Jon Ollwerther, previously General Manager of Genius Brands International’s Kartoon Channel!, has been promoted to President of Kartoon Channel!. Ollwerther will continue in his role as Executive Vice President of Business Development for Genius Brands.
Prior to joining Genius Brands, Ollwerther served as Vice President of Media, Arts, and Entertainment for drone software company Measure.
“Viewer rankings have put Kartoon Channel! above all other services, including Netflix, Disney+, and You Tube Kids, in both the Apple and the Google app stores,” Ollwerther said, noting that Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten recently surpassed 21 million views on Kartoon Channel! since its launch just over one month ago. “We believe Superhero Kindergarten has risen to the ranks of one of the most highly viewed new cartoon launches in history, as we are building an evergreen production that will entertain generations of children, while attracting both advertisers and consumer product licensees.”
In the next quarter, the company will roll out KC Pop Quiz!, a fast-paced daily game show based on pop culture in which kids can win prizes. “Think Jeopardy meets HQ Trivia,” Ollwerther said.
Shortly after the launch of the quiz show, the Genius Brands will introduce its third original product starring Shaquille O’Neal, Shaq’s Garage, created by Toy Story co-writer and creator Joel Cohen. Additionally, the company is launching season three of its series Rainbow Rangers.
“I am honored to take on this new role with Genius Brands, as I truly believe we are curating the very best combination of original, exclusive, and commercially acquired product within the kids’ entertainment industry,” Ollwerther said. “Key to our strategy is delivery of premium content that we believe will resonate with our audience — children. We could not have accomplished this successful launch without the leadership and support of our executive Chair, Margaret Loesch, and the handpicked Kartoon Channel team. We are excited about what is coming down the pipeline and we remain more encouraged than ever as we execute on our goal of building the premier kids streaming platform.”
“I am pleased to announce the well-deserved promotion of Jon, in recognition of his significant contributions to the rapid growth and success of our hit kid’s streaming platform, Kartoon Channel!,” said Genius Brands Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward.