Business Context and Reporting Period
This Form 8-K is a current report filed by Genius Brands International, Inc. (trading symbol: GNUS) on October 14, 2021, regarding events occurring on October 8, 2021. The filing details the results of the Company's 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Note: The request metadata references "Kartoon Studios, Inc.," but the filing text explicitly identifies the registrant as Genius Brands International, Inc.
Key Financial Metrics
This filing is a corporate governance report (Item 5.07) and does not provide financial metrics such as revenue, profit, cash flow, margins, debt, or liquidity. No financial data is present in the source text.
Material Changes and Voting Results
The filing reports the following material actions taken at the Annual Meeting:
- Attendance: Holders of 151,974,102 shares (50.52% of outstanding common stock) were present or represented by proxy.
- Board of Directors Election: Nine nominees were elected to the Board of Directors. While all were elected, there were significant votes withheld for several directors:
- Andy Heyward: 61,180,584 votes for; 3,139,727 withheld.
- Joseph "Gray" Davis: 61,842,775 votes for; 2,477,536 withheld.
- P. Clark Hallren: 54,801,415 votes for; 9,518,896 withheld.
- Anthony Thomopoulos: 54,492,195 votes for; 9,828,116 withheld.
- Margaret Loesch: 62,063,356 votes for; 2,256,955 withheld.
- Michael Klein: 62,257,342 votes for; 2,062,969 withheld.
- Karen McTier: 62,252,190 votes for; 2,068,121 withheld.
- Dr. Cynthia Turner-Graham: 62,328,003 votes for; 1,992,308 withheld.
- Accounting Firm Ratification: The selection of Baker Tilly US, LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, was ratified.
- Votes For: 147,581,086
- Votes Against: 1,440,155
- Abstentions: 2,952,861
Guidance, Outlook, and Risks
The filing text does not provide management commentary, financial guidance, outlook, risk factors, contingencies, or unusual items. The document is strictly limited to reporting the vote tallies from the Annual Meeting.
Investor Verification Checklist
- Verify the correct registrant name is Genius Brands International, Inc., not Kartoon Studios, Inc.
- Review the specific vote counts for directors P. Clark Hallren and Anthony Thomopoulos, who received the highest number of votes withheld among the nominees.
- Confirm the ratification of Baker Tilly US, LLP as the auditor for the 2021 fiscal year.
- Check subsequent filings (e.g., 10-K or 10-Q) for the financial metrics absent in this 8-K.