Children’s entertainment veteran to provide counsel to newly elevated channel president Deb Pierson as she spearheads aggressive growth plans for the rapidly expanding platform.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- Genius Brands International, Inc. has engaged multiple award-winning children’s and family media executive Margaret Loesch as Executive Chairman of its Kid Genius Cartoon Channel. Loesch will provide counsel to newly elevated channel President Deb Pierson, promoted from her role as General Manager, as she spearheads aggressive growth plans for the rapidly expanding platform.
In the newly created position of Executive Chairman of Genius Brands’ Kid Genius Cartoon Channel, Loesch brings four decades of unparalleled success in all phases of children’s broadcasting and family entertainment, creating value through some of the most successful kids networks. In addition, her proven track record for overseeing successful content has led to the development and/or production of some of the most iconic programs in children’s television, including Smurfs, My Little Pony, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, X-Men, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, Animaniacs and Transformers. Loesch will collaborate with Pierson to advise on the development of channel brand strategy, expand its coverage and build advertiser participation.
“For decades, Margaret has exemplified the ‘best of the best’ in the children’s broadcast business,” commented Shelly Hirsch, CEO of Beacon Media Group, the largest buyer of children’s media. “This is truly a feather in the cap for the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel and I look forward to seeing the tremendous growth opportunities that will no doubt transpire under her guidance.”
“We are extraordinarily fortunate to have the dean of children’s broadcasters, Margaret Loesch, expand on her role as a board member of Genius Brands International to join the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel as its Executive Chairman, given her outstanding background in creating and building successful kid’s networks,” said Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands. “As founder and CEO of Fox Kids Worldwide, she stewarded the Company until shortly before its sale to the Walt Disney Company for $5.4 billion dollars and in her career, she has repeatedly generated success time and time again.”
“It is truly remarkable what Andy and the Genius Brands’ team have accomplished with the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel in such a short amount of time,” responded Loesch. “I joined the Company’s board of directors last year because I believed in the mission and direction of the Company, and I am excited to provide insight and counsel in collaboration with Deb Pierson to build this video on demand channel into a leading global children’s digital platform.”
Former Kabillion executive Pierson joined Genius Brands in March 2016 as General Manager of the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel and has been responsible for growing the video on demand channel into nearly 50 million U.S. households. Pierson will continue to drive the expansion of the channel both domestically and internationally in collaboration with Loesch.
“There are tremendous opportunities for the channel to explore and I am honored to be working in a greater capacity in expanding the channel, and working with an executive of Margaret’s stature, to make the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel into a #1 destination for kids,” stated Pierson.
Throughout her career, Loesch has held senior roles with numerous leading companies as both a creative and business executive. She was the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hub TV Network, a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro, Inc., and had oversight of all business and creative areas of the network. Loesch was also the first President and CEO of Crown Media United States, responsible for the creation of its U.S. cable television network, Hallmark Channel; and President of Television Worldwide for The Jim Henson Company, where she served as executive producer of Bear in the Big Blue House.
Loesch became the founding President and CEO of Fox Kids Network, Worldwide in 1990, which under her leadership expanded its dominant United States network into Latin America, Australia, and the United Kingdom, before eventually being sold to the Walt Disney Company for $5.4 billion dollars. Prior to that she was President and CEO of Marvel Comics’ film production arm, Marvel Productions, where she executive produced multiple hit series, including G.I. Joe, Transformers, Jem and the Holograms, Dungeons and Dragons, My Little Pony and Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies.
Among Loesch’s industry awards are multiple Emmy Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, a CableFAX Most Powerful Women in Cable Award, a CableFAX 100 Award, an International Film Festival (IFFF) Film Excellence Award, a Vision Award, the prestigious Chair Award from the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers, and Directors, and a career lifetime achievement honor from the Cynopsis Kids !magination Awards.
Pierson brings over 25 years of experience in children’s entertainment experience, including almost six years as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for multiplatform kids’ entertainment channel, Kabillion. Prior to Kabillion, Pierson served as Vice President of Specialty Merchandise for Neopets, where she created the independent retailer merchandise and licensing strategy for the brand, bringing Neopets to market for their 25 million registered users and leading the product development, manufacturing, licensing and sales for the Neopets’ Specialty Merchandise division.
The Kid Genius Cartoon Channel is currently available on Comcast’s Xfinity on Demand platform, as well as across OTT (over-the-top) platforms, including Roku, Apple, Amazon, Sony, Google and Samsung with additional platforms to follow. The channel offers a variety of programming for young viewers (toddlers to age 12) that is aligned with Genius Brands’ mission to provide “content with a purpose,” featuring original programming such as Baby Genius, SpacePOP, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club and Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, as well as shows from other program creators around the world such as Eddie Is A Yeti and Nancy Drew Codes & Clues.
Source: Genius Brands International
