Shambroom Tapped to Helm Crackle

SAUSALITO, February 28:
Sony Pictures Entertainment’s online video site Crackle has announced that
Jonathan Shambroom will lead the company as its senior VP and general manager.

Crackle is an
advertising-supported website that streams original video content over the
Internet. The site, which was originally named Grouper, was bought by Sony and
then relaunched last July. Shambroom has been tasked with leading the company’s
growth as it debuts new and original online short-form videos from Sony
Pictures Television (SPT) and its own Crackle Studios. Shambroom has overseen
product development and marketing for the company since September 2005, and has
also worked for such new-media properties as Tagged.com, Hi5.com and Evite.com.

The company has also
announced that traffic has doubled in recent months, alongside a small rise in
advertising revenue. Executives attribute the increased viewership to new
properties such as Penn Says,
featuring Penn Jillette, Mr. Deity and
The Minisode Network.
Additionally, Crackle will have the exclusive debut window for new Sony
Pictures Television-distributed original short-form programming for new media,
including the new SPT original program The Roadents, a flash-animated improv comedy.

"Dave Samuel and I
conceived of what was then called Grouper as an innovative peer-to-peer
personal media sharing site back in 2004," said Josh Felser, the
co-founder of Grouper. "It's been a pleasure to nurture and develop
Crackle into a leading video network showcasing the best in emerging talent.
And now, with Jonathan at the helm, we are confident that audiences are in for
even more of the best mind-blowing entertainment."

"Crackle is locked
and loaded to be the trailblazer of the online entertainment space,” said
Shambroom. “Thanks to Josh and Dave we have a solid foundation. I have total
confidence in our talented team to bring Crackle to every living room, desktop
and back pocket. Working closely with Sony and the up-and-coming creators we
develop, Crackle will continue to offer the best digital entertainment
available anywhere."

"Jonathan has proven
his leadership since joining the Crackle team, and his understanding of new
media has dramatically driven the site's audience and revenue growth,"
said Sean Carey, the senior executive VP of Sony Pictures. "Sony Pictures'
confidence in Crackle is stronger than ever and we are continuing to increase
our investment in Crackle so that it becomes the web's go-to destination for
video entertainment."

—By Ned Berke