Following its acquisitions of Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media, (WOW!) and Ameba TV, a major investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment (YFE) and the worldwide rollout of Kartoon Channel!/Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse, Genius Brands has announced the promotion of Kerry Phelan to the newly created position of chief brand officer.   

Phelan joined Genius Brands last July as executive vice president and general manager of global franchise management after 30 years in consumer products and retail executive roles at studios, including Lucasfilm, Dreamworks Animation and Pixar, building global campaigns for brands including the “Star Wars” and “Cars” franchises, as well as “Shrek,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “Madagascar,” among others. 

Her role is expanding to include global brand building across all Genius Brands’ businesses. As chief brand officer, Phelan will build out a 360° ecosystem with multiple consumer touchpoints while driving revenue for the company. She will be responsible for overall global brand strategy, consumer products, brand partnerships and collaborations, brand experiences, retail development and more for a roster of kids’ properties, including “Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten,” “Shaq’s Garage,” “Stan Lee Universe” and “Rainbow Rangers.” 

“It’s a tremendous privilege for us to have an executive of Kerry’s caliber, with her successful track record of launching some of the most successful brands in entertainment history, from ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Cars,’ leading the charge as we continue to launch new IP into the market and roll out existing brands on a global scale,” says Andy Heyward, chief executive officer, Genius Brands International. “Genius Brands is experiencing its most significant growth to date with our slate of acquisitions further bolstering our content catalog and giving us a greater worldwide footprint, and we are in a solid position to take our company to the next level and achieve our goals of delivering quality children’s franchises to the marketplace and revenue to our shareholders.” 

“In less than a year of joining Genius Brands, I am excited to be a part of a company that is leading the charge in the kids’ space to deliver innovative, purpose-driven brands to the marketplace while building a global platform to reach kids anywhere, anytime with quality content,” says Phelan. “It is truly amazing to be a part of the team at Genius Brands and to play a role in the growth of the company, and I look forward to the years ahead as we continue to build our brands and platform on a global scale.”