Genius Brands International Signs Enesco as Master Gift Licensee for Popular From Frank(TM) Character Brand

BEVERLY HILLS, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 20, 2015) -  Genius Brands International, Inc. "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS), and its wholly owned subsidiary A Squared Entertainment, have finalized a Master Gift licensing agreement with Enesco for its client, From Frank, the humorous character brand that marries clever witticisms and cute canine and feline images to make humans smile. The announcement was made today by GBI's President of Global Consumer Products Stone Newman and Kathi Lentzsch, Enesco's Chief Merchandising Officer.

The agreement with Enesco will significantly broaden the retail presence of the From Frank brand. As part of the deal, Enesco will develop a broad range of traditional gift products featuring the From Frank images and witticisms on gift items such mugs, coasters, notebooks, desk plaques, tote bags, clocks, wall art pet bowls, pet canisters and more. The products will be available for Holiday 2015 through gift stores, mid-tier department stores and Internet retailers.

"You don't have to be a dog or cat lover to appreciate the infectious humor and good-natured advice that From Frank conveys," commented GBI's Newman. "Enesco instantly recognized that the humor making From Frank a leading greeting card line would easily and organically translate to a broad range of gift products. We look forward to collaborating with Enesco to further the reach of the From Frank brand through a broader array of products based on the same great humor that has been a proven market leader since debuting as a greeting card line in 2013 at Target Stores nationally through Recycled Paper Greetings." 

According to Enesco's Lentzsch, "The fun and humor synonymous with the From Frank brand align nicely with Enesco's creative vision for introducing contemporary products that speak to today's consumer, reminding them to take life a little less seriously and, ultimately, making them smile. From Frank complements a number of Enesco's popular brand product lines and augments the humor and fun of our current gift offerings."

From Frank began as a line of witty greeting cards just a few years ago and has grown to become a humor character brand with a tremendous range of new products to be introduced in 2015, including previously announced book and wall calendar (Chronicle Books); lottery tickets (GTECH); sticky notes, boxed cards and notepads (Galison/Mudpuppy); emoticons and a photo bomb app (Bare Tree Media); a 2015 Wall Calendar and 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles (Calendar Club); and pins, stickers, air fresheners, and magnets (Hot Properties). GBI is also currently in discussions with partners to develop pet products, stationery, party supplies, apparel, accessories, plush, novelty and more.

"We could not be more excited than to have a best in class partner like Enesco to help facilitate Frank's goal of making humans smile," said brand owner and founder Kate Smith. "These categories were a high priority for Frank because he knows that mugs, notebooks, and other gift items are seen and used by humans daily so this opportunity to bring a smile to humans everywhere made this the perfect partnership for us as we grow the brand."

About From Frank:
The idea for From Frank, the brainchild of Kate Smith and her French bulldog, Frank the Tank, was born in 2008 when Smith combined images capturing Frank's humorous, human-like personality with the quirky, yet happy, comments she imagined Frank saying. Frank's main goal in life is to make humans smile. And since he's not allowed to venture more than a block from his house, his cards and other gift products help him do that. Frank knows how to live life -- he appreciates the little things and quickly forgets the bad ones.

About Enesco, LLC
Enesco, LLC, is a global leader in the gift, plush toy and home décor industries, serving more than 40,000 customers worldwide. Enesco gift products include some of the world's most recognizable and emerging brands including Jim Shore, Disney, Gund, Department 56, BRITTO, and Our Name Is Mud. Enesco distributes its products to a wide variety of specialty card and gift retailers, home décor boutiques, department stores, large national chains and direct mail retailers. For more information, or to order products, visit www.enesco.com.

About Genius Brands International:
Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS) is a publicly traded global brand management company that creates multimedia content for toddlers to tweens. Led by award-winning creators and producers CEO Andy Heyward and President Amy Moynihan Heyward, GBI creates "content with a purpose," meaning content that is as entertaining as it is enriching. GBI's growing library of content includes the award-winning Baby Genius, Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, Thomas Edison's Secret Lab and Stan Lee's Mighty 7, the first project from Stan Lee Comics, a joint venture with legendary Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment.
For more information, please visit www.gnusbrands.com.

A Squared Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Genius Brands International, is a brand management and licensing company that represents 3^rd party properties across a broad range of categories in territories around the world. The company currently represents Psycho Bunny, a luxury apparel line; From Frank, a humor greeting card and product line; Elecktro Kids and MIP both from Wowee Toys; Celessence Technologies, the world's leading microencapsulation company; and Archie Comics, celebrating its 75th Anniversary as one of the most successful and beloved comic book brands of all time.