary within the industry, and the Company earns an arm-length industry standard royalty on all sales made by AHAA utilizing the licensed content. During the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company earned $0 and $247 in royalties from this agreement, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company earned $0 and $247 in royalties from this agreement, respectively.

On July 25, 2016, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Foothill Entertainment, Inc. (“Foothill”), an entity whose Chairman is Gregory Payne, our corporate secretary. The Company has engaged Foothill Entertainment, Inc. for a term of six months to assist in the distribution and commercial exploitation of its audiovisual content as well as for the preparation and attendance on behalf of the Company at the MIPJR and MIPCOM markets in Cannes. The agreement continues on a month-to-month basis following the initial term. Foothill receives $12,500 per month for these services.

On October 1, 2016, Llama Productions LLC entered into an animation production services agreement with Mr. Heyward for services as a producer for which he is to receive $186,000 through the course of production of the Company’s animated series Llama Llama. From October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017, Mr. Heyward has been paid $120,000.

Note 15: Subsequent Events

Pursuant to FASB ASC 855, Management has evaluated all events and transactions that occurred from September 30, 2017 through the date of issuance of these financial statements. During this period, we did not have any significant subsequent events, except as disclosed below:

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion and analysis of our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and capital resources should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016. Certain statements made or incorporated by reference in this report and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in our press releases and in statements made by or with the approval of authorized personnel constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and are subject to the safe harbor created thereby. Forward-looking statements reflect intent, belief, current expectations, estimates or projections about, among other things, our industry, management’s beliefs, and future events and financial trends affecting us. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “will” and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward looking statements. Although we believe the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. These differences can arise as a result of the risks described in the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2017, and elsewhere in this report, as well as other factors that may affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition. Forward-looking statements in this report speak only as of the date hereof, and forward-looking statements in documents incorporated by reference speak only as of the date of those documents. Unless otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks and uncertainties, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this report will, in fact, transpire.

Overview

The management’s discussion and analysis is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make certain estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.

Our Business

Genius Brands International, Inc. is a global content and brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content. Led by industry veterans, we distribute our content in all formats as well as a broad range of consumer products based on its characters. In the children’s media sector, our portfolio features “content with a purpose” for toddlers to tweens, which provides enrichment as well as entertainment including the award-winning Baby Genius; new preschool property Rainbow Rangers; preschool property debuting on Netflix Llama Llama; tween music-driven brand SpacePop; adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab®, available on public broadcast stations and our Kid Genius Cartoon Channel on Comcast's Xfinity on Demand and Roku; Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett. We are also co-producing an all-new adult-themed animated series, Stan Lee's Cosmic Crusaders, with Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment and The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition, we act as licensing agent for certain brands, leveraging our existing licensing infrastructure to expand these brands into new product categories, new retailers, and new territories. These include Llama Llama and Celessence Technologies.

Recent Developments

In April 2015, we partnered with Comcast to launch the new Kid Genius Cartoon Channel on Xfinity on Demand. With Xfinity, Kid Genius Cartoon Channel is currently in over 22 million homes. In November 2016, we partnered with a leading kids’ app distributor adding Over-The-Top (“OTT”) distribution expanding the channel onto platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Google thus reaching an additional 40 million homes. Our plans are to continue this roll-out through the end of 2017 by adding additional reach with the goal of being in over 80 million homes.

In September 2017, we announced that we had partnered with Amazon Prime to launch Kid Genius Cartoon Channel Plus, a subscription video on demand channel available to the approximately 80 million subscribers to Amazon Prime for $3.99 per month.

Results of Operations

Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

Our summary results for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 are below.

Revenues

Licensing and royalty revenue includes items for which we license the rights to our copyrights and trademarks of our brands and those of the brands for which we act as a licensing agent. During the three months ended September 30, 2017 compared to September 30, 2016, this category increased $8,770 or 10% primarily due to increases in revenues from our SpacePop property.

Television & Home Entertainment revenue is generated from distribution of our properties for broadcast on television, VOD, or SVOD in domestic and international markets and the sale of DVDs for home entertainment through our partners. Fluctuations in Television & Home Entertainment revenue occur period over period based on the achievement of revenue recognition criteria such as the start of a license period and the delivery of the content to the customer. During the three months ended September 30, 2017 compared to September 30, 2016, Television & Home Entertainment revenue increased $120,177 or 345% primarily due to licensing activity related to our Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab and SpacePop properties.

Advertising sales are generated on the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel in the form of either flat rate promotions or advertising impressions served. Advertising sales increased by $7,008 during the three months ended September 30, 2017 due to advertising impressions served, campaigns, and promotions with no similar activity in the prior period as we had not yet begun to monetize our growing base of homes served.

