Jeff Shapiro Joins Genius Brands as VP of Retail Development

Licensing industry vet Jeff Shapiro joined Genius Brands International, Inc. as vice president of retail development.

Shapiro, who previously held positions at Warner Bros. Entertainment, 20^th Century Fox, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Cookie Jar Entertainment, and The Walt Disney Company, will report directly to Lloyd Mintz, Genius Brands‘ SVP of global consumer products. Shapiro will work to build partnerships and programs for brands including Rainbow Rangers, Llama Llama, Baby Genius, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, and other brands in development.

“Jeff brings a breadth of knowledge and wealth of experience in the licensing, merchandising and retail business that is unparalleled, working on such brands as Harry Potter, Batman, DC Comics, Marvel, LEGO, The Simpsons, Strawberry Shortcake, and Scooby-Doo, among others,” says Mintz. “We are fortunate to have an executive of his caliber to drive our retail programs as we begin launching our flagship properties, Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama, into the marketplace in 2019 and 2020.”

“I have a lot of respect for Lloyd’s expertise as well as the many successes that Andy has had over his impressive career,” comments Shapiro. “I am genuinely thrilled with the growth opportunity Genius Brands represents as I work with a stellar team to develop and execute the retail launches for these highly-anticipated properties.”

Shapiro most recently served as director of sales for major brands at Warner Bros. Entertainment. He managed marketing and sales initiatives with accounts including Target, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Sears, Kmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Party City, Game Stop, Dollar General, PetSmart, Michaels, and Zulily.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.