Genius Brands hires former Corus exec to head international distribution

Children’s entertainment company Genius Brands International has appointed former Corus Entertainment exec Jessica Brinder as VP of international distribution.      

Brinder will be based in Toronto and in her new role, she will oversee global content sales from the company’s portfolio of children’s programming, including flagship titles such as Rainbow Rangers, Llama Llama and the upcoming Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten.

Lindsay Brown, who currently serves as director of international sales, will now report to Brinder.

Before joining Genius Brands International, Brinder served as VP of business development at Canada’s Kickstart Entertainment and spent more than five years at Corus Entertainment, most recently as a senior sales manager of global distribution at its Nelvana animation studio. In that role, Brinder managed the distribution of content in key territories around the world and oversaw the strategic direction and team of the global VOD business.

Genius Brands International and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment recently launched a joint venture, Stan Lee Universe, with plans to develop and license approximately seven properties per year, based upon IP created by the acclaimed comic book writer.

“This is an exciting time to be at Genius Brands as we continue to build our content portfolio, and I welcome Jessica to our team to help drive our content sales efforts around the world,” said Genius Brands’ chairman & CEO Andy Heyward. “

“I am thrilled to work with Andy and the team at Genius Brands as we continue producing ‘content with a purpose’ for global distribution,” added Brinder. “I look forward to working with our broadcast and platform partners worldwide to bring our unique offerings to young audiences around the world.”