Kartoon Studios, Inc. - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

For the transition period from ___________ to ___________

Commission file number: 000-54389

GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 310-273-4222

____________________________

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes  ☐  No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes  ☐  No  ☐

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 ☐  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).  Yes ☐ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark 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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

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

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (without admitting that any person whose shares are not included in such calculation is an affiliate) computed by reference to $2.25 as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $460,858,761.

As of March 30, 2021, the registrant had 300,321,658 shares of common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Table of Contents

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (including the section regarding Management's Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operation) contains forward-looking statements regarding our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions or variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not deemed to represent an all-inclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements as denoted in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Additionally, statements concerning future matters are forward-looking statements. These statements include, among other things, statements regarding:

Although forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K reflect the good faith judgment of our management, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known by us. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in or anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences in results and outcomes include, without limitation, those specifically addressed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Item 1A. below, as well as those discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and our electronic filings with the SEC (including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports) are available free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, except as required by law. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made throughout the entirety of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which are designed to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

PART I

Item 1.                    Business.

Overview

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 experienced industry personnel, we distribute our content in all formats as well as a broad range of consumer products based on our 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. New intellectual property titles include the preschool property Rainbow Rangers, which debuted in November 2018 on Nickelodeon and which was renewed for a second season and preschool property Llama Llama, which debuted on Netflix in January 2018 and was renewed by Netflix for a second season. Our library titles include the award-winning Baby Genius, adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab® and Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett, which is distributed across our Genius Brands Network on Comcast’s Xfinity on Demand, AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Cox, Dish, Sling and Zumo, as well as Connected TV. We are also developing an all-new animated series, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten with Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment, Oak Productions. Arnold Schwarzenegger lends his voice as the lead and is also an Executive Producer on the series. The show will be broadcast in the United States on Amazon Prime and the Company’s wholly owned distribution outlet, Kartoon Channel!. In July 2020, the Company entered into a binding term sheet with POW, Inc. (“POW!”) in which we agreed to form an entity with POW! to exploit certain rights in intellectual property created by Stan Lee, as well as the name and likeness of Stan Lee. The entity is called “Stan Lee Universe, LLC”. POW! and the Company are finalizing the details of the venture. This agreement will enable us to assume the worldwide rights, in perpetuity, to the name, physical likeness, physical signature, live-action and animated motion picture, television, online, digital, publishing, comic book, merchandising and licensing rights to Stan Lee and over 100 original Stan Lee creations, from which Genius Brands plans to develop and license approximately multiple properties each year.

In addition, we act as licensing agent for Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House LLC which owns or controls the underlying rights to Llama Llama, leveraging our existing licensing infrastructure to expand this brand into new product categories, new retailers, and new territories.

Our Products

Original Content

We own and produce original content that is meant to entertain and enrich toddlers to tweens as well as families. It is generally a three-year cycle from the inception of an idea, through production of the content and development and distribution of a range of consumer products to retail, creating an inevitable lag time between the creation of the intellectual property to the realization of economic benefit of those assets. Our goal is to maintain a robust and diverse portfolio of brands, appealing to various interests and ages, featuring evergreen topics with global appeal. Our portfolio of intellectual property can be licensed, re-licensed, and potentially exploited for years to come, with revenue derived from multiple sources and territories. Our portfolio of original content includes:

Content in Production

Superhero Kindergarten: In conjunction with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Oak Productions, we are developing an animated pre-school series with the current title of “Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten.” Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten tells the story of a classroom, led by a former superhero/teacher voiced by Mr. Schwarzenegger, filled with kids with superpowers and how they learn to use those powers to fight against the forces of evil while still dealing with all of the issues that come from being six years old.

Content in Development

Shaq’s Garage: Shaq’s Garage, starring and co-produced by NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal, is a children’s animated series about the secret adventures of Shaquille’s extraordinary collection of cars, trucks, and other unique vehicles—the Shaq Pack.

KC! Pop Quiz is a quiz show for kids that will be distributed Kartoon Channel! on their Kids and Family AVOD and FAST platform.  The show’s mission is to entertain, inspire, and educate. It will feature social media influencers as hosts and real kids who will win real prizes. It will have a “game show” format and will premiere on Kartoon Channel!  Q2 2021.

Already Released Content

Rainbow Rangers Season 2: From Shane Morris, the writer of Frozen, and Rob Minkoff, the director of The Lion King, Rainbow Rangers is an animated series about the adventures of seven magical girls from Kaleidoscopia, a fantastic land on the other side of the rainbow. The Rangers serve as Earth’s guardians and first-responders. When there’s trouble for the people or animals of the Earth, the Rangers ride a rainbow across the sky to save the day. Viacom’s Nick Jr. has licensed the series for broadcast in the US. Nick Jr. ordered a second season of Rainbow Rangers and we have delivered 26 half hours. International broadcast agreements are currently being negotiated in numerous territories.

Rainbow Rangers: We completed 26 half hour episodes in February of 2019 and the series premiered on Nick Jr. in November 2018. The series was created by Shane Morris, the co-writer of Frozen, and Rob Minkoff, the director of The Lion King, Rainbow Rangers is an animated series about the adventures of seven magical girls from Kaleidoscopia, a fantastic land on the other side of the rainbow. The Rangers serve as Earth’s guardians and first-responders. When there’s trouble for the people or animals of the Earth, the Rangers ride a rainbow across the sky to save the day.

Llama Llama: We completed production of fifteen half-hour animated episodes in 2017 which premiered on Netflix in early 2018. Llama Llama’s creators include Oscar-winning director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King), director Saul Blinkoff (Doc McStuffins), showrunner Joe Purdy, art director Ruben Aquino (Frozen) and Emmy-winning producers Jane Startz and Andy Heyward. Based on the NY Times #1 best-selling children’s books of the same name, the animated series centers on young Llama Llama’s first steps in growing up and facing childhood milestones. Each episode is structured around a childhood milestone and a life lesson learned by Llama Llama and his friends, told with a sense of humor, vitality, and understanding.

Llama Llama Season 2: We completed production of ten half-hour animated episodes in 2019 which were delivered to Netflix in September 2019. Back for Season 2 are Llama Llama’s creators including Oscar-winning director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King), director Saul Blinkoff (Doc McStuffins), showrunner Joe Purdy, art director Ruben Aquino (Frozen) and Emmy-winning producers Jane Startz and Andy Heyward. Based on the NY Times #1 best-selling children’s books of the same name, the animated series centers on young Llama Llama’s first steps in growing up and facing childhood milestones. Each episode is structured around a childhood milestone and a life lesson learned by Llama Llama and his friends, told with a sense of humor, vitality, and understanding.

SpacePop: SpacePop is a music and fashion driven animated property that has garnered over 17 million views and over 63,000 subscribers since its launch in May 2016. With 108 three-minute webisodes produced, SpacePop had a best-in-class production team which included Steve Banks (head writer and story editor of Sponge Bob Square Pants) as content writer; Han Lee (Pink Fizz, Bobby Jack) for original character designs; multiple Grammy Award-winning producer and music veteran Ron Fair (Fergie, Mary J. Blige, Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, Christina Aguilera and more), singer-songwriter Stefanie Fair (founding member of RCA’s girl group Wild Orchid with Fergie) for the original SpacePop theme music; and veteran music producer and composer John Loeffler (Kidz Bop, Pokemon) for original songs. SpacePop products range from apparel and accessories, to beauty, cosmetics, candy, books and music.

Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab is a STEM-based comedy adventure series by Emmy-nominated writer Steve Banks (SpongeBob Square Pants), multi-Emmy Award-winning writer Jeffrey Scott (Dragon Tales), and Emmy Award-winning producer Mark Young (All Dogs Go To Heaven 2). The series includes 52 eleven-minute episodes as well as 52 ninety-second original music videos produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Ron Fair. The animated series follows the adventures of Angie, a 12-year-old prodigy who, along with her young science club, discovers Thomas Edison’s secret lab.

Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire’s Club: With 26 thirty-minute episodes and 26 four-minute webisodes, this animated series features Warren Buffett who acts as a mentor to a group of entrepreneurial kids who have international adventures that lead them to encounter neighborhood and community problems to solve. Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire’s Club empowers kids by helping them learn about the business of life and the importance of developing healthy life habits at an early age.

Licensed Content

In addition to the wholly owned or partially-owned properties listed above, we represent Llama Llama in the licensing and merchandising space.

Kartoon Channel! Network

In June 2020, Genius Brands launched its Kartoon Channel!, a digital family entertainment destination available across multiple advertiser supported video on demand (“AVOD”) and over-the-top (“OTT”) platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOs, Android TV, Android Mobile, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, and streaming via KartoonChannel.com, as well as accessible via Samsung Smart TVs and LG TVs.

Genius Brands International’s digital network, Kartoon Channel!, which is available in over 100 million U.S. television households and over 300 million devices, is a family entertainment destination that delivers enduring childhood moments of humor, adventure, and discovery. Delivering numerous episodes of carefully curated free family-friendly content, the channel features animated classics for little kids, including “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss,” “Babar,” “Mello Dees,” “Super Simple Songs,” and “Baby Genius,” and content for bigger kids, such as “Pac-Man,” “Angry Birds,” “Yu-Gi-Oh,” and “Bakugan,” to original programming like “Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten,” premiering in spring 2021 and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kartoon Channel! also offers STEM-based content through its Kartoon Classroom!, including “Baby Einstein,” “Lil Doc,” “Counting with Earl,” and more.

Distribution

Content

Today’s global marketplace and the manner in which content is consumed has evolved to a point where we believe there is only one viable strategy, ubiquity. Kids today expect to be able to watch what they want whenever they want and wherever they want. As such, content creators now must offer direct access on multiple fronts. This includes not only linear broadcast in key territories around the world but also across a multitude of digital platforms. We have strong relationships to and actively solicit placement for our content via major linear broadcasters, as well as on the digital side with Netflix, Comcast’s Xfinity platform, AppleTV, Roku, Samsung TV, Amazon Fire, Amazon Prime, Netflix, YouTube, Cox, Dish, Sling and Zumo and Connected TV. We replicate this model of ubiquity around the world defining content distribution strategies by market that blends the best of linear, VOD, and digital distribution.

Finally, we expanded our long-term strategic partnership with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment from domestic to global in January 2017. On August 31, 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment assigned all of its rights and interest in our programs to Alliance Entertainment, LLC (“AEC”).

Consumer Products

A source of our revenue is our licensing and merchandising activities from our underlying intellectual property content. We work directly in licensing properties to a variety of manufacturers and occasionally to retailers. We currently have across all brands in excess of 50 licensees and hundreds of licensed products either in development, in market or scheduled to enter the market. Products bearing our marks can be found in a wide variety of retail distribution outlets reaching consumers in retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Barnes & Noble, Kohl’s, Amazon.com and many more. License agreements that we enter into often include financial guarantees and commitments from the manufacturers guaranteeing a minimum stream of revenue for us. As licensed merchandise is sold at retail, these advances and/or minimum guarantees can earn out at which point we could earn additional revenue.

Marketing

Our marketing mission is to generate awareness and consumer interest in our brands via a 360-degree approach to reach our audience through all touchpoints. Successful marketing campaigns for our brands have not only included traditional marketing tactics but now include utilizing influencers (individuals with a strong, existing social media presence who drive awareness of our brands to their followers), strategic social media marketing, and cross-promotional consumer product campaigns. We also deploy digital and print advertising to support the brands, as well as work with external media relations professionals to promote our efforts to both consumer and industry. We consistently initiate grass roots marketing campaigns and strategic partnerships with brands that align and offer value to us. Our Kartoon Channel! platform, which reaches over 100 million U.S. television households, provides reach for cross promotion of content and consumer products.

Competition

We compete against other creators of children’s content including Disney, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids, and Sesame Street, as well as other small and large creators. In the saturated children’s media space, we compete with these other creators for both content distribution across linear, VOD, and digital platforms, as well as retail shelf space for our licensed products. To compete effectively, we are focused on our strategic positioning of “content with a purpose,” which we believe is a point of differentiation embraced by the industry, as well as parents and educators. Additionally, the Kartoon Channel! enables us to increase the awareness of our brands through an owned platform.

Customers and Licensees

For the year ended December 31, 2020, two customers accounted for 44% of our revenue from the delivery of Rainbow Rangers Season 2 to Nick Jr. and MTV Networks Latin America. For the year ended December 31, 2019 two customers accounted for 65% of our revenue from the delivery of Llama Llama Season 2 to Netflix and the delivery of Rainbow Rangers Season 1 to Nick Jr. As of December 31, 2020, we had partnered with over 50 consumer products licensees. As of the same date, we licensed our content to over 50 broadcasters in over 145 countries globally as well as a number of VOD and online platforms that have a global reach. This broad cross-section of customers includes companies such as Comcast, Netflix, Sony, YouTube, Mattel, Target, Penguin Publishing, Manhattan Toys, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon, Google, Bertelsmann Music Group, Discovery International, and others both domestically and internationally.

Government Regulation

The FCC requires broadcast networks to air a required number of hours of Educational and Informational content (E/I). We are subject to online distribution regulations, namely the FTC’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) which regulates the collection of information of children younger than 13 years old.

