Cosmo DeNicola Companies News

Monday, September 23, 2019

AT $1.5 TRILLION AND GROWING, AMERICA'S MOUNTING STUDENT DEBT CRISIS TAKES CENTERSTAGE IN NEW CRACKLE ORIGINAL ‘GOING FROM BROKE' LAUNCHING THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

It’s an epidemic of huge proportions. As a nation, over 44 million Americans collectively owe a whopping $1.5 trillion in federal student loan debt, a number that grows each year and is second only to mortgage debt in America. Upon graduation, those entering the professional world face mounds of bills, a shrinking pool of employment opportunities, a lack of financial skills and a constant, crippling weight of oppression keeping them from reaching for their dreams.

Tackling this issue head on is a new Crackle Original, Going From Broke, a new series from executive producer Ashton Kutcher, Matador Content and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, launching Thursday, October 17th exclusively on the free streaming service. Leading the charge to support millennials in overcoming their crippling financial struggles is host Dan Rosensweig, Chegg CEO, and financial expert Danetha Doe who go one on one with young people living in pricey Los Angeles, what they thought would be The City of Dreams, to change their habits, gain financial confidence and become CEO of their own lives. Although they all come from different backgrounds and circumstances, each of the participants have one thing in common-- extreme debt.

Rosensweig and Doe challenge millennials to address everything from savings and spending to taxes, bills, co-loans and more. Ultimately, each of the subjects are given “homework,” tailored next steps meant to be tackled within a specific and timely window. It’s not comfortable, it’s not easy, but it’s necessary if they want financial stability. Throughout each of the 10 half-hours, viewers also get valuable insights and advice from several leading and trusted experts including award-winning personal finance journalist Jean Chatzky and Farnoosh Tarobi, bestselling author and podcast reporter.

Each installment is both relevant and relatable. For example:

● Obi Nwankwo, a former college track star who has a degree in finance and runs his own company. Between his student loans and extravagant living expenses, he’s continued to fall farther behind on his bills, even as his business grows.
● Max & Megan Foster, a married couple with two young children and debt that is putting a strain on both their pocketbook and their marriage. Both currently unemployed, they’re having trouble keeping from going under.
● Miracle McKinney, who chose to pursue her dreams of playing the violin professionally. Without a high-paying job, she’s confronted with massive college debt and no way to get ahead.

William J. Rouhana Jr., Chairman and CEO, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, comments: “We couldn’t be more pleased to be partnering with Ashton on a project that addresses such a serious issue in our country. This Crackle original series, ‘Going From Broke’, isn’t just entertainment; it also provides real tools and takeaway for viewers. We’re excited to premiere the series on Crackle since it’s a completely free, ad-supported platform available to stream on any device. It’s the perfect place to reach viewers who may also be saddled with debt and watching every dime they have. It’s the right message on the right platform at the right time.”

“The student debt crisis in America is devasting to young people and their families,” adds Rosensweig. “We need real solutions, in real time, to end the vicious cycle of debt and get hardworking young people on the road to financial freedom. My hope is that the stories in this show shine a light on the crippling impact debt and financial instability has on our kids, our future workforce, and our economy.”

“Going From Broke” is executive produced by Ashton Kutcher, William J. Rouhana Jr. and Michael Winter for Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. For Matador Content Todd Lubin, Jay Peterson, Joel Relampagos and Jerry Carita also serve as executive producers.

Crackle is available on all top streaming platforms, connected TVs, game consoles, Crackle mobile apps (IOs, Android) and at Crackle.com. Follow #GoingFromBroke on Crackle's Facebook and Twitter pages. Visit goingfrombroke.com for more information about the show.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Saturn Awards And Kevin Feige Tribute Head To Crackle In On-Demand Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: Screen Media Ventures has acquired exclusive on-demand rights to tonight’s Saturn Awards, which will feature tributes to Hollywood heavyweights Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige.

After tonight’s livestreams of the show across Twitch, Pluto TV, Nerdist and other platforms, Screen Media will make it available late next week on Crackle. Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage will be blended with the main awards production.

Screen Media parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment took control of Sony Crackle last spring in a deal with Sony. The transaction resulted in a rebrand of the service as Crackle, with Sony remaining a partner in the free, ad-supported streaming outlet it acquired in 2006.

The 45th annual edition of the Saturns, which honor sci-fi, fantasy and horror films, will be hosted by Aisha Tyler. In addition to Feige and Favreau, those scheduled to appear on the show include Melissa Benoist, Gina Torres, Gina Carano, Jon Cryer, Cameron Cuffe, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dean Devlin and George Takei.

Crackle, which has about 10 million monthly active users, will feature the awards on its genre-oriented Saturn Awards Channel. The channel’s lineup will also include past Saturn winners and nominees including, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Daredevil, Looper and House of Flying Daggers.

“Our mission has always been for the most fans possible to enjoy this amazing show and the brilliant people behind our favorite TV and films,” Saturn Awards executive producer Justin W. Hochberg said. “Partnering with Crackle for the VOD window just proves how strong demand is for genre programming and a new kind of award show.”

Screen Media president David Fannon, who is also EVP of distribution for Chicken Soup, said the deal is “the first of many content acquisitions” planned for Crackle. The Saturn Awards, he added, “fits perfectly on a specialized channel on Crackle devoted to genre films.”

Original Article Found at: https://deadline.com/2019/09/saturn-awards-kevin-feige-tribute-crackle-plus-on-demand-streaming-1202734251/

Monday, September 16, 2019

Cosmo Cares Dedicates Elementary School Student Pantry

The Cosmo Cares team (CC team), compiled of Cosmo DeNicola, Morgan DeNicola and Natalie Scarantino, was onsite for the grand opening of the Clara Barton Elementary School Pantry project in Philadelphia, PA on Thursday September 12. CC had the privilege of establishing the Pantry by donating Snacks, Food, School Supplies and Student Clothing for the benefit of the students (grades K-2) including a washer and dryer for keeping everything fresh.

The School was named after Clara Barton, a former Teacher and Nurse, who was instrumental in the creation of the Red Cross. Keeping with her theme, the program included presentations focused on caring and sharing. In addition, there was an interactive speech that reinforced the Power of Positivity and YES. The students were very enthusiastic during the formal part of the dedication, however, the energy level sky rocketed when the Elmwood Park Zoo brought live reptiles on stage to educate and awe the young students, teachers and administrators.

“I was so proud to see the energy, excitement and thirst for knowledge from the children. They inspire me to keep growing our impact,” stated Morgan DeNicola, CC Program Manager. CC Chairman ,Cosmo DeNicola, gave special thanks to Quincy Harris of Fox 29's the Q show, School Principal Colleen Bowen and Clara Barton Teacher Keesha Jackson for making it all possible.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Reports Record Q2 2019 Revenue of $12.2 Million

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (CSS Entertainment) (Nasdaq: CSSE), a growing media company building online video-on-demand (VOD) networks that provide video content for all screens, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019.

Second Quarter 2019 and Recent Business Highlights
(Results reflect Crackle Plus joint venture closed on May 14, 2019)

• Total revenue of $12.2 million
• Net loss of $5.9 million; $5.1 million before preferred dividends
• Adjusted EBITDA of $1.3 million
• Crackle Plus streaming video joint venture launched
• Release of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, a much anticipated film directed by Terry Gilliam
• Began production on Season 2 of Chicken Soup for the Soul's Animal Tales

Total revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 was $12.2 million compared to $3.1 million in the year-ago period. The year-over-year increase reflects 45 days of Crackle contribution.

• Online networks, which includes Crackle, Popcornflix and Pivotshare, generated $10 million in revenue
• Television and film distribution generated $2.0 million in revenue
• Television and short-form video production generated $0.2 million in revenue

"In the second quarter total revenue was a record $12.2 million, reflecting only 45 days of our ownership of Crackle. Our increased scale is driving advertiser interest," said William J. Rouhana Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of CSS Entertainment. "Our ads served on our owned-and-operated networks increased to 681 million in the second quarter, up from 33 million in the year ago quarter, validating the consolidation strategy. Crackle's eCPM rate is 27% higher than Popcornflix's and we expect to increase our ad rates across all of our online networks over time as we close the gap between Popcornflix and Crackle. These results underscore our excitement for this joint venture."

Gross profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 was $3.6 million, or 30% of total revenue, compared to $1.2 million, or 39% of total revenue for the year-ago period. The reduction in the percentage of gross profit was a result of an increase in online networks revenue which has a lower gross profit percentage.

Operating loss for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 was $3.0 million compared to an operating loss of $1.6 million for the year-ago period. The quarterly operating loss reflects certain non-cash or one-time expenses including $0.7 million in non-cash amortization, $1.2 million of transitional expenses related to the Crackle Plus joint venture, and $1.6 million in film library amortization. If such expenses were excluded from SG&A or cost of revenue, the Company would have reported quarterly operating income of $0.5 million.

Net loss was $5.9 million, or $0.49 per share, compared to a net loss of $1.7 million, or $0.14 per share in the prior-year second quarter. Excluding preferred dividends, the net loss in the second quarter of 2019 would have been $5.1 million, or approximately $0.42 per share, compared to a net loss of $1.7 million, or $0.14 per share last year.

Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 was $1.3 million compared to $0.2 million in the same period last year.

As of June 30, 2019, the company had $5.2 million of cash and cash equivalents compared to $7.2 million as of December 31, 2018, and outstanding debt of $7.1 million as of June 30, 2019 compared to $7.6 million as of December 31, 2018.

Monday, August 12, 2019

American City Business Journals To Take Majority Stake In BizEquity

American City Business Journals ("ACBJ") today announced it has acