Genius Brands International and its Board of Directors have named veteran financial executive and former VP of Finance for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Rebecca Hershinger, as Chief Financial Officer — effective immediately. The announcement was made by GBI Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward, to whom Hershinger will report. Hershinger started working with GBI in early 2014 through her company, CFO Advisory Services. She then served as the company’s CFO from October 2014 through June 2015 while living in Salt Lake City.
Hershinger’s reappointment and imminent relocation to GBI’s headquarters in Beverly Hills, California, underscores the growth anticipated by the company through 2016 and beyond, driven by a multi-year distribution agreement with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the growth of the Kid Genius channel on Xfinity On Demand and the launch of new brands worldwide like SpacePop, Llama Llama — as well as the expansion of existing brands Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club and Stan Lee’s Mighty 7.
As CFO, Hershinger will be responsible for the company’s corporate finance, accounting and financial reporting functions. She will also play an active role in investor relations and corporate development initiatives. Hershinger previously held finance and corporate development positions at MGM and was an Investment Banking Analyst for JP Morgan Chase & Co. She received an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in Business Administration from Georgetown University.