We are currently subject to regulations applicable to businesses generally, including numerous federal and state laws that impose disclosure and other requirements upon the origination, servicing, enforcement and advertising of credit accounts, and limitations on the maximum amount of finance charges that may be charged by a credit provider. Although credit to some of our customers is provided by third parties without recourse to us based upon a customer’s failure to pay, any restrictive change in the regulation of credit, including the imposition of, or changes in, interest rate ceilings, could adversely affect the cost or availability of credit to our customers and, consequently, our results of operations or financial condition.

Licensed toy products are subject to regulation under the Consumer Product Safety Act and regulations issued thereunder. These laws authorize the Consumer Product Safety Commission (the “CPSC”) to protect the public from products which present a substantial risk of injury. The CPSC can require the manufacturer of defective products to repurchase or recall such products. The CPSC may also impose fines or penalties on manufacturers or retailers. Similar laws exist in some states and other countries in which we plan to market our products. Although we do not manufacture and may not directly distribute toy products, a recall of any of the products may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We also maintain websites which include our corporate website located at www.gnusbrands.com, as well as www.spacepopgirls.com, www.kidgeniustv.com, www.babygenius.com, www.smckids.com, www.slam7.com, www.edisonsecretlab.com and www.rainbowrangers.com. These websites are subject to laws and regulations directly applicable to Internet communications and commerce, which is a currently developing area of the law. The United States has enacted Internet laws related to children’s privacy, copyrights and taxation. However, laws governing the Internet remain largely unsettled. The growth of the market for Internet commerce may result in more stringent consumer protection laws, both in the United States and abroad, that place additional burdens on companies conducting business over the Internet. We cannot predict with certainty what impact such laws will have on our business in the future.  In order to comply with new or existing laws regulating Internet commerce, we may need to modify the manner in which we conduct our website business, which may result in additional expense.

Because our products are manufactured by third parties and licensees, we are not significantly impacted by federal, state and local environmental laws and do not have significant costs associated with compliance with such laws and regulations.

Human Capital

Our continued success depends on management implementing effective human resource initiatives in order to recruit, develop and retain key employees. As of December 31, 2020, we had 27 full-time equivalent employees and one contracted part-time employee. We employ on an outsourced, as-needed basis, contractors in the fields of investor relations, public relations, accounting, legal, and production. We strive to foster an innovative and team-oriented culture and view our human capital resources and initiatives as an ongoing priority. Further in 2020, we appointed one of our employees as our first “Director of Diversity.” That individual works to both insure that diverse candidates are considered for open positions and works to make sure our content offerings represent characters of diverse backgrounds and are free from bias.

Intellectual Property

As of December 31, 2020, we own the following properties and related trademarks: “SpacePop”, Secret Millionaires Club, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, “Baby Genius”, “Kid Genius”, “Wee Worship”, and “Kaflooey”, as well as several other names and trademarks on characters that had been developed for our content and brands. Additionally, we have the United States trademark and various international trademarks applications pending for Rainbow Rangers, Kartoon Channel, Kartoon Channel Jr., KC! Pop Quiz, Little Genius, Little Genius Jukebox.

As of December 31, 2020, we hold thirteen (13) registered trademarks in multiple classes in the United States associated with our brands. We also have a number of registered and pending trademarks in Europe, Australia, China, Japan and Mexico and other countries in which our products are sold.

As of December 31, 2020, we also held 146 motion pictures, 13 sound recordings, and two literary work copyrights related to our video, music and written work products.

We have 50/50 ownership agreements with the following partners and their related brands: Martha Stewart’s Martha & Friends; and Gisele Bündchen’s Gisele & the Green Team.

In addition to the wholly-owned or partially-owned properties listed above, we represent Llama Llama in the licensing and merchandising space.

Company Information

We were incorporated in California on January 3, 2006 and reincorporated in Nevada in October 2011. We commenced operations in January 2006, assuming all of the rights and obligations of our then Chief Executive Officer, under an Asset Purchase Agreement between us and Genius Products, Inc., in which we 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, we (i) changed our domicile to Nevada from California, and (ii) changed our name to Genius Brands International, Inc. from Pacific Entertainment Corporation (the “Reincorporation”). In connection with the Reincorporation, we changed our trading symbol from “PENT” to “GNUS.”

Our principal executive offices are located at 190 N Canon Drive, 4^th Floor, Beverly Hills, California 90210. Our telephone number is 310-273-4222. We maintain an Internet website at www.gnusbrands.com. The information contained on, connected to or that can be accessed via our website is not part of this prospectus.

Item 1A.                 Risk Factors.

The following discussion of risk factors contains forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be important to understanding any statement in this Form 10-K or elsewhere. The following information should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes beginning on Page F-1 of this Form 10-K.

You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Our business, financial condition and operating results can be affected by a number of factors, whether currently known or unknown, including but not limited to those described below. Any one or more of such factors could directly or indirectly cause our actual results of operations and financial condition to vary materially from past or anticipated future results of operations and financial condition. Any of these factors, in whole or in part, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and stock price.

Because of the following factors, as well as other factors affecting our financial condition and operating results, past financial performance should not be considered to be a reliable indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS

Our business has been and may continue to be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With respect to the ongoing and evolving coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak, which was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 has caused substantial disruption in international and U.S. economies and markets. COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on the entertainment industry and, if repercussions of COVID-19 are prolonged, could have a significant adverse impact on our business, which could be material. The majority of our employees have been working remotely from home, with only a few individuals monitoring the office as needed. We have not experienced any disruption in our supply chain, nor have we experienced any negative impact from our animation production partners. With regard to content distribution, we have observed demand increases for streaming entertainment services in 2020. In terms of our consumer products business, we are starting to see some negative impact from COVID-19 as consumer activity decelerates in the U.S. and across the world. Global supply chain issues had a negative impact on the timing of certain toy releases. If the COVID-19 outbreak is prolonged, we will see a negative impact on our revenues.

Our management cannot at this point estimate the impact of COVID-19 on our business and no provision for COVID-19 is reflected in the accompanying financial statements. We will continue to actively monitor the situation and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state, local or foreign authorities, or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners and stockholders. It is not clear what the potential effects any such alterations or modifications may have on our business, including the effects on our customers, suppliers or vendors, or on our financial results.

We have incurred net losses since inception.

We have a history of operating losses and incurred net losses in each fiscal quarter since our inception. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we generated net revenues of $2,482,127 and incurred a net loss of $401,669,805, while for the previous year, we generated net revenue of $5,907,899 and incurred a net loss of $11,481,245. These losses, among other things, have had an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, stockholders’ equity, net current assets and working capital.

We will need to generate additional revenue and/or reduce costs to achieve profitability. We are beginning to generate revenues derived from our existing properties, properties in production, and new brands being introduced into the marketplace. However, the ability to sustain these revenues and generate significant additional revenues or achieve profitability will depend upon numerous factors some of which are outside of our control.

If we are not able to obtain sufficient capital, we may not be able to continue our growth.

We expect that as our business continues to evolve and grow, we will need additional working capital. If adequate additional debt and/or equity financing is not available on reasonable terms or at all, we may not be able to continue to expand our business, and we will have to modify our business plans accordingly. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our future operating results and our financial condition.

Our revenues and results of operations may fluctuate from period to period.

Cash flow and projections for any entertainment company producing original content can be expected to fluctuate until the animated content and ancillary consumer products are in the market and could fluctuate thereafter even when the content and products are in the marketplace. There is significant lead time in developing and producing animated content before that content is in the marketplace. Unanticipated delays in entertainment production can delay the release of the content into the marketplace. Structured retail windows that dictate when new products can be introduced at retail are also out of our control. While we believe that we have mitigated this in part by creating a slate of properties at various stages of development or production as well as representing certain established brands which contribute immediately to cash flow, any delays in the production and release of our content and products or any changes in the preferences of our customers could result in lower than anticipated cash flows.

As with our cash flows, our revenues and results of operations depend significantly upon the appeal of our content to our customers, the timing of releases of our products and the commercial success of our products, none of which can be predicted with certainty. Accordingly, our revenues and results of operations may fluctuate from period to period. The results of one period may not be indicative of the results of any future period. Any quarterly fluctuations that we report in the future may not match the expectations of market analysts and investors. This could cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate.

Production cost will be amortized according to the individual film forecasting methodology. If estimated remaining revenue is not sufficient to recover the unamortized production costs, the unamortized production costs will be written down to fair value. In any given quarter, if we lower our previous forecast with respect to total anticipated revenue, we would be required to adjust amortization of related production costs. These adjustments would adversely impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

Changes in the United States, global or regional economic conditions could adversely affect the profitability of our business.

A decrease in economic activity in the United States or in other regions of the world in which we do business could adversely affect demand for our products, thus reducing our revenue and earnings. A decline in economic conditions could reduce demand for and sales of our products. In addition, an increase in price levels generally, or in price levels in a particular sector, could result in a shift in consumer demand away from the animated content and consumer products we offer, which could also decrease our revenues, increase our costs, or both.

Inaccurately anticipating changes and trends in popular culture, media and movies, fashion, or technology can negatively affect our sales.

While trends in the toddler to tween sector change quickly, we respond to trends and developments by modifying, refreshing, extending, and expanding our product offerings on an on-going basis. However, we operate in extremely competitive industries where the ultimate appeal and popularity of content and products targeted to this sector can be difficult to predict. We believe our focus on “content with a purpose” serves an underrepresented area of the toddler to tween market; however, if the interest of our audience trends away from our current properties toward other offerings based on current media, movies, animated content or characters, and if we fail to accurately anticipate trends in popular culture, movies, media, fashion, or technology, our products may not be accepted by children, parents, or families and our revenues, profitability, and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We face competition from a variety of retailers that sell similar merchandise and have better resources than we do.

The industries in which we operate are competitive, and our results of operations are sensitive to, and may be adversely affected by, competitive pricing, promotional pressures, additional competitor offerings and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Indirectly through our licensing arrangements, we compete for retailers as well as other outlets for the sale and promotion of our licensed merchandise. Our primary competition comes from competitors such as The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon Studios, and the Cartoon Network.

We have sought a competitive advantage by providing “content with a purpose” which are both entertaining and enriching for children and offer differentiated value that parents seek in making purchasing decisions for their children. While we do not believe that this value proposition is specifically offered by our competitors, our competitors have greater financial resources and more developed marketing channels than we do which could impact our ability, through our licensees, to secure shelf space thereby decreasing our revenues or affecting our profitability and results of operations.

The production of our animated content is accomplished through third-party production and animation studios around the world, and any failure of these third-parties could negatively impact our business.

As part of our business model to manage cash flows, we have partnered with a number of third-party production and animation studios around the world for the production of our new content in which these partners fund the production of the content in exchange for a portion of revenues generated in certain territories. We are reliant on our partners to produce and deliver the content on a timely basis meeting the predetermined specifications for that product. The delivery of inferior content could result in additional expenditures by us to correct any problems to ensure marketability. Further, delays in the delivery of the finished content to us could result in our failure to deliver the product to broadcasters to which it has been pre-licensed. While we believe we have mitigated this risk by aligning the economic interests of our partners with ours and managing the production process remotely on a daily basis, any failures or delays from our production partners could negatively affect our profitability.

We cannot assure you that our original programming content will appeal to our distributors and viewers or that any of our original programming content will not be cancelled or removed from our distributors’ platforms.

Our business depends on the appeal of our content to distributors and viewers, which is difficult to predict. Our business depends in part upon viewer preferences and audience acceptance of our original programming content. These factors are difficult to predict and are subject to influences beyond our control, such as the quality and appeal of competing programming, general economic conditions and the availability of other entertainment activities. We may not be able to anticipate and react effectively to shifts in tastes and interests in markets. A change in viewer preferences could cause our original programming content to decline in popularity, which could jeopardize renewal of agreements with distributors. Low ratings or viewership for programming content produced by us may lead to the cancellation, removal or non-renewal of a program and can negatively affect future license fees for such program.  If our original programming content does not gain the level of audience acceptance we expect, or if we are unable to maintain the popularity of our original programming, we may have a diminished negotiating position when dealing with distributors, which could reduce our revenue. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain the success of any of our current original programming content or generate sufficient demand and market acceptance for new original programming content in the future. This could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

We may be required to pay significant penalties if we are not able to meet our obligations under our outstanding registration rights agreements.

We have entered into registration rights agreements in connection with certain of our securities offerings. We may be obligated to pay liquidated damages if we do not meet our obligations under those agreements.

If we are required to pay significant amounts, such as the liquidated damages described above, under these or future registration rights agreements, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and ability to finance our operations.

Failure to successfully market or advertise our products could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our products are marketed worldwide through a diverse spectrum of advertising and promotional programs. Our ability to sell products is dependent in part upon the success of these programs. If we or our licensees do not successfully market our products or if media or other advertising or promotional costs increase, these factors could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The failure of others to promote our products may adversely affect our business.

The availability of retailer programs relating to product placement, co-op advertising and market development funds, and our ability and willingness to pay for such programs, are important with respect to promoting our properties. In addition, although we may have agreements for the advertising and promotion of our products through our licensees, we will not be in direct control of those marketing efforts and those efforts may not be done in a manner that will maximize sales of our products and may have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

We may not be able to keep pace with technological advances.

The entertainment industry in general, and the music and motion picture industries in particular, continue to undergo significant changes, primarily due to technological developments. Because of the rapid growth of technology, shifting consumer tastes and the popularity and availability of other forms of entertainment, it is impossible to predict the overall effect these factors could have on potential revenue from, and profitability of, distributing entertainment programming. As it is also impossible to predict the overall effect these factors could have on our ability to compete effectively in a changing market, if we are not able to keep pace with these technological advances, our revenues, profitability and results from operations may be materially adversely affected.

Failure in our information technology and storage systems could significantly disrupt the operation of our business.

Our ability to execute our business plan and maintain operations depends on the continued and uninterrupted performance of our information technology (“IT”) systems. IT systems are vulnerable to risks and damages from a variety of sources, including telecommunications or network failures, malicious human acts and natural disasters. Moreover, despite network security and back-up measures, some of our and our vendors’ servers are potentially vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins, including cyber-attacks, computer viruses and similar disruptive problems. These events could lead to the unauthorized access, disclosure and use of non-public information. The techniques used by criminal elements to attack computer systems are sophisticated, change frequently and may originate from less regulated and remote areas of the world. As a result, we may not be able to address these techniques proactively or implement adequate preventative measures. If our computer systems are compromised, we could be subject to fines, damages, litigation and enforcement actions, and we could lose trade secrets, the occurrence of which could harm our business. Despite precautionary measures to prevent unanticipated problems that could affect our IT systems, sustained or repeated system failures that interrupt our ability to generate and maintain data could adversely affect our ability to operate our business.

Our internal computer systems, or those of our collaborators or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which could result in a material disruption and cause our business and reputation to suffer.

In the ordinary course of business, our internal computer systems and those of our current and any future collaborators and other contractors or consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. While we do not believe that we have experienced any such material system failure, accident or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could adversely affect our business operations, whether due to a loss of our trade secrets or other proprietary information or other similar disruptions. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of such information could result in legal claims or proceedings and damage our reputation.

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.

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

As of March 30, 2021, our management team and board of directors (“Board of Directors”) beneficially own or control (including conversions, options or warrants exercisable or convertible within 60 days) a combined 20,656,535 shares or 6.74%, 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.

Litigation may harm our business or otherwise distract management.

Substantial, complex or extended litigation could cause us to incur large expenditures and could distract management. For example, lawsuits by licensors, consumers, employees or stockholders could be very costly and disrupt business. We recently had a securities class action and derivative shareholder action filed against us. While disputes from time to time are not uncommon, we may not be able to resolve such disputes on terms favorable to us.

Our vendors and licensees may be subject to various laws and government regulations, violation of which could subject these parties to sanctions which could lead to increased costs or the interruption of normal business operations that could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Our vendors and licensees may operate in a highly regulated environment in the US and international markets. Federal, state and local governmental entities and foreign governments may regulate aspects of their businesses, including the production or distribution of our content or products. These regulations may include accounting standards, taxation requirements (including changes in applicable income tax rates, new tax laws and revised tax law interpretations), product safety and other safety standards, trade restrictions, regulations regarding financial matters, environmental regulations, advertising directed toward children, product content, and other administrative and regulatory restrictions. While we believe our vendors and licensees take all the steps necessary to comply with these laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that they are compliant or will be in compliance in the future. Failure to comply could result in monetary liabilities and other sanctions which could increase our costs or decrease our revenue resulting in a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Protecting and defending against intellectual property claims may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our ability to compete in the animated content and entertainment industry depends, in part, upon successful protection of our proprietary and intellectual property. We protect our property rights to our productions through available copyright and trademark laws and licensing and distribution arrangements with reputable companies in specific territories and media for limited durations. Despite these precautions, existing copyright and trademark laws afford only limited, or no, practical protection in some jurisdictions. It may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy and distribute our productions or portions of our productions. In addition, although we own most of the music and intellectual property included in our products, there are some titles which the music or other elements are in the public domain and for which it is difficult or even impossible to determine whether anyone has obtained ownership or royalty rights. It is an inherent risk in our industry that people may make such claims with respect to any title already included in our products, whether or not such claims can be substantiated. If litigation is necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others or to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity. Any such litigation could result in substantial costs and the resulting diversion of resources could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR COMMON STOCK

Our stock price may be subject to substantial volatility, and stockholders may lose all or a substantial part of their investment.

Our common stock currently trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market. There is limited public float, and trading volume historically has been low and sporadic. As a result, the market price for our common stock may not necessarily be a reliable indicator of our fair market value. The price at which our common stock trades may fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including the number of shares available for sale in the market, quarterly variations in our operating results, actual or anticipated announcements of new releases by us or competitors, the gain or loss of significant customers, changes in the estimates of our operating performance, market conditions in our industry and the economy as a whole.

Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq Capital Market could result in a delisting of our Common Stock.

On September 4, 2019, we received a notification letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) informing us that for the last 30 consecutive business days, the bid price of our Common Stock had closed below $1.00 per share, which is the minimum required closing bid price for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant to Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Rule”).

This notice had no immediate effect on our Nasdaq listing or trading of its Common Stock. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), we had 180 calendar days, or until March 2, 2020, to regain compliance. To regain compliance, the closing bid price of our Common Stock must have been at least $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days. If we did not regain compliance by March 2, 2020, we were potentially eligible for additional time to regain compliance or if we were otherwise not eligible, we were able to request a hearing before a Nasdaq Hearings Panel (“Panel”).

On March 3, 2020, we received notification from Nasdaq that we were granted an additional 180-day compliance period, or until August 31, 2020, to regain compliance with the minimum $1.00 bid price per share requirement of the Rule. Nasdaq’s determination to grant the additional 180-day compliance period was based on our meeting the continued listing requirement for the market value of publicly held shares and all other applicable requirements for initial listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market with the exception of the bid price requirement, and our provision of written notice of our intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period, including effecting a reverse stock split if necessary.

On May 28, 2020, we received notification from Nasdaq that the closing bid of our Common Stock had been trading at $1.00 per share or greater for the required ten-day period. Accordingly, the Company had regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and the matter was closed.

This current notification from Nasdaq has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of our Common Stock, which will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “GNUS”.

If we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq Capital Market, such as minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding minimum stockholders’ equity, minimum share price, and certain corporate governance requirements, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our Common Stock. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on the price of our Common Stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our Common Stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we would expect to take actions to restore our compliance with Nasdaq's listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our Common Stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our Common Stock, prevent our Common Stock from dropping below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement, or prevent future non-compliance with Nasdaq's listing requirements.

If our Common Stock becomes subject to the penny stock rules, it may be more difficult to sell our Common Stock.

The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00 (other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system). The OTC Bulletin Board does not meet such requirements and if the price of our Common Stock is less than $5.00 and our Common Stock is no longer listed on a national securities exchange such as Nasdaq, our stock may be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, at least two business days prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver to the customer a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information and to obtain from the customer a signed and date acknowledgment of receipt of that document. In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive: (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our Common Stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.

If we fail to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, the price of our common stock may be adversely affected.

Our internal control over financial reporting may have weaknesses and conditions that could require correction or remediation, the disclosure of which may have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock. We are required to establish and maintain appropriate internal controls over financial reporting. Failure to establish those controls, or any failure of those controls once established, could adversely affect our public disclosures regarding our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations.

Rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require an annual assessment of internal controls over financial reporting, and for certain issuers an attestation of this assessment by the issuer’s independent registered public accounting firm. The standards that must be met for management to assess the internal controls over financial reporting as effective are evolving and complex, and require significant documentation, testing, and possible remediation to meet the detailed standards. We expect to incur significant expenses and to devote resources to Section 404 compliance on an ongoing basis. In addition, we are not subject to auditor attestation of internal controls which may identify weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal controls over financial reporting or other matters that may raise concerns for investors. Any actual or perceived weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure of management’s assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting may have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

We are authorized to issue “blank check” preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could adversely impact the rights of holders of our common stock.

Our Articles of Incorporation authorize us to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of blank check preferred stock. Any additional preferred stock that we issue in the future may rank ahead of our common stock in terms of dividend priority or liquidation premiums and may have greater voting rights than our common stock. In addition, such preferred stock may contain provisions allowing those shares to be converted into shares of common stock, which could dilute the value of common stock to current stockholders and could adversely affect the market price, if any, of our common stock. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized, under certain circumstances, as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of our company. Although we have no present intention to issue any additional shares of authorized preferred stock, there can be no assurance that we will not do so in the future.

We do not expect to pay dividends in the future and any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock.

We do not currently anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends on our common stock will depend on earnings, financial condition and other business and economic factors affecting it at such time as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Our current intention is to apply net earnings, if any, in the foreseeable future to increasing our capital base and development and marketing efforts. There can be no assurance that we will ever have sufficient earnings to declare and pay dividends to the holders of our common stock, and in any event, a decision to declare and pay dividends is at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because the return on investment will only occur if its stock price appreciates.

Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.

If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market upon the expiration of any statutory holding period under Rule 144, or shares issued upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, it could create a circumstance commonly referred to as an “overhang” and, in anticipation of which, the market price of our common stock could fall. The existence of an overhang, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, also could make more difficult our ability to raise additional financing through the sale of equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate.

In general, under Rule 144, a non-affiliated person who has held restricted shares of our common stock for a period of six months may sell into the market all of their shares, subject to us being current in our periodic reports filed with the Commission.

As of March 30, 2021, approximately 282,712,035 shares of common stock of the 300,321,658 shares of common stock issued and outstanding are free trading. Additionally, as of March 30, 2021, there are no shares of common stock underlying the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock that could be sold pursuant to Rule 144. As of the same date, there are 5,406,465 shares of common stock underlying outstanding warrants that could be sold pursuant to Rule 144 to the extent permitted by any applicable vesting requirements as well as 40,105,500 shares of common stock underlying registered warrants. Lastly, as of March 29, 2021, there are 9,731,176 shares of common stock underlying outstanding options granted, 9,128,796 shares of common stock underlying outstanding restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and 13,307,695 shares reserved for issuance under our Genius Brands International, Inc. Amended 2020 Incentive Plan, all of which are unregistered but will become eligible for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by any applicable vesting requirements and Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

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 March 30, 2021, our officers, directors and stockholders who hold at least 5% of our stock beneficially own a combined total of approximately 6.74% 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 March 30, 2021. 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 1B.                 Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2.                    Properties.

On February 6, 2018, we entered into a lease for 6,969 square feet of general office space at 131 South Rodeo Drive, Suite 250, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 pursuant to a 91-month lease that commenced on May 25, 2018. We paid rent of $364,130 annually, subject to annual escalations of 3.5%.

Effective January 21, 2019, we entered into a sublease for the 6,969 square feet of general office space located at 131 South Rodeo Drive, Suite 250, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 pursuant to an 83-month sublease that commenced on February 4, 2019. The subtenant paid us rent of $422,321 annually, subject to annual escalations of 3.5%.

On September 11, 2020, the Company entered into a Surrender Agreement with the landlord, for the space at 131 South Rodeo Drive, which terminated the lease agreement. As a result, the Company recorded decreases in the Right Of Use asset, accumulated amortization, and the lease liability of $2,142,863, $465,124 and $1,760,302 respectively. The termination of the lease resulted in a loss of $338,856. Simultaneously, as part of the Surrender Agreement the Sublease was terminated.

On December 28, 2018, we entered into a lease for 5,765 square feet of general office space at 8383 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 412, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 pursuant to a 6-month lease that commenced January 28, 2019. We paid rent of $24,501 monthly.

On January 30, 2019, we entered into a lease for 5,838 square feet of general office space at 190 Cannon Drive, Suite 400, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 pursuant to a 96-month lease that commenced on September 1, 2019. We pay rent of $392,316 annually, subject to annual escalations of 3.5%.

Item 3.                    Legal Proceedings.

As of December 31, 2020, there were no material pending legal proceedings to which we are a party or as to which any of its property is subject other than described below.

As previously disclosed, on August 18, 2020, the Company and its Chief Executive Officer Andy Heyward were named as defendants in a putative class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and styled Salvador Verdin v. Genius Brands International, Inc. and Andy Heyward, Case No. 2:20-cv-07457-DDP-PJW. We were later served with a similar lawsuit Sumit Garg v. Genius Brands International, Inc. and Andy Heyward, Case No. 2:20-cv-07764. Both suits allege generally that defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by making materially false or misleading statement regarding the Company’s business and business prospects, artificially inflating the Company’s stock price. Plaintiff seeks unspecified damages on behalf of the alleged class. The two above-referenced securities suits have been consolidated into a single proceeding before Judge Fischer in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The proceeding will now be known as In re Genius Brands International, Inc. Securities Litigation. The amended complaint in this action was filed on February 1, 2021. On March 17, 2021, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint. Briefing that motion is, by court-ordered schedule, expected to extend into June 2021, with a hearing currently scheduled for July 5, 2021. Pending resolution of the motion to dismiss, neither discovery nor other substantive proceedings are expected.

Related to the securities class action, the Company’s directors, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have been named as defendants in a putative shareholder derivative lawsuit filed in September 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and styled Eduardo Correa, etc., v. Andy Heyward, et. al., Case No. 2:20-cv-08277-DSF (RAOx). On November 20, 2020 a second case, Son Ly, on behalf of Genius Brands International, Inc. v. Andy Heyward; 11/20/2020 CNS Temporary No. E167721482, was filed in a different court – specifically the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The suits make similar allegations, generally stating that the defendants breached fiduciary duties owed to the Company by, among other things, causing the Company to issue the supposedly false and misleading statements that underlie the Verdin securities litigation and thereby purportedly exposing the Company to liability and damaging the Company in an unspecified amount. No recovery is sought from the Company. Instead, as a shareholder derivative action, the Company is named as Nominal Defendant; and plaintiff, an alleged stockholder of the Company, purports to sue on behalf and for the benefit of the Company. Pursuant to an agreement among the parties, the court has stayed proceedings in the derivative litigations pending the outcome of anticipated motions to dismiss in the securities class action.

In all of the above-mentioned proceedings, defendants have denied and continue to deny any wrongdoing and intend to defend the claims vigorously.

On July 7, 2020, we received a letter from a law firm alleging that rights Genius Brands had licensed from POW!, LLC, through its the Stan Lee Universe, LLC joint venture, had already been sold to another company, represented by that law firm. The law firm alleged that the Company is, inter alia, interfering with their contractual rights. This matter was referred to our outside litigation counsel. We have been informed that the matter is being adjudicated in an arbitration and that the arbitrator issued a gag order preventing further communications from Plaintiff to 3^rd parties.

As a result of COVID 19, the majority of our employees started working remotely and we stopped paying rent in April of 2020. On November 30, 2020, the landlord filed a lawsuit demanding that the Company pay all past due rent. On February 18, 2021 we entered into a settlement agreement with the landlord whereby we agreed to pay $237,500 in full settlement of all claims and promised to resume paying the contractually agreed rent in full starting March 1, 2021.

Item 4.                    Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5.                    Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our Common Stock began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “GNUS” on November 21, 2016. Prior to that, our Common Stock traded on the OTCQB of the OTC Markets Group Inc. under the same symbol.

The last reported closing price for our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on March 30, 2021 was $2.07 per share.

Stockholders

As of March 30, 2021, the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding was 300,321,658. As of March 30, 2021, there were approximately 170 active record holders of our shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock. This number does not include persons or entities that hold their stock in nominee or “street” name through various brokerage firms.

Dividends

We have never declared or paid dividends on our Common Stock. Moreover, we currently intend to retain any future earnings for use in our business and, therefore, do not anticipate paying any dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

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 1,667,667 shares. The increase in shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan was approved by the stockholders on July 25, 2017.

On September 6, 2018, 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 500,000 shares from 1,667,667 shares to an aggregate of 2,167,667 shares. The increase in shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan was approved by the Company’s stockholders on October 2, 2018.

On August 4, 2020, the Board of Directors voted to adopt the Genius Brands International, Inc 2020 Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”). The shares available for issuance under the 2020 Plan was approved by stockholders on August 27, 2020. The 2020 Plan as approved by the stockholders increased the maximum number of shares available for issuance up to an aggregate of 32,167,667 shares of Common Stock.

The following tables reflect, as of December 31, 2020, compensation plans pursuant to which we are authorized to issue options, warrants, RSUs, or other rights to purchase shares of its Common Stock, including the number of shares issuable under outstanding options, warrants and rights issued under the plans and the number of shares remaining available for issuance under the plans.

Issuances of Unregistered Sales of Securities

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company issued 5,219,048 shares of Common Stock pursuant to the conversion of 1.097 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock at a conversion price of $0.21 per share.

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

On November 18, 2020, the Company issued 500,000 shares of Common Stock valued at $1.39 per share to a provider for production and marketing services. The issuance of the shares of Common Stock was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

On December 18, 2020, the Company issued 500,000 shares of Common Stock valued at $1.39 per share to a provider for production and marketing services. The issuance of the shares of Common Stock was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

Item 6.                    Selected Financial Data

Not required.

Item 7.                    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 audited financial statements and related notes for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. 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 above in the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” 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

Overview

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 experienced industry personnel, we distribute our content in all formats as well as a broad range of consumer products based on our 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. New intellectual property titles include the preschool property Rainbow Rangers, which debuted in November 2018 on Nickelodeon and which was renewed for a second season and preschool property Llama Llama, which debuted on Netflix in January 2018 and was renewed by Netflix for a second season. Our library titles include the award-winning Baby Genius, adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab® and Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett, which is distributed across our Genius Brands Network on Comcast’s Xfinity on Demand, AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Cox, Dish, Sling and Zumo, as well as Connected TV. We are also developing an all-new animated series, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten with Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment, Oak Productions and Alibaba. Arnold Schwarzenegger lends his voice as the lead and is also an Executive Producer on the series. The show will be broadcast in the United States on Amazon Prime and the Company’s wholly owned distribution outlet, Kartoon Channel!. In July 2020, the Company entered into a binding term sheet with POW, Inc. (“POW!”) in which we agreed to form an entity with POW! to exploit certain rights in intellectual property created by Stan Lee, as well as the name and likeness of Stan Lee. The entity is called “Stan Lee Universe, LLC” and POW! and the Company are finalizing the details of the venture. Through this agreement we are assuming the worldwide rights, in perpetuity, to the name, physical likeness, physical signature, live-action and animated motion picture, television, online, digital, publishing, comic book, merchandising and licensing rights to Stan Lee and over 100 original Stan Lee creations, from which Genius Brands plans to develop and license approximately multiple properties each year.

In addition, we act as licensing agent for Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House LLC which owns or controls the underlying rights to Llama Llama, leveraging our existing licensing infrastructure to expand this brand into new product categories, new retailers, and new territories.

Recent Developments

On January 28, 2021, we entered into letter agreements (the “Letter Agreements”) with certain existing institutional and accredited investors to exercise certain outstanding warrants (the “Existing Warrants”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 39,740,500 shares of the Company’s common stock at their original exercise price of $1.55 per share (the “Exercise”). The Existing Warrants (the “Registered Existing Warrants”) and the shares of common stock underlying the Registered Existing Warrants were previously registered pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-248623). In consideration for the exercise of the Existing Warrants for cash, the exercising holders will receive new unregistered warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 39,740,500 shares of common stock (the “New Warrants”) at an exercise price of $2.37 per share and with an exercise period of five years from the initial issuance date.

The Special Equities Group, a division of Bradley Woods & Co. Ltd., acted as warrant solicitation agent and will receive a cash fee of approximately $4.3 million.

The gross proceeds to the Company from the Exercise were approximately $61.6 million. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Exercise for acquisitions of children’s and family intellectual property, and/or companies in the children’s and family entertainment space.

On February 1, 2021, the Company through GBI Acquisition LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company, and 2811210 Ontario Inc., a company organized under the laws of the Province of Ontario, two wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company, closed its previously announced acquisition pursuant to a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with (i) Harold Aaron Chizick, (ii) Jennifer Mara Chizick, (iii) Wishing Thumbelina Inc. (“Wishing Thumbelina”), and (iv) Harold Aaron Chizick and Jennifer Mara Chizick, the trustees of The Chizsix (2019) Family Trust for and on behalf of Harold Aaron Chizick, Jennifer Mara Chizick and Jay Mark Sonshine, trustees of The Chizsix (2019) Family Trust, (the “Trustees”) (each a “Seller” and, collectively, “Sellers”), pursuant to which the Company acquired from the Sellers all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of ChizComm Ltd., a corporation organized in Canada (“ChizComm Canada”), and ChizComm USA Corp., a New Jersey corporation (“ChizComm USA” and, together with ChizComm Canada, “ChizComm”) (the “Acquisition”).

Total consideration paid by the Company in the transaction at closing consisted of $8.5 million in cash and 1,966,292 shares (the “Closing Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”) with a value of approximately $3.5 million, both as subject to certain purchase price adjustments. Of the Closing Shares, 674,157 shares of Common Stock, with a value of approximately $1.2 million, were deposited into an escrow account to cover potential post-closing indemnification obligations of Sellers under the Purchase Agreement. Additionally, the Purchase Agreement also provides for the issuance of additional shares of Common Stock with an aggregate value of up to $8.0 million that may be issued to the Sellers if certain EBITDA and performance levels are achieved within a four-year period commencing on the date of the Purchase Agreement.

The parties to the Purchase Agreement made certain representations, warranties and covenants, agreed to certain indemnification terms as set forth in the Purchase Agreement, and agreed to enter into certain employment agreements in connection with the Acquisition.

Prior to the closing of the Acquisition, neither the Company nor any of its affiliates, or any director or officer of the Company or any of its affiliates, or any associate of any such director or officer, had any material relationship with the Sellers. The terms of the Purchase Agreement, including the purchase price, were determined by arm’s length negotiations between the Company and Sellers.

Financings

January 2020 Warrant Exercise Agreement

On January 22, 2020, we entered into a private transaction pursuant to a Warrant Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the holder of the Company’s existing warrants (the “Original Warrants”). The Original Warrants were originally issued on October 3, 2017, to purchase an aggregate of 500,000 shares of the Common Stock (as defined below) at an exercise price of $3.90 per share and were to expire in October 2022.

Pursuant to the Agreement, the holder of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holder would exercise its Original Warrants in full and the Company would amend the Original Warrants to reduce the exercise price thereof to $0.34 (the average closing price (as reflected on Nasdaq.com) of the Common Stock (as defined below) for the five trading days immediately preceding the signing of the Agreement). We received approximately $170,000 from the exercise of the Original Warrants.

March 2020 Secured Convertible Note and Warrant Private Placement

On March 11, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “SPA”) with certain accredited investors (each an “Investor” and collectively, the “Investors”) pursuant to which we agreed to sell and issue (1) Senior Secured Convertible Notes to the Investors in the aggregate principal amount of $13,750,000 (each, a “Note” and collectively, the “2020 Convertible Notes”) and $11,000,000 funding amount (reflecting an original issue discount of $2,750,000) and (2) warrants to purchase 65,476,190 shares of our Common Stock, exercisable for a period of five years at an initial exercise price of $0.26 per share (each a “Warrant” and collectively, the “Warrants”), for consideration consisting of (i) a cash payment of $7,000,000, and (ii) full recourse cash secured promissory notes payable by the Investors to the Company (each, an “Investor Note” and collectively, the “Investor Notes”) in the principal amount of $4,000,000 (the “Investor Notes Principal”) (collectively, the “Financing”). Andy Heyward, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, participated as an Investor and invested $1,000,000 in connection with the Financing, all of which was paid at the closing and not pursuant to an Investor Note. The Special Equities Group, LLC, a division of Bradley Woods & Co. LTD, acted as placement agent and received warrants to purchase 6,547,619 shares at an exercise price of $0.26 per share (the “Placement Agent Warrants”).

The closing of the sale and issuance of the 2020 Convertible Notes, the Warrants and the Placement Agent Warrants occurred on March 17, 2020 (the “Closing Date”). The maturity date of the 2020 Convertible Notes was September 30, 2021 and the maturity date of the Investor Notes was March 11, 2060.

The Company held a stockholder meeting (the “Stockholder Meeting”) to approve the issuance of shares of Common Stock issuable under the 2020 Convertible Notes and pursuant to the terms of the SPA for the purposes of compliance with the stockholder approval rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Stockholder Approval”).

In addition, pursuant to the terms of the SPA, the 2020 Convertible Notes and the Warrants, the Company agreed that the following will apply or become effective only following Stockholder Approval: (1) the conversion price of the 2020 Convertible Notes shall be reduced to $0.21 per share and may be further reduced to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”), (2) the exercise price of the Warrants shall be immediately reduced to $0.21 per share and may be further reduced to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors, (3) the 2020 Convertible Notes and Warrants shall each have full ratchet anti-dilution protection for subsequent financings (subject to certain exceptions), (4) existing warrant holders that are participating in the Financing (representing warrants to purchase an aggregate of 8,715,229 shares of Company Common Stock) will have their existing warrants’ exercise prices reduced to $0.21 and (5) the investors shall have a most favored nations right which provides that if the Company enters into a subsequent financing, then the Investors (together with their affiliates) at their sole discretion shall have the ability to exchange their 2020 Convertible Notes on a $1 for $1 basis into securities issued in the new transaction. Additionally, in the event that any warrants or options (or any similar security or right) issued in a subsequent financing include any terms more favorable to the holders thereof (less favorable to the Company) than the terms of the Warrants, the Warrants shall be automatically amended to include such more favorable terms.

On March 16, 2020, the holders of the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes were repaid in full including any outstanding interest.

On May 15, 2020, the Company received the necessary Stockholder Approval in connection with the Nasdaq proposals described above. As a result, the Conversion Price of the 2020 Convertible Notes and the exercise price of the Warrants were each reduced to $0.21. In addition, existing warrant holders that participated in the Financing (representing warrants to purchase an aggregate of 9,172,463 shares of Common Stock) also had their existing warrants’ exercise prices reduced to $0.21.

March 2020 Securities Purchase Agreement

On March 22, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with certain long standing investors (the “March 22^nd Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the March 22^nd Investors, an aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of Common Stock, at an offering price of $0.2568 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $1.0 million before deducting offering expenses.

May 2020 Securities Purchase Agreements

On May 7, 2020, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 7^th Investors”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 7^th Investors (the “Registered Offering”), an aggregate of 8,000,000 shares Common Stock at an offering price of $0.35 per share for gross proceeds of $2.8 million before deducting the placement agent fees and offering expenses. The Registered Offering closed on May 8, 2020.

On May 8, 2020, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 8^th Investors”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 8^th Investors (the “Registered Offering”), an aggregate of 12,000,000 shares Common Stock at an offering price of $0.454 per share for gross proceeds of $5.448 million before deducting the placement agent fees and offering expenses. The Registered Offering closed on May 12, 2020.

