Contest: Grow Your Own Business Challenge

Genius Brands International(OTCQB:GNUS) , creators of Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire’s Club, proudly announced today the launch of the 4^th Annual “Grow Your Own Business Challenge” for kids, sponsored by The Fairholme Foundation. The program and competition were created to encourage kids to be entrepreneurial and practice good financial habits from an early age.

The national online competition kicked off today at a special launch event in Miami with The University of Miami’s Launch Pad and the School of Education & Human Development. Launch Pad, an SMC partner, who hosted an entrepreneurial event for over 100 elementary and middle school students in the Miami area.  

The SMC “Grow Your Own Business Challenge” is open to kids 7–14, who are invited to submit original business ideas for consideration. The competition, sponsored by the Fairholme Foundation to further its mission of improving [financial] education, launched at noon on October 20, 2014, and ends on January 31, 2015.

Five individuals and three groups will be selected as finalists to present their ideas to Warren Buffett and a panel of VIP judges in May 2015 in Omaha, NE. One grand prize winning individual and members of one grand prize team will each be awarded $5,000. The finalists will be invited to nominate a teacher who was most inspirational in the process to join them in Omaha and win up to $1,000. For full rules and to enter, please visit www.SMCkids.com.

Over 4,000 kids entered the competition last year, and the grand prize winners were Jake Johnson from Charlotte, NC and group winner WiseGuide (Krystal and Allyson Graylin and Kei Chua) from Seattle, WA. They were selected as the winners because of their creativity, entrepreneurship, and inventiveness.

The Secret Millionaires Club, an animated series created by Genius Brands International, is available online at www.smckids.com and is licensed to broadcasters and home video users around the world. It airs on Hub Network in the U.S. There is also a Secret Millionaires Club book, DVDs, and a line of toys and activities being developed for a Spring 2015 introduction based on the series’ lessons. The series stars an animated Warren Buffett, who records his own voice, and acts as a mentor to a group of kids as they learn important financial and entrepreneurial lessons.

The Secret Millionaires Club website also features online educational material for educators, parents, and volunteers to extend the valuable lessons from Mr. Buffett into the classroom, home, and afterschool programs. The National PTA, Girls Inc., Junior Achievement and 4-H are all partners in the program this year.  By Kids For Kids Co. (BKFK), a leader in youth innovation, administers the program and competition.

“Parents and educators should both play an active part in teaching today’s kids about financial literacy and money,” says Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. “Encouraging young kids to become more involved and take a hands-on approach with their money is a great investment in their future.”

  

About Genius Brands International:

Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International “GBI” (OTCQB:GNUS) is a publicly traded global brand management company that creates multimedia content for toddlers to tweens.  Led by award-winning creators and producers CEO Andy Heyward and President Amy Moynihan Heyward, GBI creates “content with a purpose,” meaning content that is as entertaining as it is enriching. GBI’s growing library of content includes the award-winning Baby Genius, Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, Thomas Edison's Secret Lab and Stan Lee’s Mighty 7, the first project from Stan Lee Comics, a joint venture with legendary Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment.

A Squared Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Genius Brands International, is a brand management and licensing company that represents 3^rd party properties across a broad range of categories in territories around the world. The company currently represents Psycho Bunny, a luxury apparel line; From Frank, a humor greeting card and product line; Elecktro Kids and MIP both from Wowee Toys; Celessence Technologies, the world's leading microencapsulation company; and Archie Comics, celebrating its 75th Anniversary as one of the most successful and beloved comic book brands of all time.

About Fairholme Foundation

The Fairholme Foundation invests in under-valued paths to improving education. Its key: Ignore the crowd by circumventing long-standing roadblocks to progress. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization solely funded by Fairholme Capital Management and its affiliates.

About By Kids For Kids

By Kids for Kids® (BKFK®) is an agency that empowers youth invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship. BKFK provides a unique platform for kids and teens to develop and showcase their ideas, inventions, and entrepreneurship. The company provides free educational resources, including curricula and challenges that promote social change, product innovation,  and entrepreneurial endeavors. Learn more: www.bkfk.com.

About the Hub Network

The Hub Network is a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) and Hasbro Inc., (NASDAQ: HAS) with a goal of entertaining, enlightening, empowering and educating children and their families. The cable and satellite television network features original programming as well as content from Discovery's library of award-winning children's educational programming; from Hasbro's rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties built during the past 90 years; and from leading third-party producers worldwide. The Hub Network’s lineup includes animated and live-action series, as well as specials, game shows, and family-favorite movies. The network extends its content through a robust and engaging online presence at www.hubworld.com. The Hub Network rebranded from Discovery Kids on October 10, 2010, and is available in over 73 million U.S. households. The Hub Network logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.