Genius Brands Appoints President of Kartoon Channel!, Expands Content

Genius Brands has announced the promotion of Jon Ollwerther to president of Kartoon Channel.   

Ollwerther previously served as general manager of Kartoon Channel, and will continue in his role as executive vice president, business development, Genius Brands.

“I am pleased to announce the well-deserved promotion of Jon, in recognition of his significant contributions to the rapid growth and success of our hit kid’s streaming platform, Kartoon Channel” says Andy Heyward, chairman and chief executive officer, Genius Brands.

Prior to joining Genius Brands, Ollwerther served as vice president, media, arts and entertainment, Measure, a drone as a service company. Ollwerther has an extensive credit list of collaborations with brands and advertising agencies.

“I am honored to take on this new role with Genius Brands, as I truly believe we are curating the very best combination of original, exclusive and commercially acquired product within the kids’ entertainment industry,” says Ollwerther.

In addition, Genius Brands continues to grow its content offering with the acquisition of series from third party producers.

From WildBrain, Genius Brands has licensed the rights to “Super Mario Bros.,” “Adventures of Paddington Bear,” “Trollz,” “Madeline” and “Liberty’s Kids.”

From Nelvana, movies and series acquired for Kartoon Channel include “Donkey Kong Country;” Movie specials from the “Franklin” franchise, including “Franklin and the Green Knight,” “Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure,” “A Franklin and Friends Adventure: Polar Explorer,” “A Franklin and Friends Adventure: Deep Sea Voyage,” “Franklin Back to School” and “Franklin’s Magic Christmas,” along with “The Santa Clause Brothers” movie special.

ABC Australia has licensed to the Kartoon Channel the rights to “The Wiggles World” and the “Wiggle Pop” special among others.

 “We are continuing to grow Kartoon Channel!each month, with more and more viewers enjoying what we believe is the very best combination of original, exclusive and acquired content in the kid’s entertainment industry, including our hit ‘Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten,’ starring Arnold Schwarzenegger,” says Ollwerther. “With Lou Fazio, former executive director of programming and acquisitions at Disney Channel, leading the charge, we are excited about our content pipeline, including 240 hours of newly acquired content from partners, including WildBrain, ABC Australia, and Nelvana, which will begin to premier on Kartoon Channel in June.”