Chicken Soup for the Soul sets out leadership team following Redbox deal

Willian J. Rouhana

Following the US$375 million acquisition of Redbox, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has announced the formation of a new senior leadership team.

Announced by chairman and CEO William J. Rouhana, the new leadership team will be drawn from both companies. 

As part of the initial announcement, Chicken Soup said that Redbox CEO Galen C. Smith has been appointed to the new role of executive vice chairman of Redbox and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, while former Scripps Networks exec Jonathan Katz has been named president of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Both report to Rouhana.

Smith will oversee all long-term planning for the company, including strategy, acquisitions and corporate services. Reporting to him are: 

• Senior vice president corporate communications, Peter Binazeski – Heads the company’s corporate communications and public relations;
• Chief people officer, Marisa Famulare – Continues to direct all people functions;
• Chief innovation officer, Jason Kwong – Shifts duties to newly expanded role incubating and developing future areas of growth for the combined business;
• Chief financial officer, Chris Mitchell – Continues responsibility for all financial operations, capital structure, and investor relations;
• Chief strategy officer, Elana Sofko – Continues to manage M&A activities and international expansion; and
• Chief legal officer, Fred Stein – Expands his Redbox role to oversee all legal, business affairs and risk management.

Katz as president meanwhile will oversee day-to-day operations including the company’s streaming, distribution and studio businesses along with the iconic movie rental kiosk business. Reporting to him are: 

• Chief operating officer and president, Redbox Service, Michael Chamberlain – Continues to oversee the operations of the Redbox kiosk business, and leads the growing kiosk service business;
• Chief executive officer, studios, David Ellender – Continues to lead the Chicken Soup for the Soul Television Group, developing and producing original content for all owned-and-operated platforms, now including Redbox kiosks and streaming, as well as third-party productions;
• Chief acquisitions and distribution officer, David Fannon – Continues to oversee all domestic and international content acquisition and distribution, expanding his purview to include Redbox, and continues in his role as President of Screen Media Ventures;
• Chief marketing officer, Mike Feldner – Adds the combined company to his Redbox role, heading up all marketing, branding, and creative services, along with leading the company’s analytics and insights team;
• Chief revenue officer, Philippe Guelton – Expands role to lead all advertising sales and operations, as well as revenue partnerships across the company; and
• Chief digital officer, Adam Mosam – Adds to his responsibilities oversight of the company’s streaming businesses, including product, technology, and platform distribution.

Commenting on the new leadership team, Rouhana said: “Our new senior leadership team brings together some of the best executives in the streaming and entertainment business and sets us up for continued success. Our company is scaling rapidly – especially after our recent acquisition of Redbox. As we continue to grow, this team has the knowledge, skill, and drive to build a major company that delivers premium entertainment to value-conscious consumers. I’m very excited about the future of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.”