Kartoon Studios, Inc. 10-Q

10-Q 1 genius_10q-093020.htm FORM 10-Q Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-Q (Mark One) x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020 o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the transition period from ___________ to ___________ Commission file number: 001-37950 GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Nevada 20-4118216 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 190 N. Canon Drive, 4 th FL Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) 310-273-4222 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share GNUS The Nasdaq Capital Market Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒ Emerging growth company ☐ If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒ Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: 256,429,900 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, were outstanding as of November 16, 2020. GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC. FORM 10-Q For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2020 Table of Contents PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION 3 Item 1. Financial Statements. 3 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. 34 Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk. 45 Item 4. Controls and Procedures. 45 PART II - OTHER INFORMATION 46 Item 1. Legal Proceedings. 46 Item 1A. Risk Factors. 46 Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds. 47 Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities. 47 Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures. 47 Item 5. Other Information. 47 Item 6. Exhibits. 48 SIGNATURES 49 2 PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. Genius Brands International, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019 September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 (unaudited) ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 50,461,566 $ 305,121 Accounts Receivable, net 2,399,363 4,101,679 Inventory, net – 9,277 Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets 2,004,029 230,172 Total Current Assets 54,864,958 4,646,249 Property and Equipment, net 60,021 64,876 Right Of Use Assets, net 2,024,983 4,009,837 Film and Television Costs, net 11,300,812 9,906,885 Lease Deposits 43,001 368,001 Investment in Stan Lee Universe, LLC 500,000 – Intangible Assets, net 39,432 51,583 Goodwill 10,365,806 10,365,806 Total Assets $ 79,199,013 $ 29,413,237 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY Current Liabilities: Accounts Payable $ 715,367 $ 946,450 Accrued Expenses 223,767 124,940 Participations Payable 2,652,825 2,271,613 Deferred Revenue 775,396 664,887 Secured Convertible Notes, net – 2,373,952 Payroll Protection Program 366,267 – Warrant Derivative Liability 1,622,995 – Lease Liability 139,401 598,747 Due To Related Party 151,451 1,084,315 Accrued Salaries and Wages 343,442 231,481 Total Current Liabilities 6,990,911 8,296,385 Long Term Liabilities: Deferred Revenue 4,530,611 4,444,066 Lease Liability 2,109,142 3,569,345 Production Facility, net 1,506,519 3,091,739 Disputed Trade Payable 925,000 925,000 Total Liabilities 16,062,183 20,326,535 Stockholders’ Equity Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, 100 and 1,097 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively – 1 Common Stock, $0.001 par value, 400,000,000 shares authorized 219,029,900 and 21,877,724 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively 219,030 21,878 Additional Paid in Capital 521,911,592 75,117,076 Accumulated Deficit (458,988,674 ) (66,047,135 ) Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (5,118 ) (5,118 ) Total Stockholders' Equity 63,136,830 9,086,702 Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity $ 79,199,013 $ 29,413,237 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 3 Genius Brands International, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Revenues: Licensing & Royalties $ 199,572 $ 174,261 $ 565,696 $ 674,107 Television & Home Entertainment 31,375 3,147,411 409,837 4,292,972 Advertising Sales 42,715 147,034 191,728 184,716 Product Sales 330 290 2,149 2,396 Total Revenues 273,992 3,468,996 1,169,410 5,154,191 Operating Expenses: Marketing and Sales 364,869 97,541 606,125 405,751 Direct Operating Costs 219,451 2,841,358 886,972 3,929,187 General and Administrative 3,042,178 2,092,734 7,173,594 5,298,865 Total Operating Expenses 3,626,498 5,031,633 8,666,691 9,633,803 Loss from Operations (3,352,506 ) (1,562,637 ) (7,497,281 ) (4,479,612 ) Other Income (Expense): Interest Income 69,699 1,294 98,039 17,081 Loss on Extinguished Debt – (1,080,664 ) – (4,432,819 ) Loss on Lease Termination (342,060 ) (342,060 ) – Warrant Revaluation Expense 1,556,574 – (210,672,085 ) – Conversion Option Revaluation Expense – – (171,835,729 ) – Sub-Lease Income 78,277 117,416 316,762 314,869 Interest Expense (17,193 ) (30,642 ) (1,168,801 ) (697,386 ) Net Other Income (Expense) 1,345,297 (992,596 ) (383,603,874 ) (4,798,255 ) Loss Before Income Tax Expense (2,007,209 ) (2,555,233 ) (391,101,155 ) (9,277,867 ) Income Tax Expense – – – – Net Loss (2,007,209 ) (2,555,233 ) (391,101,155 ) (9,277,867 ) Beneficial Conversion Feature on Preferred Stock – (1,686,667 ) – (2,008,907 ) Net Loss Applicable to Common Shareholders $ (2,007,209 ) $ (4,241,900 ) $ (391,101,155 ) $ (11,286,774 ) Net Loss per Common Share (Basic And Diluted) $ (0.01 ) $ (0.38 ) $ (3.63 ) $ (1.07 ) Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (Basic and Diluted) 218,991,119 11,241,440 107,786,940 10,538,309 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 4 Genius Brands International, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019 (unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Net Loss $ (2,007,209 ) $ (2,555,233 ) $ (391,101,155 ) $ (9,277,867 ) Beneficial Conversion Feature on Preferred Stock – (1,686,667 ) – (2,008,907 ) Comprehensive Net Loss to Common Shareholders $ (2,007,209 ) $ (4,241,900 ) $ (391,101,155 ) $ (11,286,774 ) The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 5 Genius Brands International, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019 (unaudited) Common Stock Preferred Stock Additional Paid-In Accumulated Other Comprehensive Shares Amount Shares Amount Capital Deficit Loss Total Balance, December 31, 2019 21,877,724 $ 21,878 1,097 $ 1 $ 75,117,076 $ (66,047,135 ) $ (5,118 ) $ 9,086,702 Value of Preferred Stock Conversion 3,171,428 3,172 (667 ) (1 ) (3,171 ) – – – Proceeds from Securities Purchase Agreement, net 4,000,000 4,000 – – 911,296 – – 915,296 Proceeds From Warrant Exchange, net 500,000 500 – – 169,500 – – 170,000 Issuance of Common Stock for Services 43,077 43 – – 27,957 – – 28,000 Share Based Compensation – – – – 23,814 – – 23,814 Net Loss – – – – – (5,835,944 ) – (5,835,944 ) Balance, March 31, 2020 29,592,229 29,593 430 – 76,246,472 (71,883,079 ) (5,118 ) 4,387,868 Proceeds from Securities Purchase Agreement, net 47,500,000 47,500 – – 43,792,875 – – 43,840,375 Issuance of Common Stock for Services 49,610 50 – – 190,950 – – 191,000 Share Based Compensation – – – – 328,497 – – 328,497 Value of Preferred Stock Conversion 1,571,430 1,571 (330 ) – (1,571 ) – – – Derivative Liability Adjustment – – – – 171,835,729 – – 171,835,729 Note Conversion 65,476,190 65,476 – – (120,662 ) – – (55,186 ) Warrant Exercise 74,666,711 74,667 – – 8,159,358 (1,840,384 ) – 6,393,641 Warrant Revaluation – – – – 219,034,621 – – 219,034,621 Warrants Issued For Services – – – – 519,513 – – 519,513 Net Loss – – – – – (383,258,002 ) – (383,258,002 ) Balance, June 30, 2020 218,856,170 218,857 100 – 519,985,782 (456,981,465 ) (5,118 ) 63,218,056 Proceeds from Securities Purchase Agreement, net – – – – – – – – Issuance of Common Stock for Services 157,060 157 – – 131,344 – – 131,501 Share Based Compensation – – – – 411,825 – – 411,825 Warrant Exercise 16,670 16 – – 54,995 – – 55,011 Warrants Issued For Services – – – – 1,327,646 – – 1,327,646 Net Loss – – – – – (2,007,209 ) – (2,007,209 ) Balance, September 30, 2020 219,029,900 $ 219,030 100 $ – $ 521,911,592 $ (458,988,674 ) $ (5,118 ) $ 63,136,830 6 Genius Brands International, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (continued) Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019 (unaudited) Common Stock Preferred Stock Additional Paid-In Accumulated Other Comprehensive Shares Amount Shares Amount Capital Deficit Loss Total Balance, December 31, 2018 9,457,859 $ 9,458 2,120 $ 2 $ 63,537,915 $ (50,702,486 ) $ (5,118 ) $ 12,839,771 Cumulative effect of adoption ASC 842 – – – – – (4,306 ) – (4,306 ) Warrants Issued As Part Of Debt Extinguishment – – – – 1,287,962 – – 1,287,962 Value Of Beneficial Conversion Feature – – – – (213,700 ) – – (213,700 ) Proceeds from Securities Purchase Agreement, net 945,894 946 – – 1,756,606 – – 1,757,552 Issuance of Common Stock for Services 28,965 29 – – 71,939 – – 71,968 Share Based Compensation – – – – 35,749 – – 35,749 Value of Beneficial Conversion Feature – – – – 322,240 (322,240 ) – – Net Loss – – – – – (5,007,482 ) – (5,007,482 ) Balance, March 31, 2019 10,432,718 10,433 2,120 2 66,798,711 (56,036,514 ) (5,118 ) 10,767,514 Issuance of Common Stock for Services 43,022 43 – – 80,800 – – 80,843 Share Based Compensation – – – – 57,407 – – 57,407 Net Loss – – – – – (1,715,152 ) – (1,715,152 ) Balance, June 30, 2019 10,475,740 10,476 2,120 2 66,936,918 (57,751,666 ) (5,118 ) 9,190,612 Issuance of Common Stock for Services 511,731 512 – – 423,776 – – 424,288 Share Based Compensation – – – – 49,263 – – 49,263 Value of Beneficial Conversion Feature – – – – 1,686,667 (1,686,667 ) – – Warrants Issued As Part Of Debt Extinguishment – – – – 957,867 – – 957,867 Proceeds From Warrant Exchange, net 945,894 946 – – 667,613 – – 668,559 Value of Warrant Inducement – – – – 181,884 (181,884 ) – – Net Loss – – – – – (2,555,233 ) – (2,555,233 ) Balance, September 30, 2019 11,933,365 $ 11,934 2,120 $ 2 $ 70,903,988 $ (62,175,450 ) $ (5,118 ) $ 8,735,356 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 7 Genius Brands International, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019 (unaudited) September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Cash Flows from Operating Activities: Net Loss $ (391,101,155 ) $ (9,277,867 ) Adjustments to Reconcile Net Loss to Net Cash Used in Operating Activities: Amortization of Film and Television Costs 395,073 1,907,222 Depreciation and Amortization Expense 379,047 216,410 Accretion of Discount on Secured Convertible Notes (7,288 ) 288,609 Bad Debt 92,659 – Stock Issued for Services 350,501 119,798 Share Based Compensation Expense 764,137 142,420 Warrant Revaluation Expense 210,672,085 – Loss On Lease Termination 342,060 – Loss On Extinguishment of Debt – 4,432,819 Conversion Option Revaluation Expense 171,835,729 – Debt Discount in Excess of the Principal 1,031,852 – Decrease (Increase) in Operating Assets: Accounts Receivable, net 1,608,314 (1,761,137 ) Other Receivable – 18,592 Inventory, net 9,277 3,298 Prepaid Expenses & Other Assets (55,750 ) (143,932 ) Lease Deposits 325,000 (43,001 ) Film and Television Costs, net (1,789,000 ) (2,324,023 ) Increase (Decrease) in Operating Liabilities: Accounts Payable (458,974 ) 182,577 Accrued Salaries & Wages 111,961 104,594 Deferred Revenue 197,054 5,859 Participations Payable 381,212 1,220,536 Due To Related Party (432,864 ) 134,800 Accrued Expenses 32,491 136,010 Net Cash Used in Operating Activities (5,316,579 ) (4,636,416 ) Cash Flows from Investing Activities: Investment in Stan Lee Universe, LLC (500,000 ) – Investment in Intangible Assets (22,500 ) – Investment in Property & Equipment (32,426 ) (26,976 ) Net Cash Used in Investing Activities (554,926 ) (26,976 ) Cash Flows from Financing Activities: Payments On Lease liability (159,247 ) (115,567 ) Proceeds from Sale of Securities Purchase Agreement, net 44,755,671 1,757,552 Proceeds From Warrant Exchange 5,874,329 668,558 Proceeds from Senior Secured Convertible Notes, net 6,098,000 – Proceeds from Payroll Protection Program 366,267 – Collection Of Investor Notes 3,600,000 – Repayment of Secured Convertible Notes (2,866,664 ) (970,834 ) Note Conversion Costs (55,186 ) – Repayment of Production Facility, net (1,585,220 ) 872,218 Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities 56,027,950 2,211,927 Net Increase/(Decrease) in Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash 50,156,445 (2,451,465 ) Beginning Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash 305,121 3,085,026 Ending Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash $ 50,461,566 $ 633,561 Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information: Cash Paid for Interest $ 468,468 $ 435,129 Schedule of Non-Cash Financing and Investing Activities Issuance of Common Stock for production services – 457,300.85 Beneficial Conversion Feature – 2,008,907.00 Senior Convertible notes were converted into 65,476,190 shares of Common Stock 58,522,601 warrants were exercised on a cashless basis resulting in the issuance of 52,551,716 shares of Common Stock 13,750,000.00 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 8 Genius Brands International, Inc. Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements September 30, 2020 (unaudited) Note 1: Organization and Business Organization and Nature of Business Genius Brands International, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”) is a global content and brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content. Led by experienced industry personnel, we distribute our content in all formats as well as a broad range of consumer products based on our characters. In the children's media sector, our portfolio features “content with a purpose” for toddlers to tweens, which provides enrichment as well as entertainment. New intellectual property titles include the preschool property Rainbow Rangers , which debuted in November 2018 on Nickelodeon and which was renewed for a second season and preschool property Llama Llama, which debuted on Netflix in January 2018 and was renewed by Netflix for a second season. Our library titles include the award winning Baby Genius , adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab ® and Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett, which is distributed across our Genius Brands Network on Comcast’s Xfinity on Demand, AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Cox, Dish, Sling and Zumo as well as Connected TV. We are also developing an all-new animated series, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten with Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment, Oak Productions and Alibaba. Arnold Schwarzenegger lends his voice as the lead and is also an Executive Producer on the series. The show will be broadcast in the United States on Amazon Prime and the Company’s wholly owned distribution outlet, Kartoon Channel!. In July, 2020, the Company entered into a binding term sheet with POW, Inc. (“POW!”) in which we agreed to form an entity with POW! to exploit certain rights in intellectual property created by Stan Lee, as well as the name and likeness of Stan Lee. The entity is called “Stan Lee Universe, LLC” and POW! and the Company are finalizing the details of the venture. In addition, we act as licensing agent for Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House LLC who owns or controls the underlying rights to Llama Llama , leveraging our existing licensing infrastructure to expand this brand into new product categories, new retailers, and new territories. The Company commenced operations in 2006, assuming all the rights and obligations of its then Chief Executive Officer, under an Asset Purchase Agreement between the Company and Genius Products, Inc., in which the Company obtained all rights, copyrights, and trademarks to the brands “Baby Genius,” “Kid Genius,” “123 Favorite Music” and “Wee Worship,” and all then existing productions under those titles. In 2011, the Company reincorporated in Nevada and changed its name to Genius Brands International, Inc. (the “Reincorporation”). In connection with the Reincorporation, the Company changed its trading symbol to “GNUS.” In 2013, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Merger Agreement”) with A Squared Entertainment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“A Squared”), A Squared Holdings LLC, a California limited liability company and sole member of A Squared (the “Parent Member”), and A2E Acquisition LLC, its newly formed, wholly-owned Delaware subsidiary (“Acquisition Sub”). Upon closing of the transactions, A Squared, as the surviving entity, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Liquidity Historically, the Company has incurred net losses. For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, the Company reported net losses of $2,007,209 and $2,555,233, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, the Company reported net losses of $391,101,155 and $9,277,867, respectively. The Company reported net cash used in operating activities of $5,316,579 and $4,636,416 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, and September 30, 2019, respectively. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $458,988,674 and total stockholders’ equity of $63,136,830. At September 30, 2020, the Company had current assets of $54,864,958, including cash and cash equivalents of $50,461,566 and current liabilities of $6,990,911. The Company had working capital of $47,874,047 as of September 30, 2020, compared to negative working capital of $3,650,136 as of December 31, 2019. 9 Prior to the Company’s successful capital raises, the Company applied for a loan pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) as interpreted and applied by the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”). The application was approved and on April 30,2020, the Company received a loan with a principal amount of $366,267. The loan has an interest rate of one percent (1%) per year and matures on April 19, 2021. The loan may be eligible, in whole or in part, for forgiveness pursuant to the PPP. The Company shall apply to the lender for loan forgiveness in accordance with the PPP as implemented by SBA. The Company reported the proceeds from the PPP loan as debt using the effective interest rate method. Warrant Exercise Agreement On January 22, 2020, the Company entered into a private transaction (the “Private Transaction”) pursuant to a Warrant Exercise Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the holder of the Company’s existing warrants (the “Original Warrants”). The Original Warrants were originally issued on October 3, 2017, to purchase an aggregate of 500,000 shares of Common Stock (as defined below) at an exercise price of $3.90 per share and were to expire in October 2022. Pursuant to the Agreement, the holder of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holder would exercise its Original Warrants in full and the Company would amend the Original Warrants to reduce the exercise price thereof to $0.34 (the average closing price (as reflected on Nasdaq.com) of the Common Stock (as defined below) for the five trading days immediately preceding the signing of the Agreement) (the “Amended Exercise Price”). The Company received $170,000 from the exercise of the Original Warrants. Secured Convertible Note and Warrant Private Placement On March 11, 2020, the Company and certain accredited investors (each an “Investor” and collectively, the “Investors”) entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “SPA”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell and issue (1) Senior Secured Convertible Notes to the Investors in the aggregate principal amount of $13,750,000 (each, a “Note” and collectively, the “2020 Convertible Notes”) and $11,000,000 funding amount (reflecting an original issue discount of $2,750,000) and (2) warrants to purchase 65,476,190 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), exercisable for a period of five years at an initial exercise price of $0.26 per share (each a “Warrant” and collectively, the “Warrants”), for consideration consisting of (i) a cash payment of $7,000,000, and (ii) full recourse cash secured promissory notes payable by the Investors to the Company (each, an “Investor Note” and collectively, the “Investor Notes”) in the principal amount of $4,000,000 (the “Investor Notes Principal”) (collectively, the “Financing”). Andy Heyward, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, participated as an Investor and invested $1,000,000 in connection with the Financing, all of which was paid at the closing and not pursuant to an Investor Note. The closing of the sale and issuance of the 2020 Convertible Notes, the Warrants and the Placement Agent Warrants (as defined below) described below in Note 10 occurred on March 17, 2020 (the “Closing Date”). The maturity date of the 2020 Convertible Notes is September 30, 2021 and the maturity date of the Investor Notes is March 11, 2060. 