EXCLUSIVE: Genius Brands CEO Andy Heyward Talks Kartoon Channel Plans And More On 'Power Hour'

Genius Brands International Inc GNUS CEO Andy Heyward appeared on Benzinga's YouTube show "Power Hour" for an exclusive interview Wednesday.

Genius Brands makes animated cartoons for television and sells consumer products and licensing based on its cartoons, Heyward said, adding the company creates assets "that live forever."

Kartoon Channel Shows: Genius Brands' "Kartoon Channel" has grown dramatically since it was launched six months ago, Heyward said. The channel has higher ratings than all of its competitors in the Apple and Android app stores and its growth metrics have accelerated recently, he noted.

The company recently launched its "Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten" show featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and it's already averaging 3.6 million views per episode five weeks after the release, Heyward said, adding that the show is expected to drive international sales and consumer product licensing long-term.

Genius Brands also plans to host a "Stan Lee cameo weekend" in the next week or two, he said, and the company has plans to release new shows including "Shaq's Garage" and a live show the CEO said is like a kids version of "Jeopardy."

Watch and listen to the full interview in the video below:

The Genius Brand's show "Rainbow Rangers" has had great success through licensing to Netflix Inc NFLX, VicacomCBS Inc's VIACA Nickelodeon Junior, AT&T Inc's T HBO Max and Amazon.com, Inc.'s AMZN Amazon Prime, Heyward told Benzinga.

The company started licensing Roblox Corp RBLX content after it realized the significant interest surrounding the brand, but also because Genius Brands focuses on promoting positive and constructive content, he noted.

NFT Consideration: The Genius Brands CEO said the company is carefully considering entering the NFT space, sharing that there have been talks about doing something with Stan Lee's brand in the space.

Lee was "the most successful creator of our time," as well as a friend and mentor to Heyward, he said.

Price Action: Genius Brands traded as high as $11.73 and as low as 95 cents over a 52-week period.

At last check Wednesday, the stock was up 4.91% at $1.67.