Product sales represent physical products in which we hold intellectual property rights such as trademarks and copyrights to the characters and which are manufactured and sold by us directly. During the three months ended September 30, 2017, product sales associated with Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire Club increased by $60 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2016 due to a lack of similar product offerings in the prior period.

Expenses

Marketing and sales expenses decreased $133,912 for the three months ended September 30, 2017 compared to the prior year period primarily due to increased promotional spending in the prior period related to the launch of SpacePop.

Direct operating costs include costs of our product sales, non-capitalizable film costs, film and television cost amortization expense, and participation expense related to agreements with various animation studios, post-production studios, writers, directors, musicians or other creative talent with which we are obligated to share net profits of the properties on which they have rendered services. During the three months ended September 30, 2017, we recorded film and television cost amortization expense of $29,848 and participation expense of $11,996 compared to prior period expenses of $23,011 and $0, respectively. These increases are related to increased Television & Home Entertainment revenue related to Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab and SpacePop in the current period compared to the prior period. The balance of the direct operating costs includes certain post production costs and content delivery expenses without comparable activity in the prior period.

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, employee benefits, share-based compensation related to stock options, insurance, rent, depreciation and amortization as well as other professional fees related to finance, accounting, legal and investor relations. General and administrative costs for three months ended September 30, 2017 decreased $239,213 compared to the same period in 2016. This change resulted primarily from decreases in share-based compensation expense of $250,443 offset by modest increases of $34,023 in salaries and wages.

Nine months Ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

Our summary results for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 are below.

Revenues

Licensing and royalty revenue includes items for which we license the rights to our copyrights and trademarks of our brands and those of the brands for which we act as a licensing agent. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to September 30, 2016, this category increased $18,865 or 5% primarily due to increases in revenues from our SpacePop property.

Television & Home Entertainment revenue is generated from distribution of our properties for broadcast on television, VOD, or SVOD in domestic and international markets and the sale of DVDs for home entertainment through our partners. Fluctuations in Television & Home Entertainment revenue occur period over period based on the achievement of revenue recognition criteria such as the start of a license period and the delivery of the content to the customer. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to September 30, 2016, Television & Home Entertainment revenue decreased $22,291 or 8%. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we recognized revenue from numerous licenses of our Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab Property. In the current period, there were fewer licenses of Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab offset by increased licensing activity related to our SpacePop property.

Advertising sales are generated on the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel in the form of either flat rate promotions or advertising impressions served. Advertising sales increased by $13,027 during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 due to advertising impressions served campaigns, and promotions with no similar activity in the prior period as we had not yet begun to monetize our growing base of homes served.

Product sales represent physical products in which we hold intellectual property rights such as trademarks and copyrights to the characters and which are manufactured and sold by us directly. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, product sales associated with Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire Club decreased by $7,589 (47%) compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2016 due to a different product offering and price point as compared to that period in the prior year.

Expenses

Marketing and sales expenses decreased $324,816 for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to the prior year period primarily due to modest decreases in spending related to sponsorships and promotions during the quarter pursuant to our SpacePop marketing plan as well as fees paid to a consultant for execution of a distribution contract in the prior period without similar activity in the current period.

Direct operating costs include costs of our product sales, non-capitalizable film costs, film and television cost amortization expense, and participation expense related to agreements with various animation studios, post-production studios, writers, directors, musicians or other creative talent with which we are obligated to share net profits of the properties on which they have rendered services. The de minimus increases in direct operating costs in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to the prior period reflect the related increases in total revenue over the same period.

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, employee benefits, share-based compensation related to stock options, insurances, rent, depreciation and amortization as well as other professional fees related to finance, accounting, legal and investor relations. General and administrative costs for nine months ended September 30, 2017, decreased $553,060 compared to the same period in 2016. This change resulted from decreases in share-based compensation expense of $722,772 offset by increases in professional fees of $117,449, salaries and wages of $40,375, and bad debt expense of $16,730. Fluctuations in other general and administrative expenses comprise the balance of the variance.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Working Capital

As of September 30, 2017, we had current assets of $3,989,900, including cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash of $3,247,402, and current liabilities of $2,126,844, including certain trade payables of $925,000 of which we dispute the claim, resulting in working capital of $1,863,056, compared to a working capital deficit of $479,404 as of December 31, 2016.

