Genius Products Secures US Digital Distribution Rights from The Weinstein Company for Feature Film and Direct-to-Video Library

Agreement Expands Genius’ Digital Rights Library to over 1,000 Feature and Children’s Titles and 4,000 Hours of Digital Rights
Retains Senior Advisor for Digital Strategies, Jeffery Calman, Former Executive Vice President of Warner Home Video

SANTA MONICA, CA (rushprnews) April 16 2007–Genius Products, LLC one of the fastest growing companies in the home entertainment market, and The Weinstein Company (TWC), one of the largest independent studios founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, announced today the companies have expanded their relationship to include Genius as the United States digital rights distributor for TWC’s library of feature films and direct-to-video content.
The announcement was made by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairmen of The Weinstein Company, majority owner of Genius Products LLC, and Stephen K. Bannon, Chairman, and Trevor Drinkwater, President and CEO of Genius Products, Inc. (OTCBB:GNPI – News) the minority owner of Genius Products, LLC. The alliance will further strengthen Genius Products’ rapidly growing library now expanding to over 4,000 hours of feature film and direct-to-video digital rights.

“Harvey and I have experienced the incredible job the Genius team has done with the delivery of our DVD content to leading retailers and we are excited to expand our relationship to include the digital rights of our feature films and direct to video content,” said Bob Weinstein. “The retailers they have developed partnerships with over the past year have exceeded our initial expectations and we look forward to expanding our relationship with this dynamic company through our digital rights partnership.”

Under the terms of the multi-year digital rights distribution agreement, Genius Products will be the United States digital rights’ distributor for TWC feature films and direct-to-video content and will maintain both physical and digital distribution rights for the term of this agreement. The transaction will automatically grow the Genius Products library to over 1,000 titles of digital rights and should result in 200-250 additional new titles over the term of this agreement.

“We are very excited about our expanded digital rights relationship with TWC and the opportunity this represents. We enter 2007 with a clear strategy to work closely with our content partners and retailers to maximize current and future revenue streams of entertainment content to the consumer,” stated Trevor Drinkwater, president and CEO of Genius Products. “We remain bullish and focused on the sale of the physical product. As the industry evolves we will be in a position to benefit from changing technology regardless of delivery methodology.”

Genius Products has digital rights with a majority of its content partners such as TWC, Classic Media, Entertainment Rights Halmi, WellSpring and many others.

Genius Products is also in discussions or in the process of concluding agreements with major US retailers for digital rights.

“We are well ahead of the technology curve in home entertainment distribution as shown by our many partnership agreements in digital rights; and we have always positioned ourselves to ensure that our partner’s content is distributed across as many delivery methodology as possible whether digital or physical,” stated Stephen K. Bannon, Chairman of the Board of Genius Products, Inc. “Genius Products is a leader in content delivery, and I am extremely proud of our early track record of strategically expanding our position in the entertainment industry through the introduction of new brands and content-provider partnerships across the four verticals of Sports, Family/Faith, Lifestyle and Independent Film.”

Genius Products announced they have retained Jeff Calman as Senior Advisor of Digital Strategies. Mr. Calman will oversee the expansion of the company’s digital rights library and delivery of content through digital rights.

Jeffrey Calman joins the Genius team after more than 20 year career with Warner Bros. Most recently he was Executive Vice President of Warner Home Video, where he managed and developed the Company’s Video on Demand and Electronic Sell Through distribution arm. Mr. Calman has also acquired and distributed films for many independent distributors, including MCEG, Laurel Entertainment and Reteitalia; as well as NHK, the Japanese National Broadcasting network. Mr. Calman holds an MBA from Wharton.

“The proper infrastructure and partnerships we have created with retailers and on-line content providers will allow Genius Products to be a major independent home entertainment distributor of leading content on both DVDs and a broad range of emerging platforms and business models for many years to come. One of my first areas of focus will be to secure additional innovative deals for our content, and to manage the formation of an internal team to ensure we are technically positioned to exploit the library of digital rights that we have today and will continue to acquire in the future,” stated Jeffery Calman.

Trevor Drinkwater added, “We have assembled one of the leading management teams in the entertainment industry for content delivery and the addition of Jeff Calman greatly strengthens our digital delivery team. Jeff is a proven leader in the electronic deliver and expansion of digital libraries and we are excited he will be growing our digital rights platform.”

About Genius Products

Genius Products, Inc. (OTCBB:GNPI – News), along with The Weinstein Company Holdings LLC, together owns Genius Products, LLC, a leading independent home-entertainment distribution company that produces, licenses and distributes a valuable library of motion pictures, television programming, family, lifestyle and trend entertainment on DVD and other emerging platforms through its expansive network of retailers throughout the U.S. Genius handles the distribution, marketing and sales for such brands as Asia Extreme(TM), Discovery Kids(TM), Dragon Dynasty(TM) , Dimension Films(TM), ESPN®, IFC®, RHI Entertainment(TM), Sesame Workshop®, The Weinstein Company® and WWE®. Genius Products, Inc. is the managing member of Genius Products, LLC, in which it holds a 30% equity interest.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for historical matters contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements reflect assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect Genius Products’ business, forecasts, projections and prospects, and cause actual results to differ materially from those in these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our projected future revenues, increases in sales volume, our anticipated growth in revenues and content, our ability to successfully position ourselves as a leading home entertainment distributor, the number of anticipated releases per year under our agreements with our content and retail partners and our anticipated success in expanding and exploiting our digital rights. Actual results could vary for many reasons, including but not limited to, our ability to acquire and keep valuable content and expand our distribution and retail partnerships, the unpredictability of audience demand, the success of The Weinstein Company titles at the box office and the popularity of our titles our ability to perform under the terms of our agreement with our content providers, especially with The Weinstein Company, our ability to continue to manage our significant growth, our ability to continue to attract and keep experienced management, the effect of technological change, the availability of alternative forms of entertainment and our ability to maximize our operating leverage. Other such risks and uncertainties include the matters described in Genius Products’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Genius Products assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
Contact:

Genius Products, Inc.
GNPI — Investor Relations
John Mills/Anne Rakunas, 310-954-1100
or
GNPI — Media Relations
Alecia Pulman, 203-682-8200

Source: Genius Products, Inc.
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