Crackle Plus Leadership Team in Place

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (CSS Entertainment) has appointed four members to the leadership team of Crackle Plus, its VOD joint venture with Sony Pictures Television.

Philippe Guelton has been appointed president of Crackle Plus and will also remain as executive VP of CSS Entertainment and president of VOD networks. Darren Olive has been named executive VP of advertising sales for Crackle Plus, while Jason Schaeffer has been named senior VP of business development, marketing and business intelligence. Tony Simon becomes senior VP of content and operations. Guelton will continue to report to Elana Sofko, chief operating officer of CSS Entertainment. Olive, Schaeffer and Simon will report to Guelton.

“Crackle Plus represents an exciting new chapter for CSS Entertainment,” commented William J. Rouhana, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer. “We need a highly skilled and visionary team to navigate the coming months, and to create the best ad-supported video-on-demand platform possible. I am confident that Philippe Guelton is the best candidate to lead the new Crackle Plus team.”

“Darren Olive, Jason Schaeffer and Tony Simon will be enormous assets to Crackle Plus, as each brings decades of industry experience to the venture,” continued Rouhana. “We anticipate this team will quickly help accelerate the growth of the business.”