2020 Convertible Notes can be converted at the investor’s option into Common Stock at the conversion rate of $1.375 per share to be adjusted to $0.21 per share upon receipt of stockholder approval and subject to certain other adjustments, according to the terms of the 2020 Convertible Notes (the “Conversion Price”). On May 15, 2020, the Company received the necessary stockholder approval in connection with the Nasdaq proposals described below in Note 10. As a result, the Conversion Price and the exercise price of the Warrants were each reduced to $0.21. The 2020 Convertible Notes can be converted at the Company’s option, provided certain conditions are met, into Common Stock at the lower of the Conversion Price and 85% of the average of the five lowest daily weighted average prices of the Company’s shares during the measuring period, according to the terms of the 2020 Convertible Notes. Between June 10 and June 23, 2020, the 2020 Convertible Notes were converted and repaid through the issuance of 65,476,190 shares of Common Stock. 10 March 2020 Securities Purchase Agreement On March 22, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “March Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the March Investors, an aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $0.2568 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $1.0 million before deducting offering expenses. May 2020 Securities Purchase Agreements On May 7, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 7 th Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 7 th Investors, an aggregate of 8,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $0.35 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $2.8 million before deducting offering expenses. On May 8, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 8 th Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 8 th Investors, an aggregate of 12,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $0.454 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $5.448 million before deducting offering expenses. On May 18, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 18 th Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 18 th Investors, an aggregate of 7,500,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.20 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $9.0 million before deducting offering expenses. On May 28, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 28 th Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 28 th Investors, an aggregate of 20,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.50 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $30.0 million before deducting offering expenses. Between May 18 and June 11, 2020, the Company received $5,649,319, net of expenses, from the exercise of 29,666,283 warrants at an exercise price of $0.21 per share. On June 23, 2020, the Company received $3,600,000 from the payment of the Investor Notes Principal. Between July 21 and July 28, 2020, the Company received $50,511, net of expenses, from the exercise of 16,670 warrants at an exercise price of $3.30 per share. Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The accompanying 2020 and 2019 condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAP”). 11 Principles of Consolidation The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Genius Brands International, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiaries A Squared LLC, Llama Productions LLC, Rainbow Rangers Productions LLC and its partially owned subsidiary Stan Lee Universe LLC. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805 Business Combinations. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with initial maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the Company had Cash and Cash Equivalents of $50,461,566 and $305,121, respectively. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Accounts receivable are presented on the balance sheets net of estimated uncollectible amounts. The Company assesses its accounts receivable balances on a quarterly basis to determine collectability and records an allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts in an amount approximating anticipated losses based on historical experience and future expectations. Individual uncollectible accounts are written off against the allowance when collection of the individual accounts appears doubtful. The Company had an allowance for doubtful accounts of $92,659 for September 30, 2020 and $0 as of December 31, 2019. Inventory Inventories are stated at the lower of average cost or net realizable value and consist of finished goods such as DVDs, CDs and other products. A reserve for slow-moving and obsolete inventory is established for all inventory deemed potentially non-saleable. The current inventory is considered properly valued and saleable. The Company concluded that there was an appropriate reserve for slow moving and obsolete inventory of $0 at both September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019. Property and Equipment Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation on property and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from two to seven years. Maintenance, repairs, and renewals, which neither materially add to the value of the assets nor appreciably prolong their lives, are charged to expense as incurred. Gains and losses from any dispositions of property and equipment are reflected in the condensed consolidated statement of operations. 12 Right of Use Leased Assets In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, “Leases.” The standard requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases on the balance sheet. A lessee should recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The new guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments should be applied at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach with earlier application permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Leases (“Topic 842”), Targeted Improvements, which allows for an additional optional transition method where comparative periods presented in the financial statements in the period of adoption will not be restated and instead those periods will be presented under existing guidance in accordance with ASC 840, Leases. Management used this optional transition method. As of January 1, 2019, management recorded lease liability of $2,071,903, right-of-use asset of $2,153,747, accumulated amortization of $124,070, a reversal of previously recorded deferred rent of $37,920 and the increase in accumulated deficit of $4,306. Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations accounted for by the purchase method. In accordance with FASB ASC 350 Intangibles Goodwill and Other, goodwill and certain intangible assets are presumed to have indefinite useful lives and are thus not amortized, but subject to an impairment test annually or more frequently if indicators of impairment arise. The Company completes the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests at the end of each fiscal year. To test for goodwill impairment, we are required to estimate the fair market value of each of our reporting units, of which we have one. While we may use a variety of methods to estimate fair value for impairment testing, our primary method is discounted cash flows. We estimate future cash flows and allocations of certain assets using estimates for future growth rates and our judgment regarding the applicable discount rates. Changes to our judgments and estimates could result in a significantly different estimate of the fair market value of the reporting units, which could result in an impairment of goodwill or indefinite lived intangible assets in future periods. Other intangible assets have been acquired, either individually or with a group of other assets, and were initially recognized and measured based on fair value. Annual amortization of these intangible assets is computed based on the straight-line method over the remaining economic life of the asset. Debt and Attached Equity-Linked Instruments The Company measures issued debt on an amortized cost basis, net of debt premium/discount and debt issuance costs amortized using the effective interest rate method or the straight-line method when the latter does not lead to materially different results. The Company accounts for the proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes payable in accordance with FASB ASC 470-20 Debt with Conversion and Other Options. Pursuant to FASB ASC 470-20, the intrinsic value of the embedded conversion feature (beneficial conversion interest), which is in the money on the commitment date is included in the discount to debt and amortized to interest expense over the term of the note agreement. When the conversion option is not separated, the Company accounts for the entire convertible instrument including debt and the conversion feature as a liability. 13 The Company analyzes freestanding equity-linked instruments including warrants attached to debt to conclude whether the instrument meets the definition of the derivative and whether it is considered indexed to the Company’s own stock. If the instrument is not considered indexed to Company’s stock, it is classified as an asset or liability recorded at fair value. If the instrument considered indexed to Company’s stock, the Company analyzes additional equity classification requirements per ASC 815-40 Contract’s in Entity’s Own Equity. When the requirements are met the instrument is recorded as part of the Company’s equity, initially measured based on its relative fair value with no subsequent re-measurement. When the equity classification requirements are not met, the instrument is recorded as an asset or liability and is measured at fair value with subsequent changes in fair value recorded in earnings. When required, the Company also considers the bifurcation guidance for embedded derivatives per FASB ASC 815-15 Embedded Derivatives. Film and Television Costs The Company capitalizes production costs for episodic series produced in accordance with FASB ASC 926-20 Entertainment-Films - Other Assets - Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized at actual cost and then charged against revenue based on the initial market revenue evidenced by a firm commitment over the period of commitment. The Company expenses all capitalized costs that exceed the initial market firm commitment revenue in the period of delivery of the episodes. The Company capitalizes production costs for films produced in accordance with FASB ASC 926-20 Entertainment - Films - Other Assets - Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized at actual cost and then charged against revenue quarterly as a cost of production based on the relative fair value of the film(s) delivered and recognized as revenue. The Company evaluates its capitalized production costs annually and limits recorded amounts by their ability to recover such costs through expected future sales. In March 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-02, Entertainment-Films-Other Assets-Film Costs (“Subtopic 926-20”) and Entertainment-Broadcasters Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Subtopic 920-350). The update aligns the accounting for production costs of an episodic television series with the accounting for production costs of films by removing the content distinction for capitalization. The amendments also require that an entity reassess estimates of the use of a film in a film group and account for any changes prospectively. The amendments in this update require that an entity test a film or license agreement for program material within the scope of Subtopic 920-350 for impairment at a film group level when the film or license agreement is predominantly monetized with other films and/or license agreements. For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. We have prospectively adopted ASU 2019-02. The impact to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows were not material. Additionally, for both episodic series and films, from time to time, the Company develops additional content, improved animation and bonus songs/features for its existing content. After the initial release of the film or episodic series, the costs of significant improvement to existing products are capitalized while routine and periodic alterations to existing products are expensed as incurred. Revenue Recognition On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted the new accounting standard ASC 606 (“Topic 606”), Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all the related amendments (“new revenue standard”) using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under ASC 605 (“Topic 605”). 14 As a result of the change, beginning January 1, 2018, the Company began recognizing revenue related to licensed rights to exploit functional IP in two ways. For minimum guarantees, the Company recognizes fixed revenue upon delivery of content and the start of the license period. For functional IP contracts with a variable component, the Company estimates revenue such that it is probable there will not be a material reversal of revenue in future periods. Revenue under these types of contracts was previously recognized when royalty statements were received. The Company began recognizing revenue related to licensed rights to exploit symbolic IP substantially similarly to functional IP. Although it has a different recognition pattern from functional IP, the valuation method is substantially the same, depending on the nature of the license. The Company sells advertising on its App and OTT based “Kartoon Channel! in the form of either flat rate promotions or impressions served. For flat rate promotions with a fixed term, the Company recognizes revenue when all five revenue recognition criteria under FASB ASC 606 are met. For impressions served, the Company delivers a certain minimum number of impressions on the channel to the advertiser for which the advertiser pays a contractual CPM per impression. Impressions served are reported to the Company on a monthly basis, and revenue is reported in the month the impressions are served. The Company recognizes revenue related to product sales when (i) the seller’s price is substantially fixed, (ii) shipment has occurred causing the buyer to be obligated to pay for product, (iii) the buyer has economic substance apart from the seller, and (iv) there is no significant obligation for future performance to directly bring about the resale of the product by the buyer. Direct Operating Costs Direct operating costs include costs of our product sales, non-capitalizable film costs, film and television cost amortization expense, and participation expense related to agreements with various animation studios, post-production studios, writers, directors, musicians or other creative talent with which we are obligated to share net profits of the properties on which they have rendered services. Share-Based Compensation As required by FASB ASC 718 - Stock Compensation, the Company recognizes an expense related to the fair value of our share-based compensation awards, including stock options, using the Black-Scholes calculation as of the date of grant. The Company has elected to use the graded attribution method for awards which are in-substance, multiple awards based on the vesting schedule. Earnings Per Share Basic earnings (loss) per common share (“EPS”) is calculated by dividing net income (loss) applicable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS is calculated by dividing net income (loss) applicable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding, plus the assumed exercise of all dilutive securities using the treasury stock or “as converted” method, as appropriate. During periods of net loss, all common stock equivalents are excluded from the diluted EPS calculation because they are antidilutive. Income Taxes Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using presently enacted tax rates. At each balance sheet date, the Company evaluates the available evidence about future taxable income and other possible sources of realization of deferred tax assets and records a valuation allowance that reduces the deferred tax assets to an amount that represents management’s best estimate of the amount of such deferred tax assets that more likely than not will be realized. 15 Concentration of Risk The Company’s cash is maintained at three financial institutions and from time to time the balances for this account exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (“FDIC”) insured amount. Balances on interest bearing deposits at banks in the United States are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per account. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had four accounts with an uninsured balance of $49,459,910. For the three months ended September 30, 2020, the Company had two customers whose total revenue exceeded 10% of the total consolidated revenue. Those customers accounted for 24% of the total revenue and 16% of accounts receivable. One other customer accounted for 70% of accounts receivable. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company had one customer whose total revenue exceeded 10% of the total consolidated revenue. That customer accounted for 23% of the total revenue and 0% of accounts receivable. One other customer accounted for 70% of accounts receivable. For three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company had two customers whose total revenue each exceeded 10% of the total consolidated revenue. Those customers accounted for 52% and 57% of the total revenue respectively for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 respectively. The Company had three customers that represented 75% of accounts receivable as of September 30, 2019. Fair value of financial instruments The carrying amounts of cash, receivables, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to the short-term maturity of the instruments. The carrying amount of the Facility (as defined below) approximates fair value since the debt carries a variable interest rate that is tied to either the current Prime or LIBOR rates plus an applicable spread. The Company adopted FASB ASC 820 as of January 1, 2008, for financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis. FASB ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with U.S. GAAP and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. FASB ASC Topic 820 establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements). These tiers include: · Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets; · Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and · Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In March 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-02, Subtopic 926-20 and Subtopic 920-350. The update aligns the accounting for production costs of an episodic television series with the accounting for production costs of films by removing the content distinction for capitalization. The amendments also require that an entity reassess estimates of the use of a film in a film group and account for any changes prospectively. The amendments in this update require that an entity test a film or license agreement for program material within the scope of Subtopic 920-350 for impairment at a film group level when the film or license agreement is predominantly monetized with other films and/or license agreements. For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. We have prospectively adopted ASU 2016-18. The impact to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows were not material. 