COS COB, Conn., Aug. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE), one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks, today announced that Crackle Plus has partnered with APX Content Ventures, a division of Publicis Media, to serve as the co-production and brand-integration partner for the new Crackle original interview series, Inside the Black Box.

Produced by Landmark Studio Group, Inside the Black Box is hosted by esteemed acting coach Tracey Moore, and multi-award-winning veteran television, film, and stage actor Joe Morton (Scandal, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Godzilla, King of the Monsters, The Good Wife, The Politician, and many more), Inside the Black Box is slated to begin production on 10 one-hour episodes in October with an anticipated Q1 2022 premiere date, exclusively on Crackle.

The innovative series is created by Moore, Morton, multi-Emmy®-Award nominated producer Rachel Weintraub (The View, The Gayle King Show), and David Kolin. Inside the Black Box is executive produced by Moore, Morton, Weintraub, Kolin, Scott Weinstock, Bob Maurer (The Tom Green Show, Project Dad), Landmark’s (Willy’s Wonderland, Safehaven, Trigger Point) David Ozer and Tim Rouhana, APX Content Ventures’ John Nolan and Bhavana Smith and Publicis Media’s Eric Levin.

Inside the Black Box--“Black Box” being an industry reference to an experimental theatre space consisting of simple black walls and 99 seats or less--will spotlight the world’s greatest BIPOC artists, from actors and directors to producers, writers and musicians, reflecting on how their skin tone influenced their journey to success. Filmed in a theater setting, the series features an A-list roster of talent, such as Debbie Allen, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Phylicia Rashad, Shonda Rhimes, Sherri Shepherd, Tamara Tunie, and more, with a diverse audience filled with young aspiring artists. Each one-hour episode, hosted by Morton and Moore, will be filled with revealing conversation, exciting performance, workshops and discussions about the role race plays in the entertainment industry. At home, audiences will also be given an opportunity to participate in the forum via mobile devices through script reading, Q&As, and the potential to audition to win roles in key sponsor ads.

President of Crackle Plus Philippe Guelton stated, “We are thrilled to enter into this agreement with APX Content Ventures. Inside the Black Box is one of many high-quality projects we will be producing with them and their extensive roster of clients. One of the goals of Crackle Plus is to redefine what the involvement of sponsorship and advertising partners might look like in terms of content and this exciting series is just the beginning for our team.”

“Inside the Black Box provides us with a tremendous opportunity to align big brands with entertainment content that promotes inclusivity and serves the minority community, and we look forward to working with the creative team behind the series, Landmark and Crackle to develop a truly innovative and diverse sponsorship campaign. We’re excited to continue beyond Inside the Black Box on more compelling original programming partnerships,” said Eric Levin, President and Chief Content Officer, Publicis Media US.

“Our new partnership with APX Content Ventures marks our foray into the branded entertainment space, and we will work together to identify brands that reflect and support the diversity and inclusion that is at the core of Inside the Black Box,” said Landmark’s CEO David Ozer.

ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) operates streaming video-on-demand networks (VOD). The company owns Crackle Plus, which owns and operates a variety of ad-supported and subscription-based VOD networks including Crackle, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. The company also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media subsidiary and produces original long and short-form content through Landmark Studio Group, Chicken Soup for the Soul Unscripted, APlus.com and Halcyon Television. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.

ABOUT APX CONTENT VENTURES
APX Content Ventures is a global offering dedicated to investing in quality, and mission-driven programming. Part of Publicis Media, its purpose is to find, fund and elevate partners and properties that amplify diverse voices, empower women and build community, connection and trust. Live in the UK, US, Germany and Italy, it has generated over 200 hours of content, including 150 episodes in partnership with 40 producers and across 15 networks. Publicis Groupe’s global content service, Publicis Content, also closely collaborates in this unique model and approach, helping brands align with programming opportunities that best fit their brand values. 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of management and are not predictions of actual performance. Such assumptions involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to our core strategy, operating income and margin, seasonality, liquidity, including cash flows from operations, available funds, and access to financing sources, free cash flows, revenues, net income, profitability, stock price volatility, future regulatory changes, price changes, the ability of the Company’s content offerings to achieve market acceptance, the Company’s success in retaining or recruiting officers, key employees, or directors, the ability to protect intellectual property, the ability to complete strategic acquisitions, the ability to manage growth and integrate acquired operations, the ability to pay dividends, regulatory or operational risks, and general market conditions impacting demand for the Company’s services. For a more complete description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please refer the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2021, and for further information regarding our recent acquisition of the Sonar library and related assets, please see our Current Reports on Form 8-K, as amended, filed with the SEC on May 27, 2021 and July 1, 2021. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.

INVESTOR RELATIONS
Taylor Krafchik
Ellipsis
csse@ellipsisir.com
(646) 776-0886

MEDIA CONTACT
Kate Barrette
RooneyPartners LLC
kbarrette@rooneypartners.com
(212) 223-0561

FOR LANDMARK STUDIO GROUP
Michelle Orsi
Three.Sixty Marketing + Communications
michelle@360-comm.com
310.418.6430

Source: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.