Beverly Hills-based Genius Brands International has completed its acquisition of Wow! Unlimited Media.

The deal included 10,365,823 shares of Genius Brands common stock, 691,262 exchangeable shares and an estimated $47.7 million in cash. As part of the transaction close, Wow! Unlimited shareholders were issued $1.169 and 0.271 of a Genius share.

As part of the deal, Wow! Unlimited chairman and CEO Michael Hirsh has joined the Genius Brands board of directors.

The acquisition passed its final hurdle when it received regulatory approval from the Department of Canadian Heritage under the Investment Canada Act on March 29, completing the transaction on April 6.

Wow! Unlimited’s assets include Vancouver and Toronto-based animation company Mainframe Studios, as well as Frederator Studios and the Frederator Network, which attracts more than one billion views through its YouTube channels, according to a joint release from Genius Brands and Wow! Unlimited.

Mainframe Studios will continue to be led by Michael Hefferon, president and chief creative officer, and EVP Kim Dent Wilder and Frederator Studios will continue to be managed by head of production Kevin Kolde and director of development Isabel Bailin, according to a statement from Hirsh.

“In addition to our own leading talent, Genius Brands has assembled many of the top industry luminaries from Disney, Marvel, DreamWorks and Hasbro, with a unique history of creating some of the most valuable children’s IP ever made,” said Hirsh. “Our management across the company will work with our colleagues at Genius Brands to build a global leader in children’s brands entertainment.”

With the transaction complete, Genius Brands will transfer its animation production in China to Mainframe Studios to “drive significant margin expansion and trim costs,” according to a statement from chairman and CEO Andy Heyward, as well as introduce Wow! Unlimited content to its YouTube channel Kartoon Channel! Worldwide.

“The acquisition of Wow! represents a transformational event for Genius Brands as we execute our strategy to establish the Company as a foremost producer, broadcaster, and licensor of high-quality children’s entertainment and children’s consumer products. The acquisition is expected to provide a number of immediate benefits, as it is expected to result in increased revenues and is expected to be accretive,” he added.

Wow! Unlimited’s original IP across its portfolio includes Castlevania (pictured), Adventure Time and Fairly Odd Parents, as well as service productions for the Barbie brand, Octonauts and Madagascar – a Little Wild, to name a few.

Wow! Unlimited earned an estimated $81 million (US$64.2 million) in revenue in 2021, according to the joint release, up from the $61.1 million in 2022 reported by Wow! Unlimited in its last year-end financial report.