16 In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The update simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments by removing certain separation models in Subtopic 470-20, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options, for convertible instruments. As part of the amendment, the embedded conversion features are no longer separated from the host contract for convertible instruments with conversion features that are not required to be accounted for as derivatives under Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, or that do not result in substantial premiums accounted for as paid-in capital. The FASB has eliminated the cash conversion and beneficial conversion feature models. The FASB has also modified accounting rules relating to application of the scope exception from derivative accounting. The amendments revise the guidance in ASC 815-40-25-10, to remove three out of seven conditions from the settlement guidance, referred to as additional equity classification requirements. Following the above amendments, more convertible debt instruments will be accounted for as a single liability measured at its amortized cost and more convertible preferred stock will be accounted for as a single equity instrument measured at its historical cost, as long as no features require bifurcation and recognition as derivatives. The amendments are effective for public business entities, excluding smaller reporting companies, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, including smaller reporting companies the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is in the process of assessing the impact of the amendments to Company’s consolidated financial statements. Various other accounting pronouncements have been recently issued, most of which represented technical corrections to the accounting literature or were applicable to specific industries and are not expected to have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Note 3: Property and Equipment, Net The Company has property and equipment as follows as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019: September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Furniture and Equipment $ 19,419 $ 19,419 Computer Equipment 162,308 144,643 Leasehold Improvements 14,182 14,182 Software 30,498 15,737 Property and Equipment, Gross 226,407 193,981 Less Accumulated Depreciation (166,386 ) (129,105 ) Property and Equipment, Net $ 60,021 $ 64,876 During the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company recorded depreciation expense of $10,206 and $9,378, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company recorded depreciation expense of $37,281 and $28,223, respectively. Note 4: Right Of Use Leased Asset Right of use asset consisted of the following as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019: September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Office Lease Asset $ 2,245,093 $ 4,387,956 Printer Lease Asset 12,374 12,374 Right Of Use Asset, Gross 2,257,467 4,400,330 Office Lease Accumulated Amortization (223,074 ) (383,118 ) Printer Lease Accumulated Amortization (9,410 ) (7,375 ) Right Of Use Asset, Net $ 2,024,983 $ 4,009,837 17 During the three months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded amortization expense of $89,412. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded amortization expense of $307,115. On September 15, 2020, the Company entered into a Surrender Agreement with the landlord which terminated the lease agreement. As a result, the Company recorded decreases in the Right Of Use asset, accumulated amortization, and the lease liability of $2,142,863, $465,124 and $1,760,302 respectively. The termination of the lease resulted in a loss of $85,676. Note 5: Film and Television Costs, Net As of September 30, 2020, the Company had net Film and Television Costs of $11,300,812, compared to $9,906,885 at December 31, 2019. The increase primarily relates to the production costs associated with Rainbow Rangers Season 2 and development of Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten offset by the amortization of Rainbow Rangers Season 1 and Llama Llama Seasons 1 and 2. During the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company recorded Film and Television Cost amortization expense of $101,716 and $1,285,237, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company recorded Film and Television Cost amortization expense of $395,073 and $1,907,222, respectively. The following table highlights the activity in Film and Television Costs of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019: Total Film and Television Costs, Net as of December 31, 2018 $ 8,166,131 Additions to Film and Television Costs 3,920,013 Capitalized Interest 50,765 Film Amortization Expense (2,230,024 ) Film and Television Costs, Net as of December 31, 2019 9,906,885 Additions to Film and Television Costs 1,789,000 Capitalized Interest – Film Amortization Expense (395,073 ) Film and Television Costs, Net as of September 30, 2020 $ 11,300,812 Note 6: Investment In Stan Lee Universe In July 2020, the Company and POW! entered into an agreement to form an entity “Stan Lee Universe, LLC” (the “SLU”). SLU will hold worldwide rights, on a perpetually renewing basis, to the name, physical likeness, and physical signature of Stan Lee. Further, the SLU will have access to the POW! catalogue of intellectual property, created by Stan Lee, to exploit in live-action and animated motion pictures, television, online, digital, publishing, comic book, and merchandising and licensing. As currently agreed, the Company will be the managing partner of the JV. As part of the agreement the Company agreed to contribute $2,000,000 in cash to SLU and $200,000 to in kind contribution of resources including office space equipment for a 50% ownership in SKU. The $2,000,000 cash contribution is payable in monthly payments of $250,000 starting August 2020. 18 POW! will contribute for a 35% ownership in SLU: · All right, title, and interest to the name, image, likeness, voice, signature, unique characteristics, and other personality rights recognized under California Civil Code Section 3344.1, and similar laws, to Stan Lee. · All trademarks containing the “Stan Lee” name, including but not limited to the trademark “Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten” (U.S. Serial No. 88653662); · All copyrights and related contractual rights POW! owns in or has rights to in the work entitled, “Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten”; and · The websites and associated social media accounts operated under the name “TheRealStanLee”. As an initial contribution and in exchange for a 15% ownership in SLU, the individuals granted shall contribute certain ongoing services to the SLU. The parties are in the process of finalizing the SLU operating agreement. As of September 30,2020, the Company has contributed $500,000 to the entity. Note 7: Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Net Goodwill In 2013, the Company recognized $10,365,806 in Goodwill, representing the excess of the fair value of the consideration for the merger over net identifiable assets acquired. Pursuant to FASB ASC 350-20, Goodwill is not subject to amortization but is subject to annual review to determine if certain events warrant impairment to the Goodwill asset. Through September 30, 2020, the Company has not recognized any impairment to Goodwill. Intangible Assets, Net The Company had the following intangible assets as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019: September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Trademarks (a) $ 129,831 $ 129,831 Other Intangible Assets (a) 295,028 272,528 Intangible Assets, Gross 424,859 402,359 Less Accumulated Amortization (b) (385,427 ) (350,776 ) Intangible Assets, Net $ 39,432 $ 51,583 (a) Pursuant to FASB ASC 350-30-35, the Company reviews these intangible assets periodically to determine if the value should be retired or impaired due to recent events. Through September 30, 2019, the Company has not recognized any impairment expense related to these assets. (b) During the three months ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, the Company recognized $13,013 and $9,456, respectively, in amortization expense related to the Trademarks, Product Masters, and Other Intangible Assets. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, the Company recognized $34,651 and $28,949, respectively, in amortization expense related to the Trademarks, Product Masters, and Other Intangible Assets. 19 Expected future intangible asset amortization as of September 30, 2020 is as follows: 2020 12,624 2021 11,692 2022 9,195 2023 5,187 2024 734 Total $ 39,432 Note 8: Deferred Revenue As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the Company had total short term and long term deferred revenue of $5,306,007 and $5,108,953, respectively. Deferred revenue includes both (i) variable fee contracts with licensees and customers in which the Company had collected advances and minimum guarantees against future royalties and (ii) fixed fee contracts. The Company recognizes revenue related to these contracts when all revenue recognition criteria have been met. Included in the deferred revenue balance as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 is the $3,370,315 which is the remaining balance from the total $3,489,583 advance against future royalty that Sony paid to the Company for both the foreign and domestic distribution rights. Note 9: Accrued Liabilities – Current As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the Company has the following current accrued liabilities: September 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Other Accrued Expenses (a) $ 223,767 $ 124,940 Accrued Salaries and Wages (b) 343,442 231,481 Total Accrued Liabilities – Current $ 567,209 $ 356,421 (a) Represents accrued interest, insurance liability, legal fees, and commissions. (b) Represents accrued salaries and wages and accrued vacation payable to employees for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019. Note 10: Secured Convertible Notes On August 17, 2018, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “August 2018 Purchase Agreement”) with certain investors (the “Investors”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell (i) an aggregate principal amount of $4.50 million in secured convertible notes, convertible into shares of our Common Stock, at a conversion price of $2.50 per share (the “August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes”) and (ii) warrants to purchase 1,800,000 shares of our Common Stock at an exercise price of $3.00 per share (the “Warrants,” and, together with the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes, the “Securities”). We received approximately $4,500,000 in gross proceeds from the Offering. The August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes were our senior secured obligations and were secured by certain tangible and intangible property of the Company as described in the August 2018 Purchase Agreement. During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company recognized $7,288 of discount amortization which is included in interest expense. 20 In conjunction with the February 2019 Offering (as defined below) and concurrent private placement, we entered into an amendment, waiver and consent agreement, or the “Amendment, Waiver and Consent Agreement,” with certain holders of our August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes. Pursuant to the Amendment, Waiver and Consent Agreement, such holders agreed to amend the August 2018 Purchase Agreement, waive any applicable rights and remedies under the August 2018 Purchase Agreement, and consent to the February 2019 Offering and concurrent private placement. In consideration for such Amendment, Waiver and Consent Agreement, we agreed to issue such holders warrants to purchase up to an aggregate amount 1,800,000 shares of our Common Stock. Such warrants have an exercise price of $2.55 per share, will become exercisable commencing six months and one day from the date of issuance and will expire five (5) years from the date of issuance. The issuance of the warrants resulted in a modification of debt in accordance with ASC 470 and is characterized as an extinguishment of debt in accordance with ASC-470-50-40. In accordance with ASC-470-50-40-2 the Company derecognized the existing debt as if it was extinguished and recorded the new debt, with the difference between the reacquisition price of the new debt and the net carrying amount of the extinguished debt, $2,064,193 being recorded as a loss on the extinguishment of debt. On March 16, 2020, the holders of the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes were repaid in full including interest. Note 11: Senior Secured Convertible Notes On March 11, 2020, the Company and the Investors entered into the SPA pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell and issue (1) the 2020 Convertible Notes and $11,000,000 funding amount (reflecting an original issue discount of $2,750,000) and (2) the Warrants, for consideration consisting of (i) a cash payment of $7,000,000, and (ii) the Investor Notes in the principal amount of $4,000,000. Andy Heyward, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, participated as an Investor and invested $1,000,000 in connection with the Financing, all of which was paid at the closing and not pursuant to an Investor Note. The closing of the sale and issuance of the 2020 Convertible Notes, the Warrants and the Placement Agent Warrants occurred on March 17, 2020. The maturity date of the 2020 Convertible Notes is September 30, 2021 and the maturity date of the Investor Notes is March 11, 2060. The SPA contains certain representations and warranties, covenants and indemnities customary for similar transactions. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the SPA, the 2020 Convertible Notes and the Warrants, the Company agreed that the following will apply or become effective only following Stockholder Approval: (1) the conversion price of the 2020 Convertible Notes shall be reduced to $0.21 per share and may be further reduced to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”), (2) the exercise price of the Warrants shall be immediately reduced to $0.21 per share and may be further reduced to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors, (3) the 2020 Convertible Notes and Warrants shall each have full ratchet anti-dilution protection for subsequent financings (subject to certain exceptions), (4) existing warrant holders that are participating in the Financing (representing warrants to purchase an aggregate of 8,715,229 shares of Company Common Stock) will have their existing warrants’ exercise prices reduced to $0.21 and (5) the investors shall have a most favored nations right which provides that if the Company enters into a subsequent financing, then the Investors (together with their affiliates) at their sole discretion shall have the ability to exchange their 2020 Convertible Notes on a $1 for $1 basis into securities issued in the new transaction. Additionally, in the event that any warrants or options (or any similar security or right) issued in a subsequent financing include any terms more favorable to the holders thereof (less favorable to the Company) than the terms of the Warrants, the Warrants shall be automatically amended to include such more favorable terms. On May 15, 2020, the Company received necessary Stockholder Approval in connection with the Nasdaq proposals described above. As a result, the conversion price of the 2020 Convertible Notes and the exercise price of the Warrants were each reduced to $0.21. In addition, existing warrant holders that participated in the Financing (representing warrants to purchase an aggregate of 9,172,463 shares of Common Stock) also had their existing warrants’ exercise prices reduced to $0.21. 21 Amortization of Principal The 2020 Convertible Notes provide that the Company will repay the principal amount of 2020 Convertible Notes in equal monthly installments of 1/12th of the principal amount of the 2020 Convertible Notes beginning October 31, 2020 and the last business day of each calendar month anniversary thereafter (each an “Installment Date”). On each Installment Date, assuming the Equity Conditions described below are met and Stockholder Approval has been obtained, all or some of the Installment Amount (as defined in the 2020 Convertible Notes) shall be converted into shares of Common Stock, provided however that the Company may elect prior to any Installment Date to pay all or a portion of the installment amount in cash, under certain conditions in the SPA. Any holder of a 2020 Convertible Note may, by notice to the Company, accelerate future installment payments to any applicable Installment Date, in which case the Company will deliver shares of Common Stock for the conversion of such accelerated payments (the “Accelerated Amount”), regardless of whether the Installment Amount scheduled to be paid on such applicable Installment Date shall be paid in cash, shares of Common Stock or a combination thereof. In the event that the Investor delivers one or more such notices of acceleration, the aggregated Accelerated Amount shall not be greater than six (6) times such Investor’s pro rata amount. If the Company fails to redeem the Company Redemption Amount on the applicable Installment Date by payment of the Company Installment Redemption Price on such date, then at the option of the Investor designated in writing to the Company (any such designation shall be deemed a “Conversion Notice” pursuant to the 2020 Convertible Notes), (i) the Investor shall have the rights set forth in the 2020 Convertible Notes as if the Company failed to pay the applicable Company Installment Redemption Price and all other rights as an Investor in the 2020 Convertible Notes (including, without limitation, such failure constituting an Event of Default described in the 2020 Convertible Notes) and (ii) the Investor may require the Company to convert all or any part of the Company Redemption Amount at the Company Conversion Price as in effect on the applicable Installment Date. Subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations, until the Company Installment Redemption Price is paid in full, the Company Redemption Amount may be converted, in whole or in part, by the Investor into Common Stock. In the event the Investor elects to convert all or any portion of the Company Redemption Amount prior to the applicable Installment Date as set forth in the immediately preceding sentence, the Company Redemption Amount so converted shall be deducted in reverse order starting from the final Installment Amount to be paid on the final Installment Date, unless the Investor otherwise indicates and allocates among any Installment Dates in the applicable Conversion Notice. Payment of Investor’s Notes The Company will receive the applicable portion of the Investor Notes Principal due upon each voluntary or mandatory prepayment of the Investor Notes. The Investors may, at their option and at any time, voluntarily prepay the Investor Notes, in whole or in part. The Investor Notes are also subject to mandatory prepayment, in whole or in part, upon the occurrence of one or more of the mandatory prepayment events. The Company may require an investor to prepay the Investor Notes provided certain conditions are met including but not limited to the following: Stockholder Approval has been obtained, and no Event of Default as defined in the terms of the 2020 Convertible Notes took place. The Investor Notes also contain certain offset rights of the Company and the Investors, which if exercised, would reduce the amount outstanding under 2020 Convertible Notes and the Investor Notes by the same amount and, accordingly, the cash proceeds received by the Company from the investors. These offset rights are triggered by specific occurrences that could jeopardize an Investor’s investment. On the maturity date of the 2020 Convertible Notes, the outstanding principal amount owed by an Investor to the Company under such Investor Note shall be satisfied and cancelled in exchange for the cancellation of an equal amount owed the Company to such Investor under the related 2020 Convertible Notes. The Company reports the Investor Notes and the respective portion of the Convertible Notes that may be offset against the Investor Notes on a “gross” basis, i.e. as an asset and a liability, respectively. 22 Optional Redemption at Company’s Election At any time after the date of issuance of the 2020 Convertible Notes, the Company will have the right to redeem a portion or all of the 2020 Convertible Notes in cash at prices depending on certain conditions as described in the SPA. Conversion of the 2020 Convertible Notes Each 2020 Convertible Note is convertible, at the option of the holder, into shares of Common Stock at an initial conversion price of $1.375, subject to adjustment as provided in the 2020 Convertible Notes; provided, however, upon receipt of Stockholder Approval, the conversion price shall be $0.21, subject to adjustment as provided in the 2020 Convertible Notes. On or after the date Stockholder Approval is obtained, if the Company issues or sells, or the Company publicly announces the issuance or sale of, any shares of Common Stock, or convertible securities or options issuable or exchangeable into Common Stock (a “New Issuance”), under which such Common Stock is sold for a consideration per share less than the Conversion Price then in effect, the Conversion Price of the 2020 Convertible Notes will be adjusted to the New Issuance price in accordance with the formulas provided in the 2020 Convertible Notes. Any such adjustment will not apply with respect to the issuance of Excluded Securities (as defined in the 2020 Convertible Notes). Upon Stockholder Approval, the Conversion Price may be further reduced to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors. The Company classified the detachable warrants as derivative financial liabilities that are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis separately from debt. The Company classified investors’ and Company’s conversion options as a compound embedded derivative liability recorded separately from the debt. The amount of debt discount arising from the separate accounting of the above financial instruments at March 17, 2020 was $10,729,852. On May 15, 2020 stockholders of the Company approved the reduction of the Conversion Price to $0.21. During the three months ended June 30, 2020 the Investors converted their 2020 Convertible Notes in accordance with the terms of the agreement. $105,000 of the 2020 Convertible Notes were converted on June 6, 2020 with the remainder of $13,645,000 converted on June 23, 2020. As part of the conversion accounting, the Company increased the equity by the sum of the carrying amounts of the debt and separated conversion option liabilities, with no gain or loss recognized. Overall amount credited to equity per the above accounting treatment was 1,990,413 on June 6, 2020 and 169,845,316 on June 23, 2020. The Company estimated that the fair value of the investor’s conversion options and the fair value of Company’s conversion options at March 17, 2020 and March 31, 2020 were immaterial. The estimated fair value of the investor’s conversion options associated with $105,000 of debt immediately before the conversion on June 6, 2020 was 1,990,408. The estimated fair value of the investor’s conversion options associated with $13,645,000 of debt immediately before the conversion on June 12, 2020 was $169,845,321. The Company estimated that the fair value of Company’s conversion option on both conversion dates was immaterial. During the three months ended June 30, 2020, the Company recognized a revaluation loss of $171,835,729 associated with the 2020 Convertible Notes conversion options. Additionally, the Company recognized revaluation loss associated with detachable warrants of $208,760,698. During the three months ended September 30, 2020 the Company recognized a revaluation gain of $1,556,574 associated with the remaining detachable warrants. Company’s interest expense associated with the 2020 Convertible Notes was $0 and $ 1,033,666, respectively for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. The interest expense included $631,852 excess of discount over the 2020 Convertible Notes’ principal. The discount is mainly attributable to detachable warrants and 20% original issuance discount. The amount of unamortized discount at September 30, 2020 is $0. The Company recognizes interest expense associated with 2020 Convertible Notes using the effective interest rate method. On June 23, 2020, the Company received $3,600,000, net of expenses, from the payment of the Investor Notes Principal. Between June 10 and June 23, 2020, the 2020 Convertible Notes were converted and repaid through the issuance of 65,476,190 shares of Common Stock. 23 Note 12: Production Loan Facility On August 8, 2016, Llama Productions LLC (“Llama”) closed a $5,275,000 multiple draw-down, secured, non-recourse, non-revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) with Bank Leumi USA (the “Lender”) to produce its animated series Llama Llama , (the “Series”) which is configured as fifteen half-hour episodes comprised of thirty 11-minute programs that were delivered to Netflix in fall 2017. The Facility is secured by the license fees the Company will receive from Netflix for the delivery of the Series as well as the Company’s copyright in the Series. The Facility has a term of 40 months and has an interest rate of either Prime plus 1% or one, three, or six-month LIBOR plus 3.25%. As a condition of the loan agreement with Bank Leumi, the Company deposited $1,000,000 into a cash account to be used solely to produce the Series. Additionally, the Facility contains certain standard affirmative and negative non-financial covenants such as maintaining certain levels of production insurance and providing standard financial reports. As of September 30, 2020, the Company was in compliance with these covenants. On September 28, 2018, Llama entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the “Loan and Security Agreement”) with the Lender, pursuant to which the Lender agreed to make a secured loan in an aggregate amount not to exceed $4,231,989 to Llama (the “Loan”). The proceeds of the Loan will be used to pay the majority of the expenses of producing, completing and delivering two 22-minute episodes and sixteen 11- minute episodes of the second season of the animated series Llama Llama to be initially exhibited on Netflix. To secure payment of the Loan, Llama has granted to the Lender a continuing security interest in and against, generally, all of its tangible and intangible assets, which includes all seasons of the Llama Llama animated series. Under the Loan and Security Agreement, Llama can request revolving loan advances under (a) the Prime Rate Loan facility and (b) the LIBOR Loan facility, each as further described in the Loan and Security Agreement attached as an exhibit hereto. Prime Rate Loan advances shall bear interest, on the outstanding balance thereof, at a fluctuating per annum rate equal to 1.0% plus the Prime Rate (as such term is defined in the Loan and Security Agreement), provided that in no event shall the interest rate applicable to Prime Rate Loans be less than 4.0% per annum. LIBOR Loan advances shall bear interest, on the outstanding balance thereof, for the period commencing on the funding date and ending on the date which is one (1), three (3) or six (6) months thereafter, at a per annum rate equal to 3.25% plus the LIBOR determined for the applicable Interest Period (as such terms are defined in the Loan and Security Agreement), provided that in no event shall the interest rate applicable to LIBOR Loans be less than 3.25% per annum. The Maturity Date of the Prime Rate Loan facility and LIBOR Loan facility is March 31, 2021. Interest rates on advances under the Loan and Security Agreement were between 3.48% and 4.25% as of September 30, 2020. In addition, on September 28, 2018, Llama and the Lender entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Loan and Security Agreement, effective as of August 27, 2018, by and between Llama and the Lender (the “Amendment”). Pursuant to the Amendment, the original Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of August 8, 2016 and amended as of November 7, 2017 (the “Original Loan and Security Agreement”), was amended to (i) reduce the loan commitment thereunder to $1,768,010, and (ii) include the Llama Llama season two obligations under the Loan and Security Agreement as obligations under the Original Loan and Security Agreement. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had gross outstanding borrowing under the facility of $1,506,519. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had gross outstanding borrowing under the facility of $3,091,739. Note 13: Disputed Trade Payable As part of the merger in 2013, the Company assumed certain liabilities from a previous member of A Squared which has claimed certain liabilities totaling $925,000. The Company disputes the basis for this liability. As of December 31, 2017, the Company believed that the statute of limitations applicable to the assertion of any legal claim relating to the collection of these liabilities has expired and therefore believes this liability is not owed. 24 Note 14: Stockholders’ Equity Common Stock As of September 30, 2020, the total number of authorized shares of Common Stock was 400,000,000. On January 8, 2020, the Company issued 43,077 shares of Common Stock valued at $0.65 per share to a provider for investor relations services. On January 15, 2020, the Company issued 3,171,428 shares of Common Stock in exchange for 667 shares of Preferred Stock at a conversion price of $0.21 per share. On January 22, 2020, the Company entered into the Private Transaction pursuant to the Agreement with the holder of the Original Warrants. The Original Warrants were originally issued on October 3, 2017, to purchase an aggregate of 500,000 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $3.90 per share and were to expire in October 2022. Pursuant to the Agreement, the holder of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holder would exercise its Original Warrants in full and the Company would amend the Original Warrants to reduce the exercise price thereof to the Amended Exercise Price. The Company received approximately $170,000 from the exercise of the Original Warrants. On March 22, 2020, the Company entered into the Purchase Agreement with the Investors, pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in the Registered Offering, an aggregate of 4,000,000 shares Common Stock at an offering price of $0.2568 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $1.0 million before deducting offering expenses. The Registered Offering closed on March 25, 2020. On May 7, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with the May 7 th Investors, pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 7 th Investors, an aggregate of 8,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $0.35 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $2.8 million before deducting offering expenses. On May 8, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with the May 8 th Investors, pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 8 th Investors, an aggregate of 12,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $0.454 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $5.448 million before deducting offering expenses. On May 18, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with the May 18 th Investors, pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 18 th Investors, an aggregate of 7,500,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.20 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $9.0 million before deducting offering expenses. On May 28, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with the May 28 th Investors, pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 28 th Investors, an aggregate of 20,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.50 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $30.0 million before deducting offering expenses. Between May 18 and June 11, 2020, the Company received $5,649,319, net of expenses, from the exercise of 29,666,283 warrants at an exercise price of $0.21 per share. Between May 15 and June 19, 2020 certain warrant holders exercised 50,014,895 warrants in cashless transactions resulting in the issuance of 45,000,428 shares of Common Stock. Between May 18 and June 24, 2020, the Company issued 1,571,430 shares of Common Stock in exchange for 330 shares of Preferred Stock at a conversion price of $0.21 per share. 25 On June 22, 2020, the Company issued 49,610 shares of Common Stock valued at $3.85 per share to a provider for investor relations services. Between June 10 and June 23, 2020, the 2020 Convertible Notes were converted and repaid through the issuance of 65,476,190 shares of Common Stock. On July 15, 2020, the Company issued 32,609 shares of Common Stock valued at $2.30 per share to a provider for marketing services. On July 21, 2020, the Company received $55,011, net of expenses, from the exercise of 16,670 warrants at an exercise price of $0.454. On July 22, 2020, the Company issued 124,451 shares of Common Stock valued at $2.30 per share to a provider for marketing services As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019, there were 219,029,900 and 21,877,724 shares of Common Stock outstanding, respectively. Preferred Stock The Company has 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock authorized with a par value of $0.001 per share (the “Preferred Stock”). The Board of Directors is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, without further vote or action by our stockholders, to issue from time to time shares of Preferred Stock in one or more series. Each series of Preferred Stock will have such number of shares, designations, preferences, voting powers, qualifications and special or relative rights or privileges as shall be determined by our Board of Directors, which may include, among others, dividend rights, voting rights, liquidation preferences, conversion rights and preemptive rights. As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019, there were 100 and 1,097 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding, respectively. On February 19, 2019, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with a certain accredited investor pursuant to which we sold 945,894 shares of Common Stock and warrants to purchase up to 945,894 shares of our Common Stock at 2.12 per share. As a result, the conversion price of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock decreased to $2.12. This decrease resulted in a beneficial conversion feature of $322,240 which was recognized February 19, 2019. Between October 4, 2019 and October 22, 2019, the Company issued 296,053 shares of Common Stock in exchange for 225 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock at a conversion price of $0.76 per share. On November 20, 2019, we entered into a settlement agreement and release (“Settlement Agreement”) with certain holders of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (each, a “Preferred Holder” and collectively, the “Preferred Holders”) constituting 58% of the outstanding Series A Preferred Stock in connection with a dispute that arose between the parties with respect to certain rights under the Certificate of Designations. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, we agreed to adjust the conversion price of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to $0.21 and the parties agreed to terminate and deem null and void that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 14, 2014, by and among the Preferred Holders and the other parties signatories thereto, with respect to the Preferred Holders. The Preferred Holders, constituting the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding Preferred Shares (the “Required Holders”), agreed and consented to an amendment and restatement of the Certificate of Designations. The parties also agreed to customary releases and a covenant not to sue as further contained in the Settlement Agreement. Accordingly, on November 21, 2019, we filed an Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate”) for our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock. The amendments, among other things, had the effect of setting the conversion price of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock at $0.21. On January 9, 2020, the Company issued 3,171,428 shares of the Common stock in exchange for 667 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock at a conversion price of $0.21 per share. Between May 18 and June 24, 2020, the Company issued 1,571,428 shares of Common Stock in exchange for 330 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock at a conversion price of $0.21 per share. 26 Note 15: Stock Options On September 18, 2015, the Company adopted the Genius Brands International, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”). The 2015 Plan was approved by the Company’s stockholders in September 2015. The 2015 Plan as approved by the stockholders authorized the issuance up to an aggregate of 150,000 shares of Common Stock. On December 14, 2015, the Board of Directors voted to amend the 2015 Plan to increase the total number of shares that can be issued under the 2015 Plan by 1,293,334 from 150,000 shares to 1,443,334 shares. The increase in shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan was approved by stockholders on February 3, 2016. On May 18, 2017, the Board of Directors voted to amend the 2015 Plan to increase the total number of shares that can be issued under the 2015 Plan by 223,333 shares from 1,443,334 shares to an aggregate of 1,667,667 shares. The increase in shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan was approved by the stockholders on July 25, 2017. On September 6, 2018, the Board of Directors voted to amend the 2015 Plan to increase the total number of shares that can be issued under the 2015 Plan by 500,000 shares from 1,667,667 shares to an aggregate of 2,167,667 shares. The increase in shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan was approved by the Company’s stockholders on October 2, 2018. On June 25, 2020, the Company granted options to purchase 185,000 shares of Common Stock to certain employees and granted options to purchase 445,000 shares of Common Stock to consultants for services. These stock options generally vest in three years. The fair value of these options was determined to be $2,649,379 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following assumptions: Exercise Price $2.61 - $10.00 Dividend Yield 0% Volatility 122% Risk-free interest rate 0.31% Expected life of options 5.0 years On September 1, 2020, the Company adopted the Genius Brands International, Inc. 2020 Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”). On August 4, 2020, the Board of Directors voted to adopt the 2020 Plan. The shares available for issuance under the 2020 Plan was approved by stockholders on August 27, 2020. The 2020 Plan as approved by the stockholders increased the maximum number of shares available for issuance up to an aggregate of 32,167,667 shares of Common Stock. The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s stock option plan during the nine months ended September 30, 2020: Options Outstanding Number Of Shares Exercise Prices Per Share Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share Aggregate Intrinsic Value Balance at December 31, 2019 1,289,866 $ 1.99 - 12.00 6.49 years $ 7.18 – Options Granted 630,000 $ 2.61 - 10.00 4.74 years $ 5.08 – Options Exercised – $ – – $ – – Options Cancelled 2,000 $ 1.99 3.44 years $ 1.99 – Options Expired – $ – – $ – – Balance at September 30, 2020 1,917,866 $ 1.99 - 10.00 2.01 years $ 3.49 – Exercisable December 31, 2019 1,176,416 $ 1.99 - 9.00 6.25 years $ 7.67 – Exercisable September 30, 2020 