On May 18, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 18^th Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 18^th Investors, an aggregate of 7,500,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.20 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $9.0 million before deducting offering expenses.

On May 28, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 28^th Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 28^th Investors, an aggregate of 20,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.50 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $30.0 million before deducting offering expenses.

Warrant Exercises

On January 22, 2020, the Company entered into a private transaction (the “Private Transaction”) pursuant to a Warrant Exercise Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the holder of the Company’s existing warrants (the “Original Warrants”). The Original Warrants were originally issued on October 3, 2017, to purchase an aggregate of 500,000 shares of Common Stock (as defined below) at an exercise price of $3.90 per share and were to expire in October 2022.Pursuant to the Agreement, the holder of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holder would exercise its Original Warrants in full and the Company would amend the Original Warrants to reduce the exercise price thereof to $0.34 (the average closing price (as reflected on Nasdaq.com) of the Common Stock (as defined below) for the five trading days immediately preceding the signing of the Agreement) (the “Amended Exercise Price”). The Company received $170,000 from the exercise of the Original Warrants.

On May 15, 2020 stockholders of the Company approved the reduction in warrants exercise price for the 2020 Convertible Notes holders to $0.21.

Between May 15 and June 19, 2020, the Company received $5,649,319, net of expenses, from the exercise of 29,000,526 warrants at $0.21 per share. Certain other warrant holders exercised 41,508,189, warrants on a cashless basis, resulting in the issuance of 37,449,140 shares of Common Stock.

Between May 15 and June 19, 2020, the Company received $5,649,319, net of expenses, from the exercise of 29,666,283 warrants at an exercise price of $0.21 per share.

On July 21,2020, the Company received $50,011, net of expenses, from the exercise of 16,670 warrants at an exercise price of $3.30 per share.

On December 14, 2020 a warrant holder exercised 595,238 warrants on a cashless basis, resulting in the issuance of 532,424 shares of Common Stock.

October 2020 Securities Purchase Agreement

On October 28, 2020, the Company entered into the Purchase Agreement with the Investors pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered director offering by the Company directly to the certain Investors, an aggregate of 37,400,000 shares of our Common Stock and warrants to purchase up to 37,400,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.55 per fixed combination of one share of Common Stock and a warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for gross proceeds of approximately $57.9 million before deducting offering expenses.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

With respect to the ongoing and evolving coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak, which was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 has caused substantial disruption in international and U.S. economies and markets. COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on the entertainment industry and, if repercussions of COVID-19 are prolonged, could have a significant adverse impact on our business, which could be material. The majority of the Company’s employees have been working remotely from home, with only a few individuals monitoring the office as needed. We have not experienced any disruption in our supply chain, nor have we experienced any negative impact from our animation production partners. With regard to content distribution, we have observed demand increases for streaming entertainment services in 2020. In terms of our consumer products business, we are starting to see some negative impact from COVID-19 as consumer activity decelerates in the U.S. and across the world. Global supply chain issues had a negative impact on the timing of certain toy releases. If the COVID-19 outbreak is prolonged, we will see a negative impact on our revenues.

The Company’s management cannot at this point estimate the impact of COVID-19 on its business and no provision for COVID-19 is reflected in the accompanying financial statements. We will continue to actively monitor the situation and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state, local or foreign authorities, or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners and stockholders. It is not clear what the potential effects any such alterations or modifications may have on our business, including the effects on our customers, suppliers or vendors, or on our financial results.

Results of Operations

Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Our summary results for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are below.

Licensing and royalty revenue include 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 year ended December 31, 2020 compared to December 31, 2019, this category decreased $102,373, or 12%, primarily due to decreases revenues generated from Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama properties in 2019. 

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 year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, Television & Home Entertainment revenue decreased $3,352,437 or 70%. This decrease was primarily due to the revenue generated in 2019 from the delivery of the Llama Llama Season 2 to Netflix and Rainbow Rangers Season 1 to Nickelodeon and Shanghai Senyu Media in China. The revenue generated in 2020 was due to the delivery of Rainbow Rangers Season 2 to Nickelodeon.

Advertising sales are generated on the Kartoon Channel in the form of either flat rate promotions or advertising impressions served. Advertising sales increased by $29,476, or 13%, during the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily due to the addition of new distribution partners, increased advertising impressions served and additional ad campaigns in 2020. This was a result of our efforts to continue to grow this area of the business through new distribution channels and with new partners.

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 year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, product sales associated with Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire Club decreased by $438, or 15%.

Marketing and sales expenses increased $87,390, or 12%, for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily due to a slight decrease in marketing and advertising expenses to promote the Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama properties.

Direct operating costs include costs of our product sales, unamortizable post-production 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. Direct operating costs for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $2,444,539, or 54%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2019. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded film and television cost amortization expense of $979,598 and participation expense of $1,043,214, compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, where we recorded expenses of $2,230,024 and $1,690,936, respectively. The decreases in direct operating costs in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the prior year reflect decreases in film amortization expense, participation expense and dubbing costs related to the delivery of Llama Llama to Netflix and the delivery of Rainbow Rangers to Nickelodeon in 2019.

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 year ended December 31, 2020 increased $10,307,243, or 145%, compared to the same period in 2019. This increase is primarily due to an increase of $8,745,186 in stock based compensation, $648,493 in professional fees, and $680,779 in increased salaries and wages. Fluctuations in other general and administrative expenses comprise the balance of the variance.

Interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $372,652, compared to the same period in 2019. The increase in interest expense was due to the costs associated with the Senior Convertible Notes exceeding the face amount of the notes. The excess was recorded as interest expense.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Working Capital

As of December 31, 2020, we had current assets of $108,566,089, including cash and cash equivalents of $100,456,324, and current liabilities of $7,178,906, resulting in working capital of $101,387,183, compared to a negative working capital of $3,650,136 as of December 31, 2019.

Increases in working capital were primarily the result of the increase in cash of $100,151,203 resulting from capital raises and warrant exercises and an increase in prepaid expenses of $6,608,554 resulting from the $500,000 cash payment, issuance of shares and warrants for prepayment of production and marketing services.

Decreases in working capital were primarily the result of the repayment of the Secured Convertible Notes in the amount of $2,373,952, an increase in the warrant derivative liability of $1,197,068, an increase in participations payable.

Comparison of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Our total cash and cash equivalents were $100,456,324 and $305,121 at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, our primary sources of cash from financing activities included the $98,583,549 in net sales of common stock, $5,874,329 from warrant exercises, $6,098,000 in net proceeds from Senior Secured Convertible Notes and $3,600,000 from the collection of the investor notes. During the year ended December 31, 2019, our primary sources of cash from financing activities included the $3,021,552 in net sales of common stock, and $1,345,368 in proceeds from warrant exchanges.

Operating Activities

Cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $7,844,715 as compared to cash used in operating activities of $6,251,150 during the prior period. The increase in cash used in operating activities is primarily due to a decrease in accounts receivable and a loss on extinguishment of debt. The decrease was partially offset by the increase in net loss for 2020 and by the impairment loss on intangible assets in 2019.

The Company incurred a loss before income taxes of $401,669,805 for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to a loss before income taxes of $11,481,245 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in the loss before income taxes is primarily the result of the $10,307,243 in general and administrative expenses, the $210,713,281 increase in the warrant revaluation expense and the $171,835,729 in conversion option revaluation expense.

The Company plans to continue producing, distributing, and marketing animated and live action programming for children. This will require significant investments of capital. The Company is looking to acquire accretive properties and other companies that could add additional broadcast outlets or content. This too will require significant investments of capital.

Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $1,403,190 as compared to a use of $26,976 for the year ended December 31, 2019. Investing activities include $1,000,000 investment in Stan Lee Universe LLC, $300,798 investment in Chizcomm and $102,392 for the development of certain intangible assets and the purchase of furniture and equipment. Investing activities in 2019 include the development of certain intangible assets and the purchase of furniture and equipment.

Financing Activities

Cash generated from financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $109,399,108 as compared to $3,498,221 generated in the comparable period in 2019.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the sources of cash generated from financing activities were $98,583,549 in net sales of common stock, $1,345,368 from warrant exercises and $913,541 of borrowings on the production loan, offset by repayments of $1,992,026 on the production loan.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the sources of cash generated from financing activities were $3,021,552 in net sales of common stock, $5,874,329 from warrant exercises, $6,098,000 in proceeds from Senior Secured Convertible Notes, and $3,600,000 from the collection of the investor notes, offset by $2,866,664 in repayment of the Senior Secured Notes and repayments of $1,992,020 on the production loan.

Capital Expenditures

As of December 31, 2020, we do not have any material commitments for capital expenditures.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our accounting policies are described in the notes to the consolidated 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 consolidated financial statements.

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. In testing goodwill, we initially use a qualitative approach and analyze relevant factors to determine if events and circumstances have affected the value of the goodwill. If the result of this qualitative analysis indicates that the value has been impaired, we then apply a quantitative approach to calculate the difference between the goodwill’s recorded value and its fair value. An impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the recorded value exceeds its fair value. Goodwill, in addition to being tested for impairment annually, is tested for impairment at interim periods if an event occurs or circumstances change such that it is more likely than not that the carrying amount of goodwill may be impaired. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company performed a qualitative analysis of the carrying value of goodwill. Based on the results of our analysis, we concluded that there is no impairment to the goodwill balance and no adjustment is necessary at this time.

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.

Debt and Attached Equity Linked Instruments

The Company measures issued debt on an amortized cost basis, net of debt premium/discount and debt issuance costs amortized using the effective interest rate method or the straight-line method when the latter does not lead to materially different results.

The Company accounts for the proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes payable in accordance with FASB ASC 470-20 Debt with Conversion and Other Options. Pursuant to FASB ASC 470-20, the intrinsic value of the embedded conversion feature (beneficial conversion interest), which is in the money on the commitment date is included in the discount to debt and amortized to interest expense over the term of the note agreement. When the conversion option is not separated, the Company accounts for the entire convertible instrument including debt and the conversion feature as a liability.

The Company analyzes freestanding equity-linked instruments including warrants attached to debt to conclude whether the instrument meets the definition of the derivative and whether it is considered indexed to the Company’s own stock. If the instrument is not considered indexed to Company’s stock, it is classified as an asset or liability recorded at fair value. If the instrument is considered indexed to Company’s stock, the Company analyzes additional equity classification requirements per ASC 815-40 Contract’s in Entity’s Own Equity. When the requirements are met the instrument is recorded as part of Company’s equity, initially measured based on its relative fair value with no subsequent re-measurement. When the equity classification requirements are not met, the instrument is recorded as an asset or liability, measured at fair value with subsequent changes in fair value recorded in earnings.

When required, the Company also considers the bifurcation guidance for embedded derivatives per FASB ASC 815-15 Embedded Derivatives.

Revenue Recognition

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted the new accounting standard ASC 606 (“Topic 606”), Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all the related amendments (“new revenue standard”) using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under ASC 605 (“Topic 605”).

As a result of the change, beginning January 1, 2018, the Company began recognizing revenue related to licensed rights to exploit functional IP in two ways. For minimum guarantees, the Company recognizes fixed revenue upon delivery of content and the start of the license period. For functional IP contracts with a variable component, the Company estimates revenue such that it is probable there will not be a material reversal of revenue in future periods. Revenue under these types of contracts was previously recognized when royalty statements were received. The Company began recognizing revenue related to licensed rights to exploit symbolic IP substantially similarly to functional IP. Although it has a different recognition pattern from functional IP, the valuation method is substantially the same, depending on the nature of the license.

The Company sells advertising on its App and OTT based “Kartoon 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 606 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 we complete our performance obligation, which is when the goods are transferred to the buyer.

Direct Operating Costs

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.

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. The Company has elected to use the graded attribution method for awards which are in-substance, multiple awards based on the vesting schedule.

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.

Concentration of Risk.

The Company’s cash is maintained at three financial institutions and from time to time the balances for this account exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (“FDIC”) insured amount. Balances on interest bearing deposits at banks in the United States are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per account. As of December 30, 2020, the Company had four accounts with an uninsured balance of $99,260,006.

For the year ended December 30, 2020, the Company had two customers whose total revenue exceeded 10% of the total consolidated revenue. Those customers accounted for 44% of the total revenue and 22% of accounts receivable. For the year ended December 30, 2019, the Company had two customers whose total revenue each exceeded 10% of the total consolidated revenue. Those customers accounted for 65% and 57% of the total revenue and accounts receivable respectively for the year ended December 31, 2019 respectively.

The major customers for the year ended December 31, 2020 are the same as the major customers at December 31, 2019. There is significant financial risk associated with a dependence upon a small number of customers. The Company periodically assesses the financial strength of these customers and establishes allowances for any anticipated bad debt. At December 31, 2020, the Company recorded an allowance for doubtful accounts in the amount of $43,676. In 2019, no allowance for bad debt had been established for the major customers as these amounts were expected to be fully collectible.

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 Facility (as defined below) 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.

