Grom’s Top Draw Animation Secures Assignment to Animate Bidaya Media’s Hit Series, Mansour

Grom Subsidiary Tapped to Bring Animation Production Expertise to Second Season of Hit Emirati Kids’ Comedy Series


BOCA RATON, Fla., March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grom Social Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: GROM) (“Grom” or the “Company”), a media, technology and entertainment company dedicated to family-friendly programming, web filtering technology, and safe social media for kids, today announced that its subsidiary Top Draw Animation (“TDA”), a leading source of premium animation production services for programming shown throughout the world, will lend its animation expertise to season two of Mansour, the emerging animated hit series from Bidaya Media, the production team behind Iftah Ya Simsim, the Arabic language version of Sesame Street. The assignment was announced jointly today by TDA’s President, Russell Hicks, and Bidaya Media’s CEO, Nabil El Jisr.

“With rich characters, compelling storylines and top-shelf animation, Bidaya Media has crafted the perfect hit series,” said Hicks. “The dedicated animation experts and artists in our Manila studio are energized to bring season two of Mansour to its growing fan base as the series continues its upward climb. We are thrilled to secure another major win for Top Draw which continues to be a key growth driver for Grom.”

“We are proud to continue our collaboration with Top Draw on the second season of the Adventures of Mansour: Age of A.I. The work on the first season has been superb and we are very proud to have Top Draw continuing to deliver on this high quality production while navigating this ever-changing industry,” said Nabil El Jisr, CEO of Bidaya Media.

For Mansour, Top Draw will tap into its team of 400 animation pros to oversee production on the animated action adventure series about tech whiz Mansour and his friends as they confront a mischievous AI known as Blink who is intent on causing as much trouble as possible for Mansour and the people of his home city.

About Top Draw Animation
Based in Manila, Philippines, Top Draw Animation produces animated series, movies, specials and short-form content for several leading global and international entertainment providers and was acquired by Grom Social Enterprises in 2016. The studio operates under the direction of the company’s two Hollywood-based leaders; President Russell Hicks, who earlier led Nickelodeon’s original animation and live action production; and EVP Jared Wolfson, both of whom assumed their new roles last year.

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, 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, lets them interact with friends, access relevant news, and play proprietary games while teaching them about being good digital citizens and Curiosity Ink Media, a global media company that develops, acquires, builds, grows, and maximizes the short, mid & long-term commercial potential of Kids & Family entertainment properties and associated business opportunities. The Company also 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 provides web filtering for K-12 schools, government and private businesses. For more information, please visit https://gromsocial.com or for investor relations, please visit investors.gromsocial.com.

About Bidaya Media
Bidaya Media is a leading production company in the Middle East and North African region dedicated to developing original content for children of all ages. Bidaya aims to inspire children by stimulating their imaginations with content that nurtures intelligent, creative thinking and promotes social values of empathy, tolerance and friendship in a culturally diverse modern world. As well as the company’s main, original IP ‘Mansour,’ Bidaya is also well-known for developing and producing ‘Iftah Ya Simsim’, a much loved Arabic version of Sesame Street, the critically acclaimed educational and entertaining early childhood TV show.

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.

Grom Social Enterprises/Top Draw Animation
Paul Ward
+1-917-0593-6066
Paul@gromsocial.com

Bidaya Media FZ LLC, Yas Creative Hub
Imane Salem T.
M 1+971 2 401 2712, O 1+971 50 911 1759
Imane@bidayagmedia.com

Grom Investor Relations
Brooks Hamilton
MZ Group - MZ North America
+1-949-546-6326
GROM@mzgroup.us

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7f0981b9-049b-4c6a-9efd-ae5ed3bb13e6


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