1,321,142 $ 1.99 - 3.17 0.87 years $ 2.69 – 27 During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company granted options to purchase 81,000 shares of Common Stock to certain officers and employees. These stock options vest on December 31, 2019. The fair value of these options was determined to be $117,797 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following assumptions: Exercise Price $ 1.99 Dividend Yield 0% Volatility 125% Risk-free interest rate 2.44% Expected life of options 3 years During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recognized $764,136 in share-based compensation expense. The unvested share-based compensation as of September 30, 2020 was $2,028,123, which will be recognized through the second quarter of 2023 assuming the underlying grants are not cancelled or forfeited. Note 16: Warrants The Company has warrants outstanding to purchase up to 5,257,538 and 11,124,405 shares as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. On February 19, 2019, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with a certain accredited investor pursuant to which we sold 945,894 shares of Common Stock and warrants to purchase up to 945,894 shares of our Common Stock, or the registered warrants, to such investor (the “February 2019 Offering”). The Company received $1,757,552 in net proceeds from this offering. Each share of Common Stock was accompanied by a registered warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $2.12. Each share of Common Stock and accompanying registered warrant were sold at a combined purchase price of $2.12. The shares of Common Stock and registered warrants were purchased together and were issued separately and were immediately separable upon issuance. In a concurrent private placement, the Company also sold to the purchaser in the February 2019 Offering, warrants to purchase up to 945,894 shares of our Common Stock, or the private warrants. In connection with the February 2019 Offering and concurrent private placement, we entered into the Amendment, Waiver and Consent Agreement with certain holders of our August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes. Pursuant to the Amendment, Waiver and Consent Agreement, such holders agreed to amend the notes purchase agreement, waive any applicable rights and remedies under the notes purchase agreement, and consent to the February 2019 Offering and concurrent private placement. In consideration for such Amendment, Waiver and Consent Agreement, we agreed to issue such holders warrants to purchase up to an aggregate amount of 1,800,000 shares of our Common Stock. Such warrants have an exercise price of $2.55 per share, will become exercisable commencing six months and one day from the date of issuance and will expire five (5) years from the date of issuance. The allocation of carrying basis between the Warrants issued and the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes was determined based on relative valuation. The carrying basis attributable to the Warrants to acquire Common Stock was $1,287,962 and was calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. On July 22, 2019, the Company entered into an amendment, waiver and consent agreement (the “Amendment, Waiver and Consent”) with certain holders constituting (i) a majority-in-interest of the holders of the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes and (ii) 51% in interest of the shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to a securities purchase agreement, dated as of January 8, 2018, by and among the Company and the purchasers identified on the signature pages thereto (the “January 2018 Purchase Agreement”). Pursuant to the Amendment, Waiver and Consent, such holders have agreed to (i) amend the definition of “Exempt Issuance” in each of the August 2018 Purchase Agreement and January 2018 Purchase Agreement to include an agreement to issue or announce the issuance or proposed issuance of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents (as that term is defined in each of the August 2018 Purchase Agreement and January 2018 Purchase Agreement) in a public offering for an effective per share purchase price of Common Stock of less than $2.50 (the “Offering”), (ii) waive any applicable rights and remedies under the August 2018 Purchase Agreement and January 2018 Purchase Agreement, and (iii) consent to the Offering. In consideration for the Amendment, Waiver and Consent, the Company agreed to reduce the conversion price of the Notes from $2.50 per share of Common Stock to $1.515 (the “Note Amendment”) and issue all of the purchasers under the August 2018 Purchase Agreement warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,800,000 shares of our Common Stock (the “Waiver Warrants”). The Waiver Warrants will have an exercise price of $1.14 per share, will become exercisable commencing six months and one day from the date of issuance and will expire five (5) years from the date of issuance. 28 On September 18, 2019, the Company entered into a private transaction (the “2019 Private Transaction”) pursuant to the Agreement with the holder of the Original Warrants. The Original Warrants were originally issued on February 19, 2019, to purchase an aggregate of 945,894 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $2.12 per share and expired on February 19, 2020. Pursuant to the Agreement, the holder of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holder would exercise its Original Warrants in full and the Company would amend the Original Warrants to reduce the exercise price thereof to $0.76. The Company received $718,879 from the exercise of the Original Warrants before paying the placement agent fee of $50,321. The induced exercise resulted in the Company recognizing and recording an “imputed dividend” of $181,884. In connection with a private placement, the Company issued to the Investor warrants exercisable for one share of Common Stock for an aggregate of 477,474 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.76 per share. Each Warrant will be immediately exercisable on the date of its issuance and will expire five years from the date it becomes exercisable. Subject to limited exceptions, a holder of a Warrant will not have the right to exercise any portion of its warrants if the holder, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. The Special Equities Group, LLC, a division of Bradley Woods & Co. LTD, acted as placement agent and received a cash fee of $35,280 and warrants to purchase 46,421 shares at an exercise price of $0.836 per share. On December 16, 2019, the Company entered into Warrant Exercise Agreements (the “Exercise Agreements”) with certain of the holders of the Existing Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 3,646,135 shares of Common Stock (the “Exercising Holders”). Pursuant to the Exercise Agreements, the Exercising Holders and the Company agreed that, subject to any applicable beneficial ownership limitations, the Exercising Holders would exercise their Existing Warrants (the “Investor Warrants”) for shares of Common Stock underlying such Existing Warrants (the “Exercised Shares”) at a reduced exercise price of $0.21 per share of Common Stock. In order to induce the Exercising Holders to cash exercise the Investor Warrants, the Exercise Agreements provide for the issuance of new warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately 3,646,135 shares of Common Stock (the “New Warrants”), with such New Warrants to be issued in an amount equal to the number of the Exercised Shares underlying any Investor Warrants. The New Warrants are exercisable six months and one day after issuance and terminate on the date that is five years following the initial exercise date. The New Warrants have an exercise price per share of $0.3004, which was the Nasdaq Official Closing Price on December 13, 2019. On January 22, 2020, the Company entered into the Private Transaction pursuant to the Agreement with the holder of the Company’s Original Warrants. The Original Warrants were originally issued on October 3, 2017, to purchase an aggregate of 500,000 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $3.90 per share and were to expire in October 2022. Pursuant to the Agreement, the holder of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holder would exercise its Original Warrants in full and the Company would amend the Original Warrants to reduce the exercise price thereof to $0.34 (the average closing price of the Common Stock (as reflected on Nasdaq.com) for the five trading days immediately preceding the signing of the Agreement). The Company received approximately $170,000 from the exercise of the Original Warrants. The placement agent received warrants to purchase 50,000 shares at an exercise price of $0.34 per share. Pursuant to the SPA described in Note 10, the Company issued to the note holders warrants to purchase 65,476,191 shares of Common Stock, exercisable for a period of five years at an initial exercise price of $0.26 per share. The placement agent received warrants to purchase 6,547,619 shares at an exercise price of $0.26 per share. On May 15, 2020 stockholders of the Company approved the reduction in warrants exercise price for the 2020 Convertible Notes holders to $0.21. During the three months ended September 30, 2020, certain warrant holders exercised warrants for 29,000,526 shares of Common Stock at $0.21 per share in cash. Certain other warrant holders exercised 41,508,189, warrants on a cashless basis, resulting in the issuance of 37,449,140 shares of Common Stock. 29 Estimated fair value of the exercised warrants immediately before the exercise was $219,034,621. Estimated fair value of warrants outstanding at September 30, 2020 was $1,622,995. During the three months ended September 30, 2020 the Company recognized revaluation gain associated with all warrants issued to the note holders and placement agent of $1,556,574. The fair values of derivative warrants attached to the 2020 Convertible Notes were determined based on Level 3 inputs, using the Black-Scholes-Merton model with standard valuation inputs. The valuation inputs used to value the warrants at March 31, 2020 included expected volatility of 89.91%, and annual interest rate of 0.37%. The valuation inputs for the warrants outstanding at September 30, 2020 included expected volatility of 112.83%, and annual risk-free interest rate of .26%. On May 15, 2020 stockholders of the Company approved the reduction of all previously issued warrants held by the 2020 Convertible Notes holders exercise price to $0.21. The repricing of the warrants resulted in a deemed dividend of $1,840,384, which was charged to additional paid in capital for warrants issued in connection with prior equity instruments and a warrant repricing loss of $744,321 recorded in Company’s consolidated statements of operations, if the warrants were issued in connection with prior debt transaction. All warrants were repriced using standard Black-Scholes-Merton valuation model. The valuation inputs for warrant repricing exercise included expected volatility varying between 98.56% and 203.81% and annual risk-free interest rate of approximately 0.2%. During the three months ended September 30, 2020, certain warrant holders exercised 16,670 warrants for shares of Common Stock at $3.30 per share in cash. On May 25, 2020, the Company issued to an individual and his management company 2,284,172 warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock at $1.39 per share for his involvement with the production and distribution of a television series being developed by the Company. The warrants have a 10-year term and are fully vested upon issuance. The warrants become immediately exercisable in whole upon the earlier of May 21, 2021 or the first date the series is exhibited on television or is otherwise available for viewing through a streaming service or otherwise on the internet. The Company anticipates the warrants will become exercisable by December 31, 2020. The warrants were valued at $3,174,806 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The warrants were issued as an advance payment against participation amounts that will become due to the individual upon the performance of the series. The warrants are being accounted as non-employee compensation expense which has been recorded as prepaid participation expense over the expected exercise period. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded $1,327,646 and $1,847,160 as prepaid participation expense. The valuation inputs for the warrants included expected volatility of 253.01%, and annual risk-free interest rate of 0.7%. The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s outstanding warrants during the nine months ended September 30, 2020: Warrants Outstanding Number Of Shares Exercise Prices Per Share Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share Balance at December 31, 2019 11,124,405 $ 3.30 - 6.00 4.37 years $ 1.74 Warrants Granted 74,357,982 $ 0.21 - 1.39 4.63 years $ 0.25 Warrants Exercised 80,224,849 $ 0.21 - 5.30 4.37 years $ 0.25 Warrants Expired – $ – – $ – Balance at September 30, 2020 5,257,538 $ 0.21 - 5.30 6.43 years $ 1.49 Exercisable December 31, 2019 7,176,620 $ 0.76 - 6.00 3.77 years $ 2.52 Exercisable September 30, 2020 2,973,366 $ 0.21 - 5.30 3.50 years $ 1.56 30 Note 17: Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 740 Income Taxes (“Topic 740”), which requires the recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets at currently enacted tax rates for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. A valuation allowance is recognized to reduce the net deferred tax asset to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Topic 740 provides guidance on the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in a company’s financial statements. ASC 740 requires a company to determine whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination based upon the technical merits of the position. If the more-likely-than-not threshold is met, a company must measure the tax position to determine the amount to recognize in the financial statements. The Company includes interest and penalties arising from the underpayment of income taxes in the consolidated statements of operation in the provision for income taxes. As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the Company had no accrued interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and in the state of California and Massachusetts. The Company is currently subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities since inception of the Company. Note 18: Commitment and Contingencies In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, “Leases.” The standard requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases on the balance sheet. For practically all leases, a lessee should recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The new guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. In July 2018, the FASB issued Topic 842, Targeted Improvements, which allows for an additional optional transition method where comparative periods presented in the financial statements in the period of adoption will not be restated and instead those periods will be presented under existing guidance in accordance with ASC 840, Leases. Management will use this optional transition method. As of January 1, 2019, management recorded lease liability of $2,071,903, right-of-use asset of $2,153,747, accumulated amortization of $124,070, a reversal of previously recorded deferred rent of $37,920 and the increase in accumulated deficit of $4,306. As of September 30, 2020, weighted-average lease term for operating leases equals to 81.91 months. Weighted-average discount rate equals to 10%. On February 6, 2018, the Company entered into an operating lease for 6,969 square feet of general office space at 131 South Rodeo Drive, Suite 250, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 pursuant to a 91-month lease that commenced on May 25, 2018. We pay rent of $364,130 annually, subject to annual escalations of 3.5%. On September 11, 2020, the parties to the lease entered into a surrender agreement whereby the lease was terminated, and the office was turned back over to the landlord. Per the terms of the surrender agreement, the lease deposit of $325,000 was forfeited and the Company paid $25,000. The surrender resulted in a loss of $85,676. On December 28, 2018, the Company entered into a lease for 5,765 square feet of general office space at 8383 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 412, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 pursuant to a 6-month lease that commenced January 28, 2019. We paid rent of $24,501 monthly through August 31, 2019. Effective January 21, 2019, the Company entered into a sublease for the 6,969 square feet of general office space located at 131 South Rodeo Drive, Suite 250, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 pursuant to an 83-month sublease that commenced on February 4, 2019. The subtenant will pay us rent of $422,321 annually, subject to annual escalations of 3.5%. Since on or about April 2020, the subtenant has failed to make any rent payments. Consequently, the Company, which had been passing through the subtenant’s rental payments to the landlord declined to pay the rent due. 31 On September 11, 2020, the parties to the lease entered into a surrender agreement whereby the lease was terminated, and the office was turned back over to the landlord. Per the terms of the surrender agreement, the sublease deposit of $131,000 was forfeited. The surrender resulted in a loss of $256,384. On January 30, 2019, the Company entered into an operating lease for 5,838 square feet of general office space at 190 N. Canon Drive, 4 th FL, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 pursuant to a 96-month lease that commenced on September 1, 2019. We pay rent of $392,316 annually, subject to annual escalations of 3.5%. Due to government mandated “work-from-home” orders pertaining to non-essential businesses, we are currently in discussions with our landlord with regard to rent payments and have not paid rent since March 2020. In addition, the Company has contractual commitments for employment agreements of certain employees. Rental expenses incurred for operating leases during the three months ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019 were $141,962 and $210,062, respectively. Rental expenses incurred for operating leases during the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019 were $557,640 and $531,519, respectively. During the three months ended September 30, 2020, we received sub-lease income of $78,277. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we received sub-lease income of $316,762. The following is a schedule of future minimum contractual obligations as of September 30, 2020, under the Company’s operating leases and employment agreements: 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Thereafter Total Operating Leases $ 170,255 $ 347,785 $ 429,984 $ 447,183 $ 465,071 $ 1,330,866 $ 3,191,144 Employment Contracts $ 309,494 $ 421,629 $ 322,950 $ 282,581 $ – $ – $ 1,336,654 Consulting Contracts $ 265,000 $ 323,333 $ 150,000 $ – $ – $ – $ 738,333 $ 744,749 $ 1,092,747 $ 902,934 $ 729,764 $ 465,071 $ 1,330,866 $ 5,266,131 Note 19: Related Party Transactions On April 21, 2016, the Company entered into a merchandising and licensing agreement with Andy Heyward Animation Art (“AHAA”), whose principal is Andy Heyward, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Company entered into a customary merchandise license agreement with AHAA for the use of characters and logos related to Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club and Stan Lee’s Mighty 7 in connection with certain products to be sold by AHAA. The terms and conditions of such license are customary within the industry, and the Company earns an arm-length industry standard royalty on all sales made by AHAA utilizing the licensed content. The agreement was renegotiated and executed on more favorable terms to the Company on July 22, 2020. No amounts were earned during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, under this agreement as there were no revenue generated during the periods. On August 31, 2018, Llama entered into an animation production services agreement with Mr. Heyward for services as a producer for which he is to receive $124,000 through the course of production of the Company’s animated series Llama Llama Season 2. As of December 31, 2019, Mr. Heyward was paid $124,000. No further amounts are due or paid during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Pursuant to his employment agreement dated November 16, 2018, Mr. Heyward is entitled to an Executive Producer fee of $12,400 per half hour episode for each episode he provides services as an executive producer. The first identified series under this employment agreement is Rainbow Rangers. As of December 31, 2019, 26 half hours had been delivered and accordingly Mr. Heyward was owed $322,400, which is included in the Due To Related Party line item on our consolidated balance sheet. The second identified series under this employment agreement is Rainbow Rangers Season 2. As of December 31, 2019, 13 half hours had been delivered and accordingly Mr. Heyward was owed $161,200, which is included in the Due To Related Party line item on our consolidated balance sheet. Both of these amounts were paid on March 17, 2020. As of September 30, 2020, 4 additional half hours had been delivered and accordingly Mr. Heyward was owed $50,000, which is included in the Due To Related Party line item on our consolidated balance sheet. 