Premium Supplier of Animation Production for Global Entertainment Brands Bolsters Output and Leverages New Leadership Team
BOCA RATON, FL – (NewMediaWire) – October 07, 2021 – Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: GROM), today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Top Draw Animation (TDA), has commenced production on approximately $1.0 million in new projects through its sprawling studio in Manila, the Philippines. The assignments, two recurring episodic animated TV series, bolster the studio’s output and leverage the expertise of Top Draw’s animation professionals as well as Russell Hicks and Jared Wolfson, the studio’s newly installed President and Executive Vice President, respectively. Due to confidentiality, Top Draw did not disclose either the series or the commissioning client.
Recognized throughout the animation and entertainment communities for premium production services, Top Draw produces animated series, movies, specials and short-form content on behalf of several leading global entertainment providers. The company was acquired by Grom in 2016 and serves as a centerpiece of Grom’s offerings, which include safe social media for kids, web filtering utilized in school districts nationwide and original family entertainment through Curiosity Ink Media. Founded by Hicks and advertising executive Brent Watts in 2017, Curiosity is intended to serve as Grom’s pipeline for original IP (Intellectual Property) development through which the company aims to serve the entertainment needs of kids and families.
“Animation consistently delivers dedicated audiences because it’s typically timeless and escapist,” explains Hicks. “Programmers rely heavily on their animated series and Top Draw Animation is prepared and energized to help entertainment companies around the world bring this visually rich brand of storytelling to life. We currently have hundreds of animation experts and artists focused on feeding the growing demand for animated entertainment.”
Top Draw Animation studio employs over 400 artists in its 37,000 square foot, state-of-the-art studio in Manila, the Philippines. TDA has accumulated an impressive portfolio of TV animation totaling more than 2,000 half hours. As the entertainment industry slowly welcomes personnel back into the office, Top Draw continues work in cooperation with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Quezon City and Manila Local Government to ensure that all necessary Covid 19 safety protocols are in place to protect studio employees. Currently, Top Draw is tracking to have 80 percent of its staff vaccinated by the end of 2021.
About Grom Social Enterprises, Inc.
Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: GROM) is a growing social media platform and original content provider of entertainment for children under 13 years of age, which provides safe and secure digital environments for kids that can be monitored by their parents or guardians. The Company has several operating subsidiaries, including Grom Social, which delivers its content through mobile and desktop environments (web portal and apps) that entertain children, let them interact with friends, access relevant news, and play proprietary games while teaching them about being good digital citizens. The Company owns and operates Top Draw Animation, which produces award-winning animation content for some of the largest international media companies in the world. Grom also includes Grom Educational Services, which has provided web filtering services for K-12 schools, government and private businesses. For more information, please visit gromsocial.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements, which may constitute “forward-looking statements.”. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief, or current expectations of Grom and members of its management team as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Important factors currently known to management that may cause actual results to differ from those anticipated are discussed throughout the Company’s reports filed with Securities and Exchange Commission which are available at www.sec.gov as well as the Company’s web site at www.gromsocial.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results.
For Grom Social Enterprises/Curiosity Ink Media
Marianne Romano
818-681-0849
For Investor Relations
John McNamara
TraDigital IR
917-658-2602