Santa.com Debuts the World’s First AI-Powered Interactive Virtual Santa Visits for Kids of All Ages…Without Making a Trip to the Mall!

Immersive Experience from Grom’s Curiosity Ink Media Holiday Site Brings Christmas Magic Through Free, Face-to-Face Santa Chats

BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Grom Social Enterprises, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GROM), Curiosity Ink Media – its original story telling subsidiary that weeks ago threw open the doors to digital holiday venue, Santa.com – today debuted ASK SANTA, an AI-driven virtual experience that allows kids to engage with Santa Claus, anytime, 24/7, on mobile or desktop devices. Powered by industry-leading AI-powered conversational video technology from StoryFile, ASK SANTA, offers parents a safe, convenient alternative to mall visits and long lines. The unveiling of ASK SANTA was announced today by Darren Marks, Chairman and CEO of Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. Investor relations information on Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. is available at https://investors.gromsocial.com.

To experience ASK SANTA, click here: santa.com/kids/talk-to-santa
For a special message from Santa, click here: Ask Santa Preview

ASK SANTA, designed for kids of all ages, is available by accessing the virtual North Pole section of Santa.com, a winter wonderland brimming with Yuletide-themed games and activities. The experience allows kids to speak with St. Nick from the comfort and safety of their homes, while giving them the opportunity to ask a myriad of questions he is prepared to answer. The visits are now open and will remain so until Christmas Eve, when Santa embarks on his annual worldwide mission to spread joy around the globe.

“ASK SANTA is the perfect complement to the Santa.com, experience and one we hope kids everywhere will embrace and treasure,” explains Marks. “Our mission is to bring to the internet the same experiences the world fell in love with a century ago in traditional department stores: a magical and immersive environment that is all about Christmas; some one-on-one time with Santa Claus; and we’re embarking on an original movie that we hope will become an instant holiday classic. Hats off to the brilliant minds at StoryFile for helping us make our North Pole even more special!”

To experience ASK SANTA, parents must first create a Santa.com account for their child. Then, to ask Santa a question, kids simply press and hold the microphone icon and talk slowly and clearly. They can also use the keyboard to type out questions or click on one of the icons along the bottom of the screen to hear a prerecorded question answered in real time by Santa. ASK SANTA is also bilingual, and can understand questions asked in Spanish, and will respond in English with Spanish subtitles. 

‘When we first unveiled ASK SANTA, we were delighted that it was critically-acclaimed, but the real payoff was knowing that kids from over 165 countries had conversations with Santa from the comfort of their own homes and with family and friends,” said Heather Maio-Smith, Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of StoryFile. “Now, we’re very proud to see our partners at Grom and Curiosity Ink Media offer more children the chance to have fun with Santa’s storyfile through their new Santa.com holiday site.” 

Santa.com is a dynamic holiday venue, overflowing with e-commerce and fun content for every member of the family. The one-stop holiday hub includes specially-themed editorial, curated gift lists, decorating tips, interactive games, and merry content, all of which is designed to ease the stress often associated with holiday preparations.

The site joins Grom’s growing stable of family-friendly, holiday-themed IP following its 2021 acquisition of Curiosity Ink Media, which also includes the afore mentioned original, animated feature-length film, which is inspired by such iconic holiday classics like “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Elf.” Additionally, the company has published books including Santa.com by Russell Hicks and Santa’s Secret Society by international best-selling children’s author Amber Stewart.

You can follow Santa.com on social at:
https://www.instagram.com/officialsantadotcom/?hl=en on Instagram
https://www.twitter.com/OGSantaDotCom on Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/SantaDotCom/ on Facebook

About StoryFile®:
StoryFile is making artificial intelligence more human. As the inventor of conversational video, the company was founded in 2017 in Los Angeles. Now the patent-protected technology it developed powers both the Conversa platform and a consumer version for home use, StoryFile Life. Conversational video allows users of all kinds to make deeper human connections whether it be for family history, commerce, customer service, education, or any collective human knowledge that needs to be shared. Conversa is the only SaaS solution that allows anyone to create and publish their own interactive conversational video content, and create the FAQ, the leave-behind, the chatbot, the explainer video, and more. With videos that talk back, StoryFile is revolutionizing the storytelling and communication industries. To learn more, visit StoryFile.com.

About Curiosity Ink Media 
Curiosity Ink Media is a global media company that develops, acquires, builds, grows and maximizes the short, mid, and long-term commercial potential of Kids & Family entertainment properties and associated business opportunities. Driven by a best-in-class leadership team, Curiosity Ink Media’s multi-faceted I.P. library is designed to amass ongoing value through strategic stewardship, partnerships, and highly targeted market entry. For more information, please visit https://curiosityinkmedia.com/.

About Grom Social Enterprises, Inc.
Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. 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 https://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 the Securities and Exchange Commission which are available at www.sec.gov as well as the Company’s website 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.

Media Contact:
Marianne Romano
Grom Social Enterprises/Curiosity Ink Media
1-818-681-0849
[email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:
Worldwide Financial Marketing, Inc.
1-954-360-9998
[email protected]

StoryFile Contact:
Owen Phillips
1-310-745-1407
[email protected]

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af55378e-1d4c-4a6c-8a83-e5328229849d

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e0f788d6-6b0e-4504-8355-581035d32dc1

 

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