32 On September 17, 2019, Mr. Heyward purchased $500,000 of the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes from another holder. The Company did not receive any proceeds from this transaction. The note and interest of $7,260 was repaid in March of 2020. On October 2, 2019, Mr. Heyward purchased 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $760,000, or $0.76 per share. On March 11, 2020, Mr. Heyward purchased $1,000,000 of the 2020 Convertible Notes with an original discount of $250,000. On June 19, 2020, Mr. Heyward received 5,658,474 shares of Common Stock upon the cashless exercise of 6,119,048 warrants. On June 23 , 2020, Mr. Heyward received 5,952,381 shares of Common Stock upon conversion of $1,250,000 of 2020 Convertible Notes. As of September 30, 2020, Andy Heyward is owed $101,451 for reimbursable expenses which are included in the Due To Related Parties line item on our condensed consolidated balance sheet. Note 20: Subsequent Events On October 15, 2020, the Company issued to an individual and his management company $500,000 in cash, 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at $1.44 per share and 1,000,000 warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock at $1.39 per share for his involvement with the production and distribution of a television series being developed by the Company. The shares become freely tradable, 50% upon the six-month anniversary of issuance and 50% upon one year of issuance. The cash and 50% of the share value are being paid an issued as an advance payment against participation amounts that will become due the individual upon performance of the series. The warrants have a 10-year term and. The warrants become immediately exercisable in whole upon the earlier of May 21, 2021 or the first date the series is exhibited on television or is otherwise available for viewing through a streaming service or otherwise on the internet. The Company anticipates the warrants will become exercisable by December 31, 2020. The warrants were valued at $1,260,269 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The warrants were issued as an advance payment against participation amounts that will become due to the individual upon the performance of the series. The warrants are being accounted as non-employee compensation expense which will be recorded as prepaid publicity expense over the expected exercise period. On October 28, 2020, the Company, entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with certain investors (the “Investors”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the Investors (the “Offering”), an aggregate of 37,400,000 shares (the “Shares”) of Common Stock, and warrants (“Investor Warrants”) to purchase up to 37,400,000 shares of our Common Stock (“Investor Warrant Shares”). The purchase price was $1.55 per fixed combination of one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one share of common stock, for gross proceeds of approximately $57.9 million before deducting the placement agent fees and offering expenses. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for certain accretive future acquisitions, and for our operations, including, but not limited to, the development, production, distribution and marketing of animated content, including the recently announced Shaq’s Garage, and associated licensed merchandise and general working capital. The Investor Warrants have an exercise price of $1.55 per share and are exercisable immediately on the date of issuance, and at any time thereafter up to five years from the initial issuance date. A holder will not have the right to exercise any portion of the Investor Warrant if the holder would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% (or, at the election of the holder, 9.99%) of the outstanding Common Stock immediately after exercise, except that upon notice from the holder to the Company, the holder may increase or decrease the beneficial ownership limitation up to 9.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Investor Warrants, provided that any increase in such beneficial ownership limitation shall not be effective until 61 days following notice from the holder to the Company. The Offering closed on October 30, 2020. The Special Equities Group, a division of Bradley Woods & Co. Ltd., acted as placement agent and will receive (i) a cash fee of approximately $4.1 million and (ii) warrants (“Placement Agent Warrants” and together with Investor Warrants, the “Warrants”) to purchase 2,618,000 shares of Common Stock. The Placement Agent Warrants have the same form and terms as the Investor Warrants. In addition, the Company will pay the placement agent a cash fee equal to 7% of the aggregate gross proceeds from the exercise of any Warrants. The Company also reimbursed the lead Investor for $25,000 of its legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Offering. On November 15, 2020, the Company entered into a binding letter of intent (the “Letter of Intent”) with ChizComm Ltd., a corporation organized in Canada (“ChizComm Canada”), and ChizComm USA Corp., a New Jersey corporation (“ChizComm USA” and, together with ChizComm Canada, “ChizComm”). The Company expects to acquire 100% of the equity interests of ChizComm in exchange for (i) $8.5 million in cash and (ii) $3.5 million of shares of the Company’s unregistered common stock, at a per share price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the day prior to the closing of the acquisition, for a total $12 million transaction value (the “Transaction Value”). As detailed in the Letter of Intent, $2 million of the Transaction Value would be allocated to the acquisition of 2 million new subscribers for the Company’s Kartoon Channel!. Further, ChizComm would be entitled to additional consideration of up to $8 million if the Company meets certain milestones following the acquisition, as set out in the Letter of Intent. The Company expects to negotiate and execute definitive agreements with ChizComm and to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Letter of Intent in the first fiscal quarter of 2021. 33 ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS. The following discussion and analysis of our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and capital resources should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 Certain statements made or incorporated by reference in this report and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in our press releases and in statements made by or with the approval of authorized personnel constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,(the “Securities ACT”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and are subject to the safe harbor created thereby. Forward-looking statements reflect intent, belief, current expectations, estimates or projections about, among other things, our industry, management’s beliefs, and future events and financial trends affecting us. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “will” and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward looking statements. Although we believe the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. These differences can arise as a result of the risks described in the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on April 1, 2019 and elsewhere in this report, as well as other factors that may affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition. Forward-looking statements in this report speak only as of the date hereof, and forward looking statements in documents incorporated by reference speak only as of the date of those documents. Unless otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks and uncertainties, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this report will, in fact, transpire. Overview The management’s discussion and analysis is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make certain estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions. Our Business Genius Brands International, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”) is a global content and brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content. Led by experienced industry personnel, we distribute our content in all formats as well as a broad range of consumer products based on our characters. In the children's media sector, our portfolio features “content with a purpose” for toddlers to tweens, which provides enrichment as well as entertainment. New intellectual property titles include the preschool property Rainbow Rangers , which debuted in November 2018 on Nickelodeon and which was renewed for a second season and preschool property Llama Llama , which debuted on Netflix in January 2018 and was renewed by Netflix for a second season. Our library titles include the award winning Baby Genius , adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab® and Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club , created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett, which is distributed across our Genius Brands Network on Comcast’s Xfinity on Demand, AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Cox, Dish, Sling and Zumo as well as Connected TV. We are also developing an all-new animated series, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten with Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment, Oak Productions and Alibaba. Arnold Schwarzenegger lends his voice as the lead and is also an Executive Producer on the series. The show will be broadcast in the United States on Amazon Prime and the Company’s wholly owned distribution outlet, Kartoon Channel! In July, 2020, the Company entered into a binding term sheet with POW, Inc. (“POW!”) in which we agreed to form a entity with POW! to exploit certain rights in intellectual property created by Stan Lee, as well as the name and likeness of Stan Lee. The entity called “Stan Lee Universe, LLC” and POW! and the Company are currently finalizing the details of the venture. In addition, we act as licensing agent for Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House LLC who owns or controls the underlying rights to Llama Llama , leveraging our existing licensing infrastructure to expand this brand into new product categories, new retailers, and new territories. 34 Recent Developments January 2020 Warrant Exercise Agreement On January 22, 2020, we entered into a private transaction pursuant to a Warrant Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the holder of the Company’s existing warrants (the “Original Warrants”). The Original Warrants were originally issued on October 3, 2017, to purchase an aggregate of 500,000 shares of the Common Stock (as defined below) at an exercise price of $3.90 per share and were to expire in October 2022. Pursuant to the Agreement, the holder of the Original Warrants and the Company agreed that such Original Warrant holder would exercise its Original Warrants in full and the Company would amend the Original Warrants to reduce the exercise price thereof to $0.34 (the average closing price (as reflected on Nasdaq.com) of the Common Stock (as defined below) for the five trading days immediately preceding the signing of the Agreement). We received approximately $170,000 from the exercise of the Original Warrants. March 2020 Secured Convertible Note and Warrant Private Placement On March 11, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “SPA”) with certain accredited investors (each an “Investor” and collectively, the “Investors”) pursuant to which we agreed to sell and issue (1) Senior Secured Convertible Notes to the Investors in the aggregate principal amount of $13,750,000 (each, a “Note” and collectively, the “2020 Convertible Notes”) and $11,000,000 funding amount (reflecting an original issue discount of $2,750,000) and (2) warrants to purchase 65,476,190 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), exercisable for a period of five years at an initial exercise price of $0.26 per share (each a “Warrant” and collectively, the “Warrants”), for consideration consisting of (i) a cash payment of $7,000,000, and (ii) full recourse cash secured promissory notes payable by the Investors to the Company (each, an “Investor Note” and collectively, the “Investor Notes”) in the principal amount of $4,000,000 (the “Investor Notes Principal”) (collectively, the “Financing”). Andy Heyward, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, participated as an Investor and invested $1,000,000 in connection with the Financing, all of which was paid at the closing and not pursuant to an Investor Note. The Special Equities Group, LLC, a division of Bradley Woods & Co. LTD, acted as placement agent and received warrants to purchase 6,547,619 shares at an exercise price of $0.26 per share (the “Placement Agent Warrants”). The closing of the sale and issuance of the 2020 Convertible Notes, the Warrants and the Placement Agent Warrants occurred on March 17, 2020 (the “Closing Date”). The maturity date of the 2020 Convertible Notes is September 30, 2021 and the maturity date of the Investor Notes is March 11, 2060. The Company agreed to hold a stockholder meeting (the “Stockholder Meeting”) by no later than May 15, 2020, to approve the issuance of shares of Common Stock issuable under the 2020 Convertible Notes and pursuant to the terms of the SPA for the purposes of compliance with the stockholder approval rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Stockholder Approval”) and the Company will be obligated to continue to seek Stockholder Approval every 90 days until such approval is obtained, (ii) until the date that the 2020 Convertible Notes are no longer outstanding, the Company will not issue, offer, sell or grant any equity or equity-linked security, subject to certain limited exceptions described in the SPA, unless (A) Stockholder Approval has been obtained prior thereto and (B) (i) at least 75% of the gross proceeds in excess of the first $2,000,000 of gross proceeds of all subsequent Financings consummated prior to the six month anniversary of the Closing Date are first applied to the redemption of the 2020 Convertible Notes (pro-rata based on an Investor’s Purchase Price which redemption may be waiver by an Investor and it will not increase the pro-rata percentage of any other Investors) or (ii) at least 75% of the gross proceeds of any such subsequent placement consummated after the six month anniversary of the Closing Date are first applied to the redemption of the 2020 Convertible Notes (pro-rata), (iii) the Company shall use its best efforts to effectuate the transactions contemplated by the Voting Agreements executed by the Company and the stockholders who hold in the aggregate approximately 40% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock which require that such stockholders vote in favor of the proposals voted on at the Stockholder Meeting, and (iv) promptly securing the listing of certain shares issuable pursuant to the transaction documents and maintaining the listing of the shares of Common Stock on an eligible market. 35 In addition, pursuant to the terms of the SPA, the 2020 Convertible Notes and the Warrants, the Company agreed that the following will apply or become effective only following Stockholder Approval: (1) the conversion price of the 2020 Convertible Notes shall be reduced to $0.21 per share and may be further reduced to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”), (2) the exercise price of the Warrants shall be immediately reduced to $0.21 per share and may be further reduced to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors, (3) the 2020 Convertible Notes and Warrants shall each have full ratchet anti-dilution protection for subsequent financings (subject to certain exceptions), (4) existing warrant holders that are participating in the Financing (representing warrants to purchase an aggregate of 8,715,229 shares of Company Common Stock) will have their existing warrants’ exercise prices reduced to $0.21 and (5) the investors shall have a most favored nations right which provides that if the Company enters into a subsequent financing, then the Investors (together with their affiliates) at their sole discretion shall have the ability to exchange their 2020 Convertible Notes on a $1 for $1 basis into securities issued in the new transaction. Additionally, in the event that any warrants or options (or any similar security or right) issued in a subsequent financing include any terms more favorable to the holders thereof (less favorable to the Company) than the terms of the Warrants, the Warrants shall be automatically amended to include such more favorable terms. In addition, for as long as any 2020 Convertible Notes or Warrants remain outstanding, the Company will not (i) issue or sell any rights, warrants or options to subscribe for or purchase Common Stock or directly or indirectly convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock at a price which varies or may vary with the market price of the Common Stock, including by way of one or more reset(s) to any fixed price, unless the conversion, exchange or exercise price of any such security cannot be less than the then applicable Conversion Price with respect to the Common Stock into which any 2020 Convertible Notes are convertible or redeemable or the then applicable Exercise Price (as defined in the Warrants) with respect to the Common Stock into which any Warrant is exercisable or (ii) enter into, or effect any transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit, an “at-the-market” offering or similar agreement, whereby the Company may issue securities at a future determined price. On March 16, 2020 the holders of the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes were repaid in full including any outstanding interest. The 2020 Convertible Notes provide that the Company will repay the principal amount of the 2020 Convertible Notes in equal monthly installments of 1/12th of the principal amount of the 2020 Convertible Notes beginning October 31, 2020 and the last business day of each calendar month anniversary thereafter (each an “Installment Date”). On each Installment Date, assuming that certain Equity Conditions are met and Stockholder Approval has been obtained, all or some of the Installment Amount (as defined in the 2020 Convertible Notes) shall be converted into shares of Common Stock, provided however that the Company may elect prior to any Installment Date to pay all or a portion of the installment amount in cash. Each 2020 Convertible Note is convertible, at the option of the holder, into shares of Common Stock at an initial conversion price of $1.375, subject to adjustment as provided in the 2020 Convertible Notes (the “Conversion Price”); provided, however, upon receipt of Stockholder Approval, the conversion price shall be $0.21, subject to adjustment as provided in the 2020 Convertible Notes. On or after the date Stockholder Approval is obtained, if the Company issues or sells, or the Company publicly announces the issuance or sale of, any shares of Common Stock, or convertible securities or options issuable or exchangeable into Common Stock (a “New Issuance”), under which such Common Stock is sold for a consideration per share less than the Conversion Price then in effect, the Conversion Price will be adjusted to the New Issuance price in accordance with the formulas provided in the 2020 Convertible Notes. Any such adjustment will not apply with respect to the issuance of Excluded Securities (as defined in the 2020 Convertible Notes). Upon Stockholder Approval, the Conversion Price may be further reduced to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors. On May 15, 2020, the Company received the necessary Stockholder Approval in connection with the Nasdaq proposals described above. As a result, the Conversion Price of the 2020 Convertible Notes and the exercise price of the Warrants were each reduced to $0.21. In addition, existing warrant holders that participated in the Financing (representing warrants to purchase an aggregate of 9,172,463 shares of Common Stock) also had their existing warrants’ exercise prices reduced to $0.21. 