The Company adopted FASB ASC 820 as of January 1, 2008, 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 March 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-02, Subtopic 926-20 and Subtopic 920-350. The update aligns the accounting for production costs of an episodic television series with the accounting for production costs of films by removing the content distinction for capitalization. The amendments also require that an entity reassess estimates of the use of a film in a film group and account for any changes prospectively. The amendments in this update require that an entity test a film or license agreement for program material within the scope of Subtopic 920-350 for impairment at a film group level when the film or license agreement is predominantly monetized with other films and/or license agreements. For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. We have prospectively adopted ASU 2016-18. The impact to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows were not material.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The update simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments by removing certain separation models in Subtopic 470-20, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options, for convertible instruments. As part of the amendment, the embedded conversion features are no longer separated from the host contract for convertible instruments with conversion features that are not required to be accounted for as derivatives under Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, or that do not result in substantial premiums accounted for as paid-in capital. The FASB has eliminated the cash conversion and beneficial conversion feature models. The FASB has also modified accounting rules relating to application of the scope exception from derivative accounting. The amendments revise the guidance in ASC 815-40-25-10, to remove three out of seven conditions from the settlement guidance, referred to as additional equity classification requirements. Following the above amendments, more convertible debt instruments will be accounted for as a single liability measured at its amortized cost and more convertible preferred stock will be accounted for as a single equity instrument measured at its historical cost, as long as no features require bifurcation and recognition as derivatives. The amendments are effective for public business entities, excluding smaller reporting companies, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, including smaller reporting companies the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We have prospectively adopted ASU No. 2020-06. The impact to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows were not material.

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

Item 7A.                 Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

As a “smaller reporting company,” as defined by Item 10 of Regulation S-K, we are not required to provide information required by this Item.

Item 8.                    Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The financial statements are included herein commencing on page F-1.

Item 9.                    Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Item 9A.                 Controls and Procedures

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer and effected by our board of directors, management, and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP and includes those policies and procedures that:

Because of our inherent limitations, our internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. 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.

Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013 Framework).

Based on this assessment, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and our Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer), has concluded that, as of December 31, 2020, our internal control over financial reporting were effective based on those criteria.

Evaluation of 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 were effective for the year ended December 31, 2020 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 fourth quarter of our last fiscal year that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B.                 Other Information

None.

PART III

Item 10.                  Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Board of Directors, Executive Officers, Promoters and Control Persons

The following table sets forth information about our directors and executive officers as of March 30, 2021:

_______

* Denotes directors who are “independent” under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules.

Our directors hold office until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their successors have been elected and qualified.

Our Board of Directors has reviewed the materiality of any relationship that each of our directors has with the Company, either directly or indirectly. Based upon this review, our Board of Directors has determined that the following members of the Board of Directors are “independent directors” as defined by the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules: Joseph “Gray” Davis, P. Clark Hallren, Michael Klein, Lynne Segall, and Karen McTier and Anthony Thomopoulos.

Andy Heyward, 72, has been the Company’s Chief Executive Officer since November 2013 and the Company’s Chairman of the Board since December 2013. Mr. Heyward co-founded DIC Animation City in 1983 and served as its Chief Executive Officer until its sale in 1993 to Capital Cities/ ABC, Inc. which was eventually bought by The Walt Disney Company in 1995. Mr. Heyward ran the company while it was owned by The Walt Disney Company until 2000 when Mr. Heyward purchased DIC Entertainment L.P. and DIC Productions L.P, corporate successors to the DIC Animation City business, with the assistance of Bain Capital and served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of their acquiring company DIC Entertainment Corporation, until he took the company public on the AIM. He sold the company in 2008. Mr. Heyward co-founded A Squared Entertainment LLC in 2009 and has served as its Co-President since inception. Mr. Heyward earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from UCLA and is a member of the Producers Guild of America, the National Academy of Television Arts and the Paley Center (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio). Mr. Heyward gave the Commencement address in 2011 for the UCLA College of Humanities and was awarded the 2002 UCLA Alumni Association’s Professional Achievement Award. He has received multiple Emmys and other awards for Children’s Entertainment. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Mr. Heyward has produced over 5,000 half hour episodes of award winning entertainment, among them Inspector Gadget; The Real Ghostbusters; Strawberry Shortcake; Care Bears; Alvin and the Chipmunks; Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater; The Super Mario Brothers Super Show; The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog; Sabrina The Animated Series; Captain Planet and the Planeteers; Liberty’s Kids, and many others. Mr. Heyward was chosen as a director because of his extensive experience in children’s entertainment and as co-founder of A Squared Entertainment.

Robert Denton, 61, has been our Chief Financial Officer since April 18, 2018. He served as the Chief Financial Officer of Atlys, Inc. a next-gen media technology company from 2011 to 2018. He has over 30 years of experience as a financial executive, specifically in the entertainment industry. He began his career in 1982 with Ernst & Young handling filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including initial public offerings. He left Ernst & Young in 1990 to work as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer for LIVE Entertainment, Inc. In 1996, LIVE was acquired by Artisan Entertainment, Inc., and, in December 2000, Mr. Denton was promoted to Executive Vice President of Finance and CAO. Mr. Denton also served as the COO of Artisan Home Entertainment, where he directed all financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, manufacturing and distribution of the Home Entertainment Division. Mr. Denton left Artisan at the end of 2003 and joined DIC Entertainment Corporation to serve as their Chief Financial Officer. At DIC, he directed the three-year financial audit, due diligence and preparation of the company’s Admission Documents, and he was responsible for all monthly financial reporting to the Board of Directors as well as the semi-annual reporting to the AIM Exchange of the London Stock Exchange. Mr. Denton left DIC in February 2009 after completing the acquisition and transition of DIC to the Cookie Jar Company. Mr. Denton served as the Chief Financial Officer of Gold Circle Films from 2009 to 2011. From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Denton also owned and operated three Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly, to help better care for his mother. Mr. Denton is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Michael Jaffa, 55, has been the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Company since April 2018. From January 2017 through April 2018, Mike served as Thoughtful Media Group’s (TMG) General Counsel and Global Head of Business Affairs. TMG is a multichannel network focused on Asian markets. At TMG, Mr. Jaffa oversaw all of TMG’s legal matters, established the framework for TMG’s continued growth in international markets, including a franchise plan, the formation of a regional headquarters in South East Asia and assisted with M&A transactions. From September 2013 through December 2016, Mr. Jaffa worked as the Head of Business Affairs for DreamWorks Animation Television, and before that served in a similar role at Hasbro Studios from December 2009 through September 2013. Mr. Jaffa has over 20 years of experience handling licensing, production, merchandising, complex international transactions and employment issues for large and small entertainment companies and technology startups.

Joseph “Gray” Davis, 77, has been a Director of the Company since December 2013. Mr. Davis served as the 37^th governor of California from 1998 until 2003. Mr. Davis currently serves as “Of Counsel” in the Los Angeles, California office of Loeb & Loeb LLP. Mr. Davis has served on the Board of Directors of DIC Entertainment and is a member of the bi-partisan Think Long Committee, a Senior Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs and Co-Chair of the Southern California Leadership Counsel. Mr. Davis received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and received his Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School. Mr. Davis served as lieutenant governor of California from 1995-1998, California State Controller from 1987-1995 and California State Assemblyman from 1982-1986. Mr. Davis was chosen as a director of the Company based on his knowledge of corporate governance.

P. Clark Hallren, 58, has been a Director of the Company since May 2014. Since August 2013, Mr. Hallren has been a realtor with HK Lane/Christie’s International Real Estate and since August 2012, Mr. Hallren has served as an outside consultant to individuals and entities investing or operating in the entertainment industry. From August 2012 to August 2014, Mr. Hallren was a realtor with Keller Williams Realty and from August 2009 to August 2012, Mr. Hallren founded and served as managing partner of Clear Scope Partners, an entertainment advisory company. From 1986 to August 2009, Mr. Hallren was employed by JP Morgan Securities Inc. in various capacities, including as Managing Director of the Entertainment Industries Group. In his roles with JP Morgan Securities, Mr. Hallren was responsible for marketing certain products to his clients, including but not limited to, syndicated senior debt, public and private subordinated debt, public and private equity, securitized and credit enhanced debt, interest rate derivatives, foreign currency and treasury products. Mr. Hallren holds Finance, Accounting and Economics degrees from Oklahoma State University. He also currently holds Series 7, 24 and 63 securities licenses. Mr. Hallren was chosen as a director of the Company based on his knowledge and experience in the entertainment industry as well as in banking and finance.

Michael Klein, 72, was appointed as a Director of the Company since March 7, 2019. Mr. Klein is an accomplished executive, entrepreneur, and financier with substantial experience in media and entertainment, investment banking, professional sports, venture capital funding, and real estate. Prior to starting Camden Capital Management, LLC (CCM), Mr. Klein, since 1996, has led Klein Investment Group after assuming 100% ownership of (and renaming) Iacocca Capital Partners, L.P., where he was Managing Partner from 1994 to 1996. From 1984 to 1993, Mr. Klein was a managing director at Bear Stearns & Company, where he founded and co-directed the Media-Entertainment Group, and Gruntal & Company, where he was Senior Managing Director and a member of the Executive Committee. From 1974 to 1982, Mr. Klein supplied prime time and mini-series content to the major television networks through his company, Michael Klein Productions. Also, during that time, he was an owner and a senior executive officer of the San Diego Chargers, an NFL Football franchise. Mr. Klein has significant experience in the area of corporate financings. He has executed and participated in financing deals, both public and private, ranging from $5 million to over $2 billion. His real estate ventures in Southern California include a 600-acre development in North San Diego, which he sold in various stages. He also has led several real estate ventures in Southern California including the Water Gardens phase two in Santa Monica. Mr. Klein was chosen as a director of the Company based on his knowledge and experience in the entertainment industry as well as in banking and finance.

Margaret Loesch, 74, has been a Director of the Company since March 2015 and the Executive Chairman of the Genius Brands Network since December 2016. Beginning in 2009 through 2014, Ms. Loesch, served as Chief Executive Officer and President of The Hub Network, a cable channel for children and families, including animated features. The Company has, in the past, provided The Hub Network with certain children’s programming. From 2003 through 2009 Ms. Loesch served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of The Hatchery, a family entertainment and consumer product company. From 1998 through 2001 Ms. Loesch served as Chief Executive Officer of the Hallmark Channel, a family related cable channel. From 1990 through 1997 Ms. Loesch served as the Chief Executive Officer of Fox Kids Network, a children’s programming block and from 1984 through 1990 served as the Chief Executive Officer of Marvel Productions, a television and film studio subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment Group. Ms. Loesch obtained her Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. Ms. Loesch was chosen to be a director based on her 40 years of experience at the helm of major children and family programming and consumer product channels.

Lynne Segall, 67, has been a Director of the Company since December 2013. Ms. Segall has served as the Senior Vice President and Publisher of The Hollywood Reporter since June 2011. From 2010 to 2011, Ms. Segall was the Senior Vice President of Deadline Hollywood. From June 2006 to May 2010, Ms. Segall served as the Vice President of Entertainment, Fashion & Luxury advertising at the Los Angeles Times. In 2005, Ms. Segall received the Women of Achievement Award from The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Women in Excellence Award from the Century City Chamber of Commerce. In 2006, Ms. Segall was recognized by the National Association of Women with its Excellence in Media Award. Ms. Segall was chosen to be a director based on her expertise in the entertainment industry.

Anthony Thomopoulos, 82, has been a Director of the Company since February 2014. Mr. Thomopoulos served as the Chairman of United Artist Pictures from 1986 to 1989 and formed Thomopoulos Pictures, an independent production company of both motion pictures and television programs in 1989 and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since 1989. From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Thomopoulos was the President of Amblin Television, a division of Amblin Entertainment. Mr. Thomopoulos served as the President of International Family Entertainment, Inc. from 1995 to 1997. From June 2001 to January 2004, Mr. Thomopoulos served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Media Arts Group, a NYSE listed company. Mr. Thomopoulos served as a state commissioner of the California Service Corps. under Governor Schwarzenegger from 2005 to 2008. Mr. Thomopoulos is also a founding partner of Morning Light Productions. Since he founded it in 2008, Mr. Thomopoulos has operated Thomopoulos Productions and has served as a consultant to BKSems, USA, a digital signage company. Mr. Thomopoulos is an advisor and a member of the National Hellenic Society and holds a degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and sat on its Board of Directors from 1978 to 1988. Mr. Thomopoulos was chosen as a director of the Company based on his entertainment industry experience.

Karen McTier, 61, has been a director of the Company since September 7, 2020. Ms. McTier served as Executive VP, World-Wide Consumer Products for Warner Bros. Pictures. Her career at Warner Bros spanned over two decades from 1988-2016. Ms. McTier managed a vast portfolio of brands including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Wizard of Oz, Friends, Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo, and Harry Potter, to name a few. In this role, Ms. McTier managed over 300 employees (including offices in 13 countries) and had oversight of the global licensing business including sales, promotions and partnerships, marketing, retail, creative, product development, e-commerce, themed entertainment and live events. Ms. McTier worked closely with Warner Bros. Animation, WBTV, DC Comics and Cartoon Network on new content development relevant to merchandising, including numerous animated and live action television series. Ms. McTier has an in-depth of knowledge of all product categories, and broad experience working with major retailers and licensees around the globe. Ms. McTier was also instrumental in the negotiation, execution and launch of Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Hollywood and Osaka, Japan. In addition to Universal, McTier played a key role in managing other theme park projects including the development of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Movie World Australia and Six Flags Theme Parks. Ms. McTier has an expertise in working with producers, directors and authors to bring their vision to life—reaching fans of all ages with targeted merchandise and experiential projects. In 2018, Ms. McTier set up a consulting practice, handling business development for a themed entertainment client, IdeaRworks, and since 2019, McTier’s company serves as the licensing agency of record for Lionsgate Films. Ms McTier was chosen as a director based on her licensing and consumer products experience.