Increases in working capital were the result of two transactions:

Credit Facility

On August 8, 2016, Llama Productions LLC, our wholly-owned subsidiary, closed a $5,275,000 multiple draw-down, secured, non-recourse, non-revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) with Bank Leumi USA to produce our animated series Llama Llama (the “Series”). The Series is configured as fifteen half-hour episodes comprised of thirty 11-minute programs anticipated to be delivered to Netflix in the fourth quarter of 2017. The Facility is secured by the license fees we will receive from Netflix for the delivery of the Series as well as our copyright in the Series. The Facility has a term of 40 months and has an interest rate of either Prime plus 1% or one, three, or six-month LIBOR plus 3.25%. As a condition of the loan agreement with Bank Leumi, we deposited $1,000,000 into a cash account to be used solely for the production of the series.

Comparison of Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

Our total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash were $3,247,402 and $3,642,667 at September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, our primary sources of cash were the $3,866,573 in gross proceeds from the Private Transaction coupled with the $2,034,728 in proceeds from the Llama Llama production facility. During the comparable period in 2016, our primary source of cash was the $2,000,000 advance from the Sony Distribution Agreement. During both periods, these funds were primarily used to fund operations including the continued investment in our film and television assets as well as marketing support for our brands.

Operating Activities

Cash used in operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $5,029,810 as compared to cash used in operating activities of $1,885,328 during the prior period. The use of cash in the current period is based on the operating results discussed above as well as increases in film and television costs of $1,880,811 related to the development and production of SpacePop, Llama Llama, and Rainbow Rangers. The cash used in operating activities in the prior period resulted primarily from the $2,000,000 advance from the Sony Distribution Agreement offset by our operating results and increases in film and television costs of $754,770 related to the production of SpacePop and Llama Llama.

Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $47,361 for the enhancement of our information technology infrastructure as compared to a use of $7,192 during the comparable period for the development of certain intangible assets.

Financing Activities

Cash generated from financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $5,436,652 as compared to $347,567 generated in the comparable period in 2016. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the sources of cash generated from financing activities were the $3,866,573 in gross proceeds from the Private Transaction coupled with the $2,034,728 in proceeds from the Llama Llama production facility. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, cash generated from financing activities included $100,000 from the exercise of certain warrants outstanding as well as $237,567 in proceeds from the Llama Llama production facility.

Capital Expenditures

As of September 30, 2017, we do not have any material commitments for capital expenditures.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our accounting policies are described in the notes to the financial statements. Below is a summary of the critical accounting policies, among others, that management believes involve significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of its financial statements.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Genius Brands International, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiaries A Squared and Llama Productions as well as its interest in Stan Lee Comics, LLC (“Stan Lee Comics”). All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations accounted for by the purchase method. In accordance with FASB ASC 350 Intangibles Goodwill and Other, goodwill and certain intangible assets are presumed to have indefinite useful lives and are thus not amortized, but subject to an impairment test annually or more frequently if indicators of impairment arise. We complete the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests at the end of each fiscal year. To test for goodwill impairment, we are required to estimate the fair market value of each of our reporting units, of which we have one. While we may use a variety of methods to estimate fair value for impairment testing, our primary method is discounted cash flows. We estimate future cash flows and allocations of certain assets using estimates for future growth rates and our judgment regarding the applicable discount rates. Changes to our judgments and estimates could result in a significantly different estimate of the fair market value of the reporting units, which could result in an impairment of goodwill or indefinite lived intangible assets in future periods.

Other intangible assets have been acquired, either individually or with a group of other assets, and were initially recognized and measured based on fair value. In accordance with FASB ASC 350 Intangible Assets, the costs of new product development and significant improvement to existing products are capitalized while routine and periodic alterations to existing products are expensed as incurred. Annual amortization of these intangible assets is computed based on the straight-line method over the remaining economic life of the asset.

Film and Television Costs

We capitalize production costs for episodic series produced in accordance with FASB ASC 926-20 Entertainment-Films - Other Assets - Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized at actual cost and then charged against revenue based on the initial market revenue evidenced by a firm commitment over the period of commitment. We expense all capitalized costs that exceed the initial market firm commitment revenue in the period of delivery of the episodes.

We capitalize production costs for films produced in accordance with FASB ASC 926-20 Entertainment-Films - Other Assets - Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized at actual cost and then charged against revenue quarterly as a cost of production based on the relative fair value of the film(s) delivered and recognized as revenue. We evaluate our capitalized production costs annually and limit recorded amounts by our ability to recover such costs through expected future sales.

Additionally, for both episodic series and films, from time to time, we develop additional content, improved animation and bonus songs/features for our existing content. After the initial release of the film or episodic series, the costs of significant improvement to existing products are capitalized while routine and periodic alterations to existing products are expensed as incurred.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue in accordance with FASB ASC 926-605 Entertainment-Films - Revenue Recognition. Accordingly, we recognize revenue when (i) persuasive evidence of a sale with a customer exists, (ii) the film is complete and has been delivered or is available for delivery, (iii) the license period of the arrangement has begun and the customer can begin its exploitation, exhibition, or sale, (iv) the arrangement fee is fixed or determinable, and (v) collection of the arrangement fee is reasonably assured.

