BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Genius Brands International, Inc. (“Genius Brands” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: GNUS), a global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia entertainment content for children, today announced the appointment of Dr. Cynthia Turner-Graham to the Company’s Board of Directors. 

Cynthia Turner-Graham, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, who brings over 40 years of experience in the healthcare industry as a practicing psychiatrist, healthcare administrator and community leader. Among her accomplishments, Dr. Turner-Graham is the immediate past president of the Suburban Maryland Psychiatric Society, served as a Director of the Washington Psychiatric Society. and will take the helm of Black Psychiatrists of America as President in 2022. She has served as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at both Vanderbilt University and Howard University Schools of Medicine. 

Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands, stated, “The entire Genius Brands Board of Directors proudly welcomes Dr. Turner-Graham as we focus on building shareholder value, producing positive children’s content, increasing diversity in our company and in the stories we tell. She brings an invaluable skill set and is uniquely qualified to help guide us in that mission as we continue growing our premier kids streaming platform, Kartoon Channel!, and advance our pipeline of tentpole productions.” 

Dr. Turner-Graham recently commented, “I am committed to supporting Genius Brands’ mission of creating programming for children with a purpose. Indeed, the fate of our country is in the hands of the next generation, who will need nation and community-building tools to make our communities places of harmony and civility. As a psychiatrist for more than 30 years, I’m honored to be part of this enterprising and forward-looking company.” 

Lynne Segall, Chair of Genius Brands’ Nominating Committee & Chief Revenue Officer at TheWrap, further noted, “It was my privilege to interview Dr. Turner-Graham and nominate her to join the Genius Brands board. She brings unique skills that are particularly useful for a company such as Genius which focuses on positive content with a purpose for children.” 

Dr. Turner-Graham conducted a number of clinical studies of candidate psychotropic medications as principal or co-principal investigator. Motivated by her administrative and clinical experiences, Dr. Turner-Graham established ForSoundMind Enterprises, Inc in 2004, with a particular focus on enhancing the mental, physical and spiritual health of groups, families, and individuals. Alongside her role as President and CEO of ForSoundMind Enterprises, Inc, she has maintained her private adult and adolescent psychiatry practice in Washington, DC and Rockville, MD for 20 years, where she takes a holistic approach to the comprehensive treatment of individuals and families. Dr. Turner-Graham has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Fisk University, a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kansas, and completed her residency in Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

About Genius Brands International 
Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company’s ‘content with a purpose’ portfolio includes Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal on Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; and entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. Through licensing agreements with leading partners, characters from Genius Brands’ IP also appear on a wide range of consumer products for the worldwide retail marketplace. The Company’s Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Classroom! are available in over 100 million U.S. television households via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, YouTube, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart TVs and LG TVs.