Family Relationships

There are no family relationships between any of our directors and our executive officers.

General

We believe that good corporate governance is important to ensure that the Company is managed for the long-term benefit of our stockholders. This section describes key corporate governance practices that we have adopted.

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

The Board of Directors has responsibility for establishing broad corporate policies and reviewing our overall performance rather than day-to-day operations. The primary responsibility of our Board of Directors is to oversee the management of our company and, in doing so, serve the best interests of the company and our stockholders. The Board of Directors selects, evaluates and provides for the succession of executive officers and, subject to stockholder election, directors. It reviews and approves corporate objectives and strategies and evaluates significant policies and proposed major commitments of corporate resources. Our Board of Directors also participates in decisions that have a potential major economic impact on our company. Management keeps the directors informed of company activity through regular communication, including written reports and presentations at Board of Directors and committee meetings.

Although we have not adopted a formal policy on whether the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions should be separate or combined, we have traditionally determined that it is in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders to partially combine these roles. Due to the small size of the Company, we believe it is currently most effective to have the Chairman and Chief Executive Officers positions combined.

The Company currently has seven directors, including Mr. Heyward, its Chairman, who also serves as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Chairman and the Board are actively involved in the oversight of the Company’s day to day activities.

16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers, directors and any persons who own more than 10% of common stock, to file reports of ownership of, and transactions in, our common stock with the SEV and furnish copies of such reports to us. Based solely on our reviews of the copies of such forms and amendments thereto furnished to us and on written representations from officers, directors, and any other person whom we understand owns more than 10% or our common stock, we found that during 2020, all Section 16(a) filings were made with the SEC on a timely basis.

Code of Conduct and Ethics

We have adopted a Corporate Code of Conduct and Ethics and Whistleblower Policy that applies to all of our officers, directors and employees. A copy of the Code of Conduct and Ethics and Whistleblower Policy can be obtained, free of charge by submitting a written request to the Company or on our website at www,gnusbrands.com. Disclosure regarding any amendments to, or waivers from, provisions of the code of conduct and ethics that apply to our directors, principal executive and financial officers will be posted on the “Investor Relations-Corporate Governance” section of our website at www.gnusbrands.com or included in a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days following the date of the amendment or waiver.

Board Committees

During 2020, our Board of Directors held 8 meetings.

The following table sets forth the three standing committees of our Board and the members of each committee and the number of meetings held by our Board of Directors and the committees during 2020:

The Board of Directors has adopted a policy under which each member of the Board of Directors makes every effort, but is not required, to attend each annual meeting of our stockholders.

To assist it in carrying out its duties, the Board of Directors has delegated certain authority to an Audit Committee, a compensation committee (the “Compensation Committee”) and a Nominating Committee as the functions of each are described below.

Audit Committee

Messrs. Hallren, Klein, and Thomopoulos serve on our Audit Committee. Our Audit Committee’s main function is to oversee our accounting and financial reporting processes, internal systems of control, independent auditor relationships and the audits of our financial statements. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include:

The Board of Directors has adopted an Audit Committee Charter and the Audit Committee reviews and reassesses the adequacy of the Charter on an annual basis. The Audit Committee members meet Nasdaq’s financial literacy requirements and are independent under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules, and the board has further determined that Mr. Hallren (i) is an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined in Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC and (ii) also meets Nasdaq’s financial sophistication requirements.

A copy of the Audit Committee’s written charter is publicly available on our website at www.gnusbrands.com.

Compensation Committee

Messrs. Thomopoulos and Hallren serve on the Compensation Committee and are independent under the applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. Our Compensation Committee’s main functions are assisting our Board of Directors in discharging its responsibilities relating to the compensation of outside directors, the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers, as well as administering any stock incentive plans, we may adopt. The Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include the following:

The Board of Directors has adopted a Compensation Committee Charter and the Compensation Committee reviews and reassesses the adequacy of the Charter on an annual basis.

The Compensation Committee’s policy is to offer our executive officers competitive compensation packages that will permit us to attract and retain highly qualified individuals and to motivate and reward these individuals in an appropriate fashion aligned with the long-term interests of our Company and our stockholders.

Compensation Committee Risk Assessment

We have assessed our compensation programs and concluded that our compensation practices do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

A copy of the Compensation Committee’s written charter is publicly available on our website at www.gnusbrands.com.

Nominating Committee

Ms. Segall and Messrs. Davis and Klein serve on our Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee’s responsibilities include:

The Board of Directors has adopted a nominating committee charter and the Nominating Committee reviews and reassesses the adequacy of the Charter on an annual basis. For all potential candidates, the Nominating Committee may consider all factors it deems relevant, such as a candidate’s personal integrity and sound judgment, business and professional skills and experience, independence, knowledge of the industry in which we operate, possible conflicts of interest, diversity, the extent to which the candidate would fill a present need on the Board of Directors, and concern for the long-term interests of our stockholders.

The Nominating Committee considers issues of diversity among its members in identifying and considering nominees for director, and strives, where appropriate, to achieve a diverse balance of backgrounds, perspectives and experience on the board and its committees.

A copy of the Nominating Committee’s written charter is publicly available on our website at www.gnusbrands.com.

Stockholder Communications to the Board

Generally, stockholders who have questions or concerns should contact our Investor Relations department at 212-564-4700. However, any stockholders who wish to address questions regarding our business directly with the Board of Directors, or any individual director, should direct his or her questions in writing to Genius Brands International, Inc., at 190 N. Canon Drive, 4th Floor, Beverly Hills, California 90210, Attn: Corporate Secretary or by using the “Contact” page of our website www.gnusbrands.com/contact-us. Communications will be distributed to the Board, or to any individual director or directors as appropriate, depending on the facts and circumstances outlined in the communications. Items that are unrelated to the duties and responsibilities of the Board may be excluded, such as:

In addition, any material that is unduly hostile, threatening, or illegal in nature may be excluded, provided that any communication that is filtered out will be made available to any outside director upon request.

Item 11.                EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

This section describes the material elements of compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to each of our named executive officers. Our compensation committee will review and approve the compensation of our executive officers and oversee our executive compensation programs and initiatives.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table provides information regarding the total compensation for services rendered in all capacities that was earned during the fiscal year indicated by our named officers for fiscal year 2020 and 2019.

Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation

Base Salary. In 2020, the Company paid $311,717 to Andy Heyward, $261,158 to Robert L. Denton and $261,880 to Michael A. Jaffa. In 2019, the Company paid $212,500 to Mr. Heyward, $156,871 to Mr. Denton and $159,375 to Mr. Jaffa. Base salaries are used to recognize experience, skills, knowledge and responsibilities required of all of our employees, including our executive officers.

All Other Compensation. On August 31, 2018, Llama Productions LLC entered into an animation production services agreement with Mr. Heyward for services as a producer for which he received $124,000 through the course of production of the Company’s animated series Llama Llama Season 2.

Pursuant to his employment agreement dated November 16, 2018, Mr. Heyward is entitled to an Executive Producer fee of $12,400 per half hour episode for each episode for which he provides services as an executive producer. The first identified series under this employment agreement is Rainbow Rangers. As of March 31, 2019, twenty-six half hours had been delivered and, accordingly, Mr. Heyward was owed $322,400. The second series identified was Rainbow Rangers Season 2. Thirteen half hours of Rainbow Rangers Season 2 were delivered in the fourth quarter of 2019 and, accordingly, Mr. Heyward was owed $161,200. Mr. Heyward was paid the total amount due to him of $483,600 for his producer services on March 17, 2020.

Bonus Compensation. Our named executive officers are expected to be eligible to receive an annual bonus award in accordance with their employment agreements and/or management incentive program then in effect with respect to such executive officer and based on an annualized target of base salary, as specified in their respective employment agreements, if applicable. In fiscal 2019, Mr. Denton and Mr. Jaffa were each paid a $25,000 bonus in fiscal 2020 Mr. Heyward was paid a bonus of $73,528 and Mr. Denton and Mr. Jaffa were each paid two bonuses totaling $150,000.

Equity Based Incentive Awards. We believe that equity grants provide our executives with a strong link to our long-term performance, create an ownership culture and help to align the interests of our executives and our stockholders. In addition, we believe that equity grants with a time-based vesting feature promote executive retention because this feature incentivizes our named executive officers to remain in our employment during the vesting period. Accordingly, our compensation committee and Board periodically review the equity incentive compensation of our named executive officers and from time to time may grant additional equity incentive awards to them in the form of stock options or other awards. As of December 31, 2019, no options granted to our named executive officers have been modified or repriced.

On December 7, 2020, Mr. Heyward received 5,000,000 options with a value of $5,750,000 and 7.500,000 RSUs with a value of $10,425,000. Mr. Heyward also received 7,500,000 performance based RSUs with a value of $10,425,000.

On September 26, 2018, Mr. Denton received 85,088 options with a value of $155,517. On March 7, 2019, Mr. Denton received 15,000 options with a value of $21,814. On December 7, 2020, Mr. Denton received 950,000 options with a value of $1,092,500 and 475,000 RSUs with a value of $660,250.

On September 26, 2018, Mr. Jaffa received 85,088 options with a value of $155,517. On March 7, 2019, Mr. Jaffa received 15,000 options with a value of $21,814. On December 7, 2020, Mr. Jaffa received 1,000,000 options with a value of $1,150,000 and 500,000 RSUs with a value of $695,000.

Employment Agreements

On November 16, 2020, the Company entered into an amended and restated employment agreement with Andy Heyward (the “Andy Heyward Employment Agreement”), whereby Mr. Heyward agreed to serve as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer for a period of five years, subject to renewal, in consideration for an annual salary of $440,000, and an award of 5,000,000 stock options and 15,000,000 RSUs. Mr. Heyward is also eligible to be paid a producing fee equal to $12,500 per half hour episode for each series produced, controlled and distributed by the Company, and for which he provides material production services provided as the executive producer. Additionally, under the terms of the Andy Heyward Employment Agreement, Mr. Heyward shall be eligible for a quarterly discretionary bonus of $55,000 per fiscal quarter, if the Company meets certain criteria, as established by the Board of Directors. Mr. Heyward shall be entitled to reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred in connection with his employment and the Company may take out and maintain during the term of his tenure a life insurance policy in the amount of $1,000,000. During the term of his employment and under the terms of the Andy Heyward Employment Agreement, Mr. Heyward shall be entitled to be designated as composer on all music contained in the programming produced by the Company and to receive composer’s royalties from applicable performing rights societies The Options granted to Mr. Heyward were fully vested on the date of grant. One-half of the RSUs granted to Mr. Heyward vest over time subject to Mr. Heyward’s continued employment, and one-half vest in equal installments on the first, second, third and fourth anniversaries of the date of grant, subject to the achievement of certain performance criteria, to be determined by the Compensation Committee, and subject to Mr. Heyward’s continued employment. In the event of Mr. Heyward’s death or resignation, all compensation then currently due would be payable to his estate.

The CEO Employment Agreement extends and modifies Mr. Heyward’s current employment agreement such that Mr. Heyward is eligible to receive, during the five-year term of the CEO Employment Agreement (i) an annualized base salary of $440,000, (ii) quarterly performance bonuses of up to $55,000, and (iii) producer fees of up to $12,500 per one-half hour episode produced by the Company for up to 52 one-half hour episodes.

The CEO Employment Agreement also entitles Mr. Heyward to separation payments in certain circumstances. In the event Mr. Heyward’s employment terminates due to his death or retirement, in addition to accrued amounts, he is entitled to receive (i) any unpaid quarterly bonus for the fiscal quarter preceding the fiscal quarter in which such termination occurs and (ii) if earned, a pro-rated quarterly bonus for the fiscal quarter in which such termination occurs. In the event Mr. Heyward’s employment terminates due to his permanent disability, in addition to accrued amounts, he is entitled to receive (i) any unpaid quarterly bonus for the fiscal quarter preceding the fiscal quarter in which such termination occurs, (ii) if earned, a pro-rated quarterly bonus for the fiscal quarter in which such termination occurs and (iii) six monthly payments equal to the amount, if any, of his monthly base salary in excess of any disability benefits being received by Mr. Heyward.

On December 7, 2020, the Company entered into an amended and restated agreement, (The COO and General Counsel Employment Agreement) with Michael A. Jaffa in which Mr. Jaffa would assume the role of Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel commencing on December 7, 2020. Mr. Jaffa will be entitled to be paid a salary at the annual rate of $325,000 per year. The term of the agreement is three years. In addition, Mr. Jaffa will be entitled to an annual discretionary bonus based on his performance. In the event of Mr. Jaffa’s death or resignation, all compensation then currently due would be payable to his estate.

The COO and General Counsel Employment Agreement provides Mr. Jaffa with, during the three year term of the General Counsel Employment Agreement (i) an annualized base salary of $325,000 for the first year of the term, $350,000 for the second year of the term and $375,000 for the third year of the term, (ii) discretionary annual bonuses determined in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Compensation Committee”), and (iii) eligibility to receive renewal bonuses of $50,000 beginning within 60 days following the effective date of the General Counsel Employment Agreement and each anniversary thereafter during the term, subject to Mr. Jaffa’s continued employment. The agreement granted Mr. Jaffa 1,000,000 stock option and 500,00 RSUs. The Options granted to Mr. Jaffa were partially vested on the date of grant, and vest with respect to the unvested amounts in substantially equal installments on the first three anniversaries of the grant date, subject to continued employment. The RSUs granted to Mr. Jaffa vest in three equal installments on the first three anniversaries of the date of grant, subject to continued employment. Any unvested Options or RSUs held by Mr. Jaffa will vest upon his termination of employment without Cause or resignation for Good Reason, each as defined in the Option Grant and RSU Grant agreement.