Our licensing and royalty revenue represents revenue generated from license agreements that are held in conjunction with third parties that are responsible for collecting fees due and remitting to us our share after expenses. Revenue from licensed products is recognized when realized or realizable based on royalty reporting received from licensees. Licensing income that we recognize as an agent is in accordance with FASB ASC 605-45 Revenue Recognition - Principal Agent. Accordingly, our revenue is our gross billings to our customers less the amounts we pay to suppliers for their products and services.

We sell advertising on our Kid Genius channel in the form of either flat rate promotions or impressions served. For flat rate promotions with a fixed term, we recognize revenue when all five revenue recognition criteria under FASB ASC 605 are met. For impressions served, we deliver a certain minimum number of impressions on the channel to the advertiser for which the advertiser pays a contractual CPM per impression. Impressions served are reported to us on a monthly basis, and revenue is reported in the month the impressions are served.

We recognize revenue related to product sales when (i) the seller’s price is substantially fixed, (ii) shipment has occurred causing the buyer to be obligated to pay for product, (iii) the buyer has economic substance apart from the seller, and (iv) there is no significant obligation for future performance to directly bring about the resale of the product by the buyer as required by FASB ASC 605 Revenue Recognition.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09”). ASU 2014-09 affects any entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of non-financial assets unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards (e.g. insurance contracts). This ASU will supersede all revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, and industry-specific guidance throughout the industry topics of the codification. The guidance's core principle is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In applying the revenue principles, an entity will identify the contract(s) with a customer, identify the performance obligations, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations and recognize revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied (either over time or at a point in time). The ASU further states that an entity should disclose sufficient information to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date”, which approved a one-year deferral of the effective date of the ASU from the original effective date of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, to annual reporting periods (including interim reporting periods) beginning after December 15, 2017, with an option for early adoption of the standard on the original effective date. Additionally, in March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)”, which clarified the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing”, that amended the revenue guidance on identifying performance obligations and accounting for licenses of intellectual property. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-11 “Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 805): Rescission of SEC Guidance Because of Accounting Standards Updates 2014-09 and 2014-16 Pursuant to Staff Announcements at the March 3, 2016, EITF Meeting”, which rescinded from the FASB Accounting Standards Codification certain SEC paragraphs as a result of two SEC Staff Announcements. The FASB also issued ASU 2016-12 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients”, which clarified guidance on assessment of collectability, presentation of sale taxes, measurement of noncash consideration, and certain transition matters. In the second and third quarters, the Company initiated and executed a project to evaluate the impact of these changes, which included a review of existing contracts with customers, an evaluation of the specific terms of those contracts and the appropriate treatment under the new standards, and a comparison of that new treatment to the Company’s existing accounting policies, to identify differences. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact on the its internal controls to identify any necessary changes. The standard can be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Company plans to implement these standards effective January 1, 2018 based on the modified retrospective method, but may opt for the full retrospective method depending on the final outcome of our evaluation. The Company believes that it is following an appropriate timeline to allow for proper adoption on the implementation date of January 1, 2018 and will continue to monitor new customer contracts through the remainder of 2017.

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, “Leases”. The standard requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases on the balance sheet.  A lessee should recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term.  The new guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments should be applied at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach with earlier application permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period.  We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force.” This standard requires restricted cash and cash equivalents to be included with cash and cash equivalents on the statement of cash flows under a retrospective transition approach. The guidance will become effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We have prospectively adopted ASU 2016-18. The impact to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows is minimal.

In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”, which requires an entity to perform a one-step quantitative impairment test, whereby a goodwill impairment loss will be measured as the excess of a reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value (not to exceed the total goodwill allocated to that reporting unit). It eliminates Step 2 of the current two-step goodwill impairment test, under which a goodwill impairment loss is measured by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. The standard is effective January 1, 2020, with early adoption as of January 1, 2017, permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In May 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update 2017-09, “Compensation—Stock Compensation: Scope of Modification Accounting”, which clarifies which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required if the fair value, vesting conditions or classification (equity or liability) of the new award are different from the original award immediately before the original award is modified. The standard is effective beginning January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

Not applicable.

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the ‘‘Exchange Act’’). Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based upon our evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective for the period ended September 30, 2017 in ensuring that information that we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended September 30, 2017 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Inherent Limitations over Internal Controls

Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error and circumvention by collusion or overriding of controls. Accordingly, even an effective internal control system may not prevent or detect material misstatements on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

As of September 30, 2017, there were no material pending legal proceedings to which we are a party or as to which any of its property is subject, and no such proceedings are known to us to be threatened or contemplated against us.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

There have been no changes to the Risk Factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 except as follows:

We will need additional financing to continue our operations. If we are unable to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, we will need to curtail or cease our development plans and operations.

As of September 30, 2017, we had approximately $3,247,402 of available cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash. Additional funds may be required to fund operations which could be raised through the issuance of equity securities and/or debt financing. There being no assurance that any type of financing on terms acceptable to us will be available or otherwise occur. Debt financing must be repaid regardless of whether we generate revenues or cash flows from operations and may be secured by substantially all of our assets. Any equity financing or debt financing that requires the issuance of warrants or other equity securities to the lender would cause the percentage ownership by our current stockholders to be diluted, which dilution may be substantial. Also, any additional equity securities issued may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing stockholders. Any equity financing at a price below the then current conversion price of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock will result in an adjustment to the conversion ratio, applicable to such securities, resulting in the issuance of additional shares of our Common Stock upon the conversion of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, which would further dilute our other stockholders.

If we fail to honor our obligations under the terms of our third-party supplier or loan agreements, our business may be adversely affected.

On January 10, 2017, we entered into an amendment of our home entertainment Distribution Agreement with Sony pursuant to which, among other things, Sony agreed to pay $1,489,583 which was owed and payable by us to DADC for certain disk manufacturing and replication services, thereby terminating the agreement with DADC.

In connection with such transaction, we (i) granted Sony home entertainment rights in territories worldwide in addition to the United States and Canada and (ii) issued Sony 301,231 shares of our Common Stock at $4.945 per share, Sony’s exclusive territory for exercising its home entertainment distribution rights under the distribution agreement was extended from the United States and Canada to worldwide, and the amount of advances subject to recoupment by Sony out of royalty payments that would otherwise be due to us under the Distribution Agreement was increased by the amount of the payment to DADC. Future cash flow from the distributed products under the distribution agreement, if any, will be impacted by the additional recoupment obligation and additional rights granted. In connection with the above issuance of our shares, we entered into a subscription agreement with Sony, effective as of January 17, 2017.

Loss of key personnel may adversely affect our business.

Our success greatly depends on the performance of our executive management team, including Andy Heyward, our Chief Executive Officer. The loss of the services of any member of our core executive management team or other key persons could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The employment agreement of Stone Newman, our former President of Global Consumer Products, Worldwide Content Sales and Marketing, expired on July 14, 2017 and was not renewed.

Our management team currently owns a substantial interest in our voting stock.

As of September 30, 2017, our management team and Board of Directors beneficially own or control (including conversions, options or warrants exercisable or convertible within 60 days) a combined 1,838,159, or 28.2%, of our shares currently outstanding (including conversions, options or warrants exercisable or convertible within 60 days). Sales of significant amounts of shares held by our directors and executive officers, or the prospect of these sales, could adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. Additionally, management has the ability to control any proposals submitted to shareholders, including corporate actions and board changes which may not be in accordance with the votes of other shareholders.

Concentration of ownership among our existing officers, directors and principal stockholders may prevent other stockholders from influencing significant corporate decisions and depress our stock price.

Based on the number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2017, our officers, directors and stockholders who hold at least 5% of our stock beneficially own a combined total of approximately 58.7% of our outstanding common stock, including shares of common stock subject to preferred shares, stock options, and warrants that are currently convertible or exercisable or will be convertible or exercisable within 60 days after October 1, 2017. If these officers, directors, and principal stockholders or a group of our principal stockholders act together, they will be able to exert a significant degree of influence over our management and affairs and control matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of mergers, business combinations or other significant transactions. The interests of one or more of these stockholders may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of other stockholders. For instance, officers, directors, and principal stockholders, acting together, could cause us to enter into transactions or agreements that we would not otherwise consider. Similarly, this concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company otherwise favored by our other stockholders.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS.

During the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company issued 35,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock pursuant to the conversion of 105 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock at a conversion price of $3.00.

During the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company issued 6,012 shares of Common Stock valued at $4.99 per share to a consultant for services rendered.

The securities referenced above were issued solely to “accredited investors” in reliance on the exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, as amended.

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES.

There were no reportable events under this Item 3 during the three months ended September 30, 2017.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not applicable.

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION.

None.

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS.

The exhibits filed as a part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are set forth on the Exhibit Index, which is incorporated herein by reference.

EXHIBIT INDEX

* Filed herewith

** Furnished herewith

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.