36 March 2020 Securities Purchase Agreement On March 22, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with certain long standing investors (the “Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the Investors, an aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of Common Stock, at an offering price of $0.2568 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $1.0 million before deducting offering expenses. May 2020 Securities Purchase Agreements On May 7, 2020, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “Investors”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the Investors (the “Registered Offering”), an aggregate of 8,000,000 shares Common Stock at an offering price of $0.35 per share for gross proceeds of $2.8 million before deducting the placement agent fees and offering expenses. The Registered Offering closed on May 8, 2020. On May 8, 2020, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “Investors”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the Investors (the “Registered Offering”), an aggregate of 12,000,000 shares Common Stock at an offering price of $0.454 per share for gross proceeds of $5.448 million before deducting the placement agent fees and offering expenses. The Registered Offering closed on May 12, 2020. On May 18, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 18 th Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 18 th Investors, an aggregate of 7,500,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.20 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $9.0 million before deducting offering expenses. On May 28, 2020, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain long standing investors (the “May 28 th Investors”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering by the Company directly to the May 28 th Investors, an aggregate of 20,000,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.50 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $30.0 million before deducting offering expenses. Warrant Exercises During the three months ended September 30, 2020, certain warrant holders exercised 16,670 warrants for shares of Common Stock at $3.30 per share in cash. October 2020 Securities Purchase Agreement On October 28, 2020, the Company entered into the Purchase Agreement with the Investors pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered director offering by the Company directly to the Investors, an aggregate of 37,400,000 shares of our Common Stock and warrants to purchase up to 37,400,000 shares of our Common Stock, at an offering price of $1.55 per fixed combination of one share of Common Stock and a warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for gross proceeds of approximately $57.9 million before deducting offering expenses. November 2020 Letter of Intent On November 15, 2020, the Company entered into a binding letter of intent (the “Letter of Intent”) with ChizComm Ltd., a corporation organized in Canada (“ChizComm Canada”), and ChizComm USA Corp., a New Jersey corporation (“ChizComm USA” and, together with ChizComm Canada, “ChizComm”). The Company expects to acquire 100% of the equity interests of ChizComm in exchange for (i) $8.5 million in cash and (ii) $3.5 million of shares of the Company’s unregistered common stock, at a per share price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the day prior to the closing of the acquisition, for a total $12 million transaction value (the “Transaction Value”). As detailed in the Letter of Intent, $2 million of the Transaction Value would be allocated to the acquisition of 2 million new subscribers for the Company’s Kartoon Channel!. Further, ChizComm would be entitled to additional consideration of up to $8 million if the Company meets certain milestones following the acquisition, as set out in the Letter of Intent. The Company expects to negotiate and execute definitive agreements with ChizComm and to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Letter of Intent in the first fiscal quarter of 2021. Coronavirus (COVID-19) With respect to the ongoing and evolving coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak, which was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 has caused substantial disruption in international and U.S. economies and markets. COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on the entertainment industry and, if repercussions of COVID-19 are prolonged, could have a significant adverse impact on our business, which could be material. The majority of the Company’s employees have been working remotely from home, with only a few individuals monitoring the office as needed. We have not experienced any disruption in our supply chain, nor have we experienced any negative impact from our animation production partners. With regard to content distribution, we have observed demand increases for streaming entertainment services in 2020. In terms of our consumer products business, we are starting to see some negative impact from COVID-19 as consumer activity decelerates in the U.S. and across the world. Global supply chain issues had a negative impact on the timing of certain toy releases. The toy manufacturing business has experienced slowdowns related to global supply chain issues caused by the COVID -19 outbreak. Equally important, the retail toy business has suffered a slowdown and closures effecting toy sales. New to market brands are impacted more severely by a slowdown in physical retail sales. Other consumer products licensees’ business is driven, by toy sales, so a there is a negative downstream effect across the industry. If the COVID-19 outbreak is prolonged, we will see a negative impact on our revenues. 37 The Company’s management cannot at this point estimate the impact of COVID-19 on its business and no provision for COVID-19 is reflected in the accompanying financial statements. We will continue to actively monitor the situation and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state, local or foreign authorities, or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners and stockholders. It is not clear what the potential effects any such alterations or modifications may have on our business, including the effects on our customers, suppliers or vendors, or on our financial results. Results of Operations Our summary results for the three months ended September 30, 2020, and the three months ended September 30, 2019 are below. Revenues Three Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Change % Change Licensing & Royalties $ 199,572 $ 174,261 $ 25,311 15% Television & Home Entertainment 31,375 3,147,411 (3,116,036 ) -99% Advertising Sales 42,715 147,034 (104,319 ) -71% Product Sales 330 290 40 14% Total Revenue $ 273,992 $ 3,468,996 $ (3,195,004 ) -92% Licensing and royalty revenue include items for which we license the rights to our copyrights and trademarks of our brands and those of the brands for which we act as a licensing agent. During the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019, this category increased $25,311 or 15%. Television & Home Entertainment revenue is generated from distribution of our properties for broadcast on television, VOD, or SVOD in domestic and international markets and the sale of DVDs for home entertainment through our partners. Fluctuations in Television & Home Entertainment revenue occur period over period based on the achievement of revenue recognition criteria such as the start of a license period and the delivery of the content to the customer. During the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019, Television & Home Entertainment revenue decreased $3,116,036 or 99%, primarily due to the revenue generated from the delivery of Llama Llama Season 2 to Netflix in September 2019 without comparable revenue recognition in the three months ending September 30, 2020 . Advertising sales are generated on the “Kartoon Channel!” in the form of either flat rate promotions or advertising impressions served. Advertising sales decreased by $104,319 or 71%, during the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019. The increase is due to our continued efforts to grow this revenue stream of our business. Expenses Three Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Change % Change Marketing and Sales $ 364,869 $ 97,541 $ 267,328 274% Direct Operating Costs 219,451 2,841,358 (2,621,907 ) -92% General and Administrative 3,042,178 2,092,734 949,444 45% Interest Expense 17,193 30,642 (13,449 ) -44% Total $ 3,643,691 $ 5,062,275 $ (1,418,584 ) -28% 38 Marketing and sales expenses increased $267,328, or 274%, for the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019 primarily due to an increase in marketing and advertising expenses to promote the Rainbow Rangers property. Direct operating costs include costs of our product sales, unamortizable post-production costs, film and television cost amortization expense, and participation expense related to agreements with various animation studios, post-production studios, writers, directors, musicians or other creative talent with which we are obligated to share net profits of the properties on which they have rendered services. Direct operating costs for the three months ended September 30, 2020 decreased $2,621,907, or 92%, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019. During the three months ended September 30, 2020, we recorded film and television cost amortization expense of $101,717 and participation expense of $113,894 compared to expenses of $1,285,237 and $1,022,229, respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2019. The increases in film amortization and participation expenses were primarily related to the Llama Llama Season 2 property. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, employee benefits, share-based compensation related to stock options, insurances, rent, depreciation and amortization as well as other professional fees related to finance, accounting, legal and investor relations. General and administrative expenses for three months ended September 30, 2020 increased $949,444, or 45%, compared to the same period in 2019. This increase was primarily related to increases in stock based compensation and consulting fees. Interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2020 decreased $13,449, or 44%, compared to the same period in 2019. This decrease is due to the interest expense related to the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes. Interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2019 included interest and the amortization of the debt issue costs, the amortization of the debt discount related to the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes, which were expensed in the first quarter of 2019. Therefore, there was no amortization of these costs in the three months ended September 30, 2020. Our summary results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, and the nine months ended September 30, 2019 are below. Revenues Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Change % Change Licensing & Royalties $ 565,696 $ 674,107 $ (108,411 ) -16% Television & Home Entertainment 409,837 4,292,972 (3,883,135 ) -90% Advertising Sales 191,728 184,716 7,012 4% Product Sales 2,149 2,396 (247 ) -10% Total Revenue $ 1,169,410 $ 5,154,191 $ (3,984,781 ) -77% Licensing and royalty revenue include items for which we license the rights to our copyrights and trademarks of our brands and those of the brands for which we act as a licensing agent. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019, this category decreased $108,411, or 16%, primarily due to the revenue generated from Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama properties. 39 Television & Home Entertainment revenue is generated from distribution of our properties for broadcast on television, VOD, or SVOD in domestic and international markets and the sale of DVDs for home entertainment through our partners. Fluctuations in Television & Home Entertainment revenue occur period over period based on the achievement of revenue recognition criteria such as the start of a license period and the delivery of the content to the customer. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019, Television & Home Entertainment revenue decreased $3,883,135, or 90%, primarily due to the revenue generated from the delivery of Llama Llama Season 2 to Netflix, delivery of Rainbow Rangers Season 1 to Viacom Media Networks and deliveries to international territories in September 2019 without comparable revenue generated for the same period in 2020. Advertising sales are generated on the “Kartoon Channel!” in the form of either flat rate promotions or advertising impressions served. Advertising sales increased by $7,012, or 4%, during the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The increase is due to our continued efforts to grow this revenue stream of our business. Expenses Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Change % Change Marketing and Sales $ 606,125 $ 405,751 $ 200,374 49% Direct Operating Costs 886,972 3,929,187 (3,042,215 ) -77% General and Administrative 7,173,594 5,298,865 1,874,729 35% Interest Expense 1,168,801 697,386 471,415 68% Total $ 9,835,492 $ 10,331,189 $ (495,697 ) -5% Marketing and sales expenses increased $200,374, or 49%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019 primarily due to an increase in marketing and advertising expenses to promote the Rainbow Rangers property. Direct operating costs include costs of our product sales, unamortizable post-production costs, film and television cost amortization expense, and participation expense related to agreements with various animation studios, post-production studios, writers, directors, musicians or other creative talent with which we are obligated to share net profits of the properties on which they have rendered services. Direct operating costs for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 decreased $3,042,215, or 77%, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we recorded film and television cost amortization expense of $395,073 and participation expense of $484,697 compared to September 30, 2019 expenses of $1,907,222 and $1,457,315, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The decreases in direct operating costs in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period in the prior year reflect decreases in film amortization and participation expenses related to decreased revenues from the Llama Llama Season 2 property. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, employee benefits, share-based compensation related to stock options, insurances, rent, depreciation and amortization as well as other professional fees related to finance, accounting, legal and investor relations. General and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 increased $1,874,729, or 35%, compared to the same period in 2019. This increase was primarily related to increases stock based compensation and professional fees. Interest expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 increased $471,415, or 68%, compared to the same period in 2019. This increase is due to the expensing of the debt discount in excess of principal related to the 2020 Convertible Notes. This was partially offset by reductions in the amortization of the debt discount related to the $4,500,000 of 2020 Convertible Notes, and interest paid on the lower outstanding balance. 40 Liquidity and Capital Resources Working Capital As of September 30, 2020, we had current assets of $54,864,958, including cash and cash equivalents, of $50,461,566, and current liabilities of $6,990,910, resulting in working capital of $47,874,048, compared to negative working capital of $3,650,136 as of December 31, 2019. Prior to the Company’s successful capital raises, the Company applied a loan pursuant to the PPP established under CARES Act as interpreted and applied by the SBA, an Agency of the United States of America. The application was approved and on April 30,2020, the Company received a loan with a principal amount of $366,267. The loan has an interest rate of one percent (1%) per year and matures on April 19, 2021. The loan may be eligible, in whole or in part, for forgiveness pursuant to the PPP. The Company shall apply to the lender for loan forgiveness in accordance with the PPP as implemented by the SBA. The Company reported the proceeds from the PPP loan as debt using the effective interest rate method. Comparison of Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020, and the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 Our total cash and cash equivalents were $50,461,566 and $633,561 at September 30, 2020, and September 30, 2019, respectively. Comparison of Cash Flows Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Change % Change Cash used in operations $ (5,316,579 ) $ (4,636,416 ) $ (680,163 ) 15% Cash used in investing activities (554,926 ) (26,976 ) (527,950 ) 1957% Cash provided by financing activities 56,027,950 2,211,927 53,816,023 2433% Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents $ 50,156,445 $ (2,451,465 ) $ 52,607,910 -2146% During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, our primary sources of cash were the net proceeds from the 2020 Convertible Notes of $6,098,000, the net sales of common shares for $44,755,671, net proceeds of $5,874,329 from warrant exercises and $3,600,000 from the collection of the Investor Notes. The primary uses of cash during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, were $5,316,579 in operations, the repayment of the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes of $2,866,664 and the repayment of the Production Facility of $1,585,220. Operating Activities Cash used in operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $5,316,579 as compared to cash used in operating activities of $4,636,416 during the comparable period in the prior year. Investing Activities Cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $554,926 as compared to a use of $26,976 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Investing activities include the $500,000 contribution to the Stan Lee Universe, LLC entity, the purchase of intangible assets and the purchase of property and equipment. Investing activities included the purchase of furniture and equipment for the same period in 2019. 41 Financing Activities Cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $56,027,950 as compared to $2,211,927 cash provided in the comparable period in 2019. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, our primary sources of cash were the net proceeds from the 2020 Convertible Notes of $6,098,000, the net sales of Common Shares for $44,755,671, net proceeds of $5,874,329 from warrant exercises and $3,600,000 from the collection of the Investor Notes. The primary uses of cash during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, were the repayment of the August 2018 Secured Convertible Notes of $2,866,664, the repayment of the Production Facility of $1,585,220 and production costs for Rainbow Rangers Season 2. Capital Expenditures As of September 30, 2020, we do not have any material commitments for capital expenditures. Critical Accounting Policies Our accounting policies are described in the notes to the financial statements. Below is a summary of the critical accounting policies, among others, that management believes involve significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of its financial statements. Principles of Consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Genius Brands International, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiaries A Squared, Llama Productions and Rainbow Rangers Productions. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Right of Use Leased Assets In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, “Leases.” The standard requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases on the balance sheet. A lessee should recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The new guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments should be applied at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach with earlier application permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. In July 2018, the FASB issued Topic 842, Targeted Improvements, which allows for an additional optional transition method where comparative periods presented in the financial statements in the period of adoption will not be restated and instead those periods will be presented under existing guidance in accordance with ASC 840, Leases. Management used this optional transition method. As of January 1, 2019, management recorded lease liability of $2,071,903, right-of-use asset of $2,153,747, accumulated amortization of $124,070, a reversal of previously recorded deferred rent of $37,920 and the increase in accumulated deficit of $4,306. Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations accounted for by the purchase method. In accordance with FASB ASC 350 Intangibles Goodwill and Other, goodwill and certain intangible assets are presumed to have indefinite useful lives and are thus not amortized, but subject to an impairment test annually or more frequently if indicators of impairment arise. We complete the annual goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests at the end of each fiscal year. To test for goodwill impairment, we are required to estimate the fair market value of each of our reporting units, of which we have one. While we may use a variety of methods to estimate fair value for impairment testing, our primary method is discounted cash flows. We estimate future cash flows and allocations of certain assets using estimates for future growth rates and our judgment regarding the applicable discount rates. Changes to our judgments and estimates could result in a significantly different estimate of the fair market value of the reporting units, which could result in an impairment of goodwill or indefinite lived intangible assets in future periods. 42 Other intangible assets have been acquired, either individually or with a group of other assets, and were initially recognized and measured based on fair value. In accordance with FASB ASC 350 Intangible Assets, the costs of new product development and significant improvement to existing products are capitalized while routine and periodic alterations to existing products are expensed as incurred. Annual amortization of these intangible assets is computed based on the straight-line method over the remaining economic life of the asset. Film and Television Costs We capitalize production costs for episodic series produced in accordance with FASB ASC 926-20 Entertainment-Films - Other Assets - Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized at actual cost and then charged against revenue based on the initial market revenue evidenced by a firm commitment over the period of commitment. We expense all capitalized costs that exceed the initial market firm commitment revenue in the period of delivery of the episodes. We capitalize production costs for films produced in accordance with FASB ASC 926-20 Entertainment-Films - Other Assets - Film Costs. Accordingly, production costs are capitalized at actual cost and then charged against revenue quarterly as a cost of production based on the relative fair value of the film(s) delivered and recognized as revenue. We evaluate its capitalized production costs annually and limits recorded amounts by their ability to recover such costs through expected future sales. Additionally, for both episodic series and films, from time to time, we develop additional content, improved animation and bonus songs/features for its existing content. After the initial release of the film or episodic series, the costs of significant improvement to existing products are capitalized while routine and periodic alterations to existing products are expensed as incurred. Debt and Attached Equity-Linked Instruments The Company measures issued debt on an amortized cost basis, net of debt premium/discount and debt issuance costs amortized using the effective interest rate method or the straight-line method when the latter does not lead to materially different results. The Company accounts for the proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes payable in accordance with FASB ASC 470-20 Debt with Conversion and Other Options. Pursuant to FASB ASC 470-20, the intrinsic value of the embedded conversion feature (beneficial conversion interest), which is in the money on the commitment date is included in the discount to debt and amortized to interest expense over the term of the note agreement. When the conversion option is not separated, the Company accounts for the entire convertible instrument including debt and the conversion feature as a liability. The Company analyzes freestanding equity-linked instruments including warrants attached to debt to conclude whether the instrument meets the definition of the derivative and whether it is considered indexed to the Company’s own stock. If the instrument is not considered indexed to the Company’s stock, it is classified as an asset or liability recorded at fair value. If the instrument considered indexed to the Company’s stock, the Company analyzes additional equity classification requirements per ASC 815-40 Contract’s in Entity’s Own Equity. When the requirements are met the instrument is recorded as part of the Company’s equity, initially measured based on its relative fair value with no subsequent re-measurement. When the equity classification requirements are not met, the instrument is recorded as an asset or liability and is measured at fair value with subsequent changes in fair value recorded in earnings. When required, the Company also considers the bifurcation guidance for embedded derivatives per FASB ASC 815-15 Embedded Derivatives. 43 Revenue Recognition On January 1, 2018, we adopted the new accounting standard Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all the related amendments (“new revenue standard”) using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under Topic 605. As a result of the change, beginning January 1, 2018, we began recognizing revenue related to licensed rights to exploit functional IP in two ways. For minimum guarantees, we will recognize fixed revenue upon delivery of content and the start of the license period. For functional IP contracts with a variable component, we will estimate revenue such that it is probable there will not be a material reversal of revenue in future periods. Revenue under these types of contracts was previously recognized when royalty statements were received. We began recognizing revenue related to licensed rights to exploit symbolic IP substantially similarly to functional IP. Although it has a different recognition pattern from functional IP, the valuation method is substantially the same, depending on the nature of the license. We sell advertising on our ’Kartoon Channel! channel in the form of either flat rate promotions or impressions served. For flat rate promotions with a fixed term, we recognize revenue when all five revenue recognition criteria under Topic 606 are met. For impressions served, we deliver a certain minimum number of impressions on the channel to the advertiser for which the advertiser pays a contractual CPM per impression. Impressions served are reported to us on a monthly basis, and revenue is reported in the month the impressions are served. We recognize revenue related to product sales when (i) the seller’s price is substantially fixed, (ii) shipment has occurred causing the buyer to be obligated to pay for product, (iii) the buyer has economic substance apart from the seller, and (iv) there is no significant obligation for future performance to directly bring about the resale of the product by the buyer. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In March 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-02, Subtopic 920-350. The update aligns the accounting for production costs of an episodic television series with the accounting for production costs of films by removing the content distinction for capitalization. The amendments also require that an entity reassess estimates of the use of a film in a film group and account for any changes prospectively. The amendments in this update require that an entity test a film or license agreement for program material within the scope of Subtopic 920-350 for impairment at a film group level when the film or license agreement is predominantly monetized with other films and/or license agreements. For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. We adopted ASU 2019-02 in 2019. The impact to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows were not material. 44 In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The update simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments by removing certain separation models in Subtopic 470- 20, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options, for convertible instruments. As part of the amendment, the embedded conversion features are no longer separated from the host contract for convertible instruments with conversion features that are not required to be accounted for as derivatives under Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, or that do not result in substantial premiums accounted for as paid-in capital. The FASB has eliminated the cash conversion and beneficial conversion feature models. The FASB has also modified accounting rules relating to application of the scope exception from derivative accounting. The amendments revise the guidance in ASC 815-40-25- 10, to remove three out of seven conditions from the settlement guidance, referred to as additional equity classification requirements. Following the above amendments, more convertible debt instruments will be accounted for as a single liability measured at its amortized cost and more convertible preferred stock will be accounted for as a single equity instrument measured at its historical cost, as long as no features require bifurcation and recognition as derivatives. The amendments are effective for public business entities, excluding smaller reporting companies, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, including smaller reporting companies the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is in the process of assessing the impact of the amendments to Company’s consolidated financial statements. Various other accounting pronouncements have been recently issued, most of which represented technical corrections to the accounting literature or were applicable to specific industries, and are not expected to have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Off Balance Sheet Arrangements We have no off-balance sheet arrangements. ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK. Not applicable. ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES. Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based upon our evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective for the three month period ended September 30, 2020 in ensuring that information that we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms. Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended September 30, 2020, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Inherent Limitations over Internal Controls Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error and circumvention by collusion or overriding of controls. Accordingly, even an effective internal control system may not prevent or detect material misstatements on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. 45 PART II - OTHER INFORMATION ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. As of September 30, 2020, there were no material pending legal proceedings to which we are a party or as to which any of its property is subject other than described below. As previously disclosed, the Company and its Chief Executive Officer Andy Heyward are named as defendants in a putative securities class action lawsuit filed in August 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and styled Salvador Verdin v. Genius Brands International, Inc. and Andy Heyward, Case No. 2:20-cv-07457-DSF (RAO). Plaintiff alleges generally that defendants made false or misleading statements regarding the Company’s business and business prospects during an alleged class period that runs from March 17 through July 5, 2020. Subsequently, a second putative class action asserting substantially similar claims against the same defendants was filed in the same court. On October 19, 2020, applications were filed with the court by multiple persons and law firms seeking appointment as lead plaintiff and lead plaintiff’s counsel in the matter, as contemplated by procedures specified in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. The applicants also sought formal consolidation of the two suits. The court has advised the parties that it expects to resolve the motions and appoint a lead plaintiff and lead plaintiff’s counsel without oral argument. Pending that appointment, the Company anticipates little if any substantive activity in the litigation. Related to the securities class action, the Company’s directors have been named as defendants in a putative shareholder derivative lawsuit filed in September 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and styled Eduardo Correa, etc., v. Andy Heyward, et. al., Case No. 2:20-cv-08277-DSF (RAOx). The suit alleges generally that the defendants breached fiduciary duties owed to the Company by, among other things, causing the Company to issue the supposedly false and misleading statements that underlie the Verdin securities litigation and thereby purportedly exposing the Company to liability and damaging the Company in an unspecified amount. No recovery is sought from the Company. Instead, as a shareholder derivative action, the Company is named as Nominal Defendant; and plaintiff, an alleged stockholder of the Company, purports to sue on behalf and for the benefit of the Company. Pursuant to an agreement among the parties, the court has stayed proceedings in the derivative litigation pending the outcome of anticipated motions to dismiss in the securities class action. In both proceedings, defendants have denied and continue to deny any wrongdoing and intend to defend the claims vigorously. ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS. Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes to the Risk Factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. Coronavirus (COVID-19) With respect to the ongoing and evolving COVID-19 outbreak, which was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 has caused substantial disruption in international and U.S. economies and markets. COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on the entertainment industry and, if repercussions of COVID-19 are prolonged, could have a significant adverse impact on our business, which could be material. The majority of the Company’s employees have been working remotely from home, with only a few individuals monitoring the office as needed. We have not experienced any disruption in our supply chain, nor have we experienced any negative impact from our animation production partners. With regard to content distribution, we have observed demand increases for streaming entertainment services in 2020. In terms of our consumer products business we are starting to see some negative impact from COVID-19 as consumer activity decelerates in the U.S. and across the world. Global supply chain issues had a negative impact on the timing of certain toy releases. The toy manufacturing business has experienced slowdowns related to global supply chain issues caused by the COVID -19 outbreak. Equally important, the retail toy business has suffered slowdown and closures effecting toy sales. New to market brands are impacted more severely by a slowdown in physical retail sales. Other consumer products licensees’ business is driven, by toy sales, so a there is a negative downstream effect across the industry. If the COVID-19 outbreak is prolonged, we will see a negative impact on our revenues. 46 The Company’s management cannot at this point estimate the impact of COVID-19 on its business and no provision for COVID-19 is reflected in the accompanying financial statements. We will continue to actively monitor the situation and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state, local or foreign authorities, or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners and stockholders. It is not clear what the potential effects any such alterations or modifications may have on our business, including the effects on our customers, suppliers or vendors, or on our financial results. ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS. On July 15, 2020, the Company issued 32,609 shares of Common Stock valued at $2.30 per share to a provider for marketing services. The issuance of the shares of Common Stock was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. On July 22, 2020, the Company issued 124,449 shares of Common Stock valued at $2.30 per share to a provider for marketing services. The issuance of the shares of Common Stock was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES. None. ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES. Not applicable. ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION. None. 47 ITEM 6. EXHIBITS. Exhibit No. Description 2.1 Agreement and Plan of Reorganization between Genius Brands International, Inc., A Squared Entertainment LLC, A Squared Holdings LLC and A2E Acquisition LLC dated November 15, 2013 (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 20, 2013) 3.1 Articles of Incorporation of Genius Brands International, Inc., as amended 3.2 Bylaws of Genius Brands International, Inc., as amended (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Periodic Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 19, 2019) 10.1 Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 28 , 2020, by and among Genius Brands International, Inc. and the Investors (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 30, 2020). 31.1* Section 302 Certification of Chief Executive Officer. 31.2* Section 302 Certification of Chief Financial Officer. 32.1** Section 906 Certification of Chief Executive Officer. 32.2** Section 906 Certification of Chief Financial Officer. 101.INS* XBRL Instance Document 101.SCH* XBRL Schema Document 101.CAL* XBRL Calculation Linkbase Document 101.DEF* XBRL Definition Linkbase Document 101.LAB* XBRL Label Linkbase Document 101.PRE* XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document * Filed herewith ** Furnished herewith 48 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC. Date: November 16, 2020 By: /s/ Andy Heyward Andy Heyward Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) Date: November 16, 2020 By: /s/ Robert L Denton Robert L. Denton Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) 49