Warners Bros alum Brian Parisi named chief finance officer of Kartoon Studios

Former Warner Bros and Universal Studios executive Brian Parisi has been appointed chief finance officer (CFO) of kids’ content company Kartoon Studios (formerly Genius Brands International).

Brian Parisi

He replaces previous CFO Bob Denton, who has moved into the role of exec VP of finance and accounting.

Parisi is charged with reducing operating costs at Kartoon Studios, optimising financial performance and enhancing long-term shareholder value.

He joins from LA-based Break the Floor Productions, where he served as CFO. His responsibilities there included overseeing the evaluation and analysis of mergers and acquisitions, plus risk management.

Prior to that, Parisi was CFO at the NFL Hall of Fame Village, where he oversaw a range of financial activities including managing construction accounting budgets, financial reporting, cash management and tax compliance.

He has also served as senior VP of the festivals division of Live Nation Entertainment. where he was responsible for developing strategic plans for dance music festivals.

Parisi has also held leadership positions at Warner Bros Entertainment and Universal Studios.

Genius Brands International changed its name to Kartoon Studios in June and transferred its listing from the Nasdaq Capital Market to the NYSE American exchange.

The LA-headquartered studio, which owns the rights to certain IP created by comic book writer and Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee, said the move heralded the label’s “next phase of growth” in the production, distribution and licensing of kids’ content.

The rebrand came after the company made several acquisitions, including taking a majority stake in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment plus acquiring Canada’s Wow! Unlimited Media and its subsidiaries Frederator Studios, Frederator Network and Mainframe Entertainment.