The COO and General Counsel Employment Agreement also entitles Mr. Jaffa to separation payments in certain circumstances. In the event Mr. Jaffa’s employment terminates due to his death or retirement, in addition to accrued amounts, he is entitled to receive any unpaid annual bonus for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which such termination occurs. In the event Mr. Jaffa’s employment terminates due to his permanent disability, in addition to accrued amounts, he is entitled to receive (i) any unpaid annual bonus for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which such termination occurs, and (iii) two monthly payments equal to the amount, if any, of his monthly base salary in excess of any disability benefits being received by Mr. Jaffa.

Additionally, the COO and General Counsel Employment Agreement contains certain restrictive covenants regarding confidential information, intellectual property, non-competition and non-solicitation. This summary of the COO and General Counsel Employment Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the General Counsel Employment Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

On December 7, 2020, the Company entered into an Employment Agreement with Robert L. Denton (the “CFO Employment Agreement”), whereby Mr. Denton agreed to serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, effective as of December 7, 2020 for a period of one year with a mutual option for two additional one-year periods, in consideration for an annual salary of $300,000. Under the terms of the Robert Denton Employment Agreement, Mr. Denton shall be entitled to an annual discretionary bonus based on his performance. The Robert Denton Employment Agreement may be terminated either (i) upon the end of the term, (ii) at any time by the Company for “Cause” (as defined in the Robert Denton Employment Agreement) or (iii) upon an event of retirement, death or disability. Upon the termination or expiration of Mr. Denton’s employment with the Company and for a period of three years thereafter, certain amounts paid to Mr. Denton, including any discretionary bonus and stock based compensation, but excluding his base salary and reimbursement of certain expenses, will be subject to the Company’s clawback right upon the occurrence of certain events which are adverse to the Company, including a restatement of financial statements. In the event of Mr. Denton’s death or resignation, all compensation then currently due would be payable to his estate.

The CFO Employment Agreement provides Mr. Denton with, during the one year term of the CFO Employment Agreement (i) an annualized base salary of $300,000, (ii) discretionary annual bonuses determined in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee, and (iii) eligibility to receive renewal bonuses of $50,000 beginning within 60 days following the effective date of the CFO Employment Agreement and continuing on each anniversary thereafter during the term, subject to Mr. Denton’s continued employment. The agreement granted Mr. Denton 975,000 stock options and 475,000 RSUs. The Options granted to Mr. Denton were partially vested on the date of grant, and vest with respect to the unvested amounts in substantially equal installments on the first three anniversaries of the grant date, subject to continued employment. The RSUs granted to Mr. Denton vest in three equal installments on the first three anniversaries of the date of grant, subject to continued employment. Only unvested Options or RSUs that would have otherwise vested during the then current term of the CFO Employment Agreement will vest upon Mr. Denton’s termination of employment without Cause or resignation for Good Reason, each as defined in the Form Option Grant and Form RSU Grant.

The CFO Employment Agreement also entitles Mr. Denton to separation payments in certain circumstances. In the event Mr. Denton’s employment terminates due to his death or retirement, in addition to accrued amounts, he is entitled to receive any unpaid annual bonus for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which such termination occurs. In the event Mr. Denton’s employment terminates due to his permanent disability, in addition to accrued amounts, he is entitled to receive (i) any unpaid annual bonus for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which such termination occurs, and (ii) two monthly payments equal to the amount, if any, of his monthly base salary in excess of any disability benefits being received by Mr. Denton.

Retirement Benefits

As of December 31, 2020, the Company did not provide any retirement plans to its executive officers or employees.

Potential Payments upon Termination or Change-in-Control

As of December 31, 2020, the Company did not provide for any potential payments upon termination or change of control.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year

The following table sets forth outstanding stock option awards as of December 31, 2020 to each of the named executive officers. As of December 31, 2020, the Company has not granted any stock awards to its executive officers other than to Mr. Heyward, Mr. Denton and Mr. Jaffa as noted below.

 __________________

(1) Mr. Denton’s and Mr. Jaffa’s options vest one third per year for three years.

(2) Mr. Denton’s and Mr. Jaffa’s options vested as of December 31, 2020.

(3) Mr. Denton’s options vest 380,000 upon grant and 190,000 options vest annually for the next three years on the anniversary dates.

(4) Mr. Jaffa’s options vest 400,000 upon grant and 200,000 options vest annually for the next three years on the anniversary dates.

(5) Mr. Heyward’s options vest upon the grant date.

(6) Mr. Heyward was granted 7,500,000 RSUs, with 1,875,000 vesting on each of the next four anniversary dates. Mr. Heyward was also granted 7,500,000 performance based RSUs that, if awarded, vest 1,875,000 on each of the next four anniversary dates.

(7) Mr. Denton’s RSUs vest 155,000 on the first anniversary date, 158,000 on the second anniversary date and 162,000 on the third anniversary date.

(8) Mr. Jaffa’s RSUs vest 166,666 on the first anniversary date, 166,666 on the second anniversary date and 166,668 on the third anniversary date.

Director Compensation

The following table sets forth with respect to the named directors, compensation information inclusive of equity awards and payments made for the year ended December 31, 2020 in the director's capacity as director.

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ITEM 12.                SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table shows the beneficial ownership of shares of our $0.001 par value common stock as of March 29, 2020, known by us through transfer agent and other records held by: (i) each person who beneficially owns 5% or more of the shares of common stock then outstanding; (ii) each of our directors; (iii) each of our named executive officers; and (iv) all of our current directors and executive officers as a group.

The information in this table reflects “beneficial ownership” as defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act. To our knowledge and unless otherwise indicated, each stockholder has sole voting power and investment power over the shares listed as beneficially owned by such stockholder, subject to community property laws where applicable. Percentage ownership is based on 300,273,163 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 29, 2020. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to the following table, each person named in the table has sole voting and investment power and that person’s address is c/o 190 N. Canon Drive, Floor 4, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

___________________

* Indicates ownership less than 1%

Item 13.                CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

Commission regulations define the related person transactions that require disclosure to include any transaction, arrangement or relationship in which the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years in which we were or are to be a participant and in which a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. A related person is: (i) an executive officer, director or director nominee of the Company, (ii) a beneficial owner of more than 5% of our common stock, (iii) an immediate family member of an executive officer, director or director nominee or beneficial owner of more than 5% of our common stock, or (iv) any entity that is owned or controlled by any of the foregoing persons or in which any of the foregoing persons has a substantial ownership interest or control. Described below are certain transactions or relationships between us and certain related persons.

On August 31, 2018, Llama entered into an animation production services agreement with Mr. Heyward for services as a producer for which he is to receive $124,000 through the course of production of the Company’s animated series Llama Llama Season 2. As of December 31, 2019, Mr. Heyward was paid $124,000. No further amounts are due.

Pursuant to his employment agreements dated November 16, 2018 and November 16, 2020, Mr. Heyward is entitled to an Executive Producer fee of $12,400 per half hour episode for each episode he provides services as an executive producer. The first identified series under this employment agreement is Rainbow Rangers. During the year ended December 31, 2020, 13 half hours had been delivered and accordingly Mr. Heyward was paid $161,200, The second identified series under this employment agreement is Rainbow Rangers Season 2. During the year ended December 31, 2020, 26 half hours had been delivered and accordingly Mr. Heyward is owed $322,400.

On July 21, 2020, 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 year ended December 31, 2020, the Company earned $0 in royalties from this agreement.

On September 17, 2019, Mr. Heyward purchased $500,000 of the Secured Convertible Notes from another holder. The Company did not receive any proceeds from this transaction.

On October 2, 2019, Mr. Heyward purchased 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $760,000, or $0.76 per share.

On March 11, 2020, Mr. Heyward purchased $1,000,000 of the 2020 Convertible Notes with an original discount of $250,000.

On June 19, 2020, Mr. Heyward received 5,658,474 shares of Common Stock upon the cashless exercise of 6,119,048 warrants.

On June 23^, 2020, Mr. Heyward received 5,952,381 shares of Common Stock upon conversion of $1,250,000 of 2020 Convertible Notes.

On December 7, 2020, Mr. Heyward was granted 7,500,000 RSUs, which vest 1,875,000 on each of the next four anniversary dates. Mr. Heyward was also granted 7,500,000 performance based RSUs that, if awarded, vest 1,875,000 on each of the next four anniversary dates.

On December 7, 2020, Mr. Heyward’s was granted 5,000,000 options to purchase shares of the Company’s Common Stock at $1.39 per share. The options vest on the grant date.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, Mr. Heyward was paid a bonus of $73,528, $11,370 in interest on the Senior Convertible Notes, and $3,000 in board fees for his attendance at the unscheduled board meetings.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company paid $380,989 for security at Mr. Heyward’s residence.

Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons

Pursuant to the written charter of our Audit Committee, the Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving all transactions both in which (i) we are a participant and (ii) any parties related to us, including our executive officers, our directors, beneficial owners of more than 5% of our securities, immediate family members of the foregoing persons and any other persons whom our Board of Directors determines may be considered related parties under Item 404 of Regulation S-K, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. All the transactions described in this section occurred prior to the adoption of the Audit Committee’s charter.

Corporate Governance

General

We believe that good corporate governance is important to ensure that the Company is managed for the long-term benefit of our stockholders. This section describes key corporate governance practices that we have adopted.

Independence of the Board of Directors

Our determination of the independence of our directors is made using the definition of “independent” contained in the listing standards of the Nasdaq Capital Market. On the basis of information solicited from each director, the board has determined that each of each of Messrs. Davis, Hallren, Klein, Thomopoulos and McTier as well as Ms. Segall are independent directors within the meaning of such rules.

Item 14.                  Principal Accounting Fees and Services

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The following table sets forth fees billed to us by our independent registered public accounting firm for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 for (i) services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and the review of our quarterly financial statements, (ii) services rendered that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements that are not reported as Audit Fees, and (iii) services rendered in connection with tax preparation, compliance, advice and assistance.

Our policy is to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services performed by the independent registered public accounting firm. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services, as follows:

Under our policy, pre-approval is generally provided for particular services or categories of services, including planned services, project-based services and routine consultations. In addition, the Board of Directors may also pre-approve particular services on a case-by-case basis. Our Board of Directors approved all services that our independent registered public accounting firm provided to us in the past two fiscal years.

PART IV

Item 15.                  Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

Financial Statements

See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements at Item 8 herein.

Financial Statement Schedules have been omitted as they are either not required, not applicable, or the information is otherwise included.

EXHIBIT INDEX

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Item 16.                  Form 10-K Summary

None.

SIGNATURES

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

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Andy Heyward and Robert L. Denton, jointly and severally, attorney-in-fact, with the power of substitution in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorney-in-fact, or substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Genius Brands International, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Genius Brands International, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income and comprehensive loss, stockholders' equity and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements (collectively, the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States of America) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current year audit of the financial statements that were communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Film and Television Costs, net

Critical Audit Matter Description

As disclosed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, The Company capitalizes production costs for episodic series produced in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 926-20, Entertainment-Films-Other Assets-Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized and amortized based on the attributable revenue for each contract to the estimated total remaining attributable revenue for each contract. The Company expenses the capitalized costs that exceed the estimated attributable revenue in the period of delivery of the episodes. The Company evaluates its capitalized production costs annually.

Auditing the amortization of the Company's film production costs is complex and subjective due to the judgmental nature of amortization, including estimates of future attributable revenues based on historical experience and signed commitments. If actual revenue differs from these estimates, the pattern and/or period of amortization would be changed and could materially affect the timing and the amount of production costs amortization recognized.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:

·        Testing a selection of film and television costs to ensure appropriate capitalization.

·        Evaluating the significant assumptions used by the Company to develop the estimated attributable revenues for each contract including management’s forecasts of estimated future revenues and future commitments.

·        Performing a look-back analysis of management’s historical estimates compared to actual results.

·        Testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in the analysis.

·        Performing a sensitivity analysis of the estimate future revenues to evaluate the change in amortization of the Company’s costs related from changes in the assumption.

·        Recalculating the amortization expense and performed analytical procedures.

Convertible Debt Financing

Critical Audit Matter Description

As described in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company issued a convertible note to investors in the aggregate principal amount of $13,500,000 along with a warrant to purchase 65,476,190 shares, subject to adjustments of exercise price. The Company accounted for the note as a liability and the conversion option and warrants as freestanding instruments.

We identified the convertible debt financing as a critical audit matter. Accounting for the issuance of convertible note was complex due to the use of complex valuation models to estimate the value of the note, embedded conversion feature, and warrants. The inherent estimation uncertainty was primarily attributed to assumptions used in the valuation models which involved a high degree of subjectivity.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:

/s/ Baker Tilly US, LLP

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2016.

Los Angeles, California

March 31, 2021

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019

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

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Years Ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019

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

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

Years Ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019

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

Genius Brands International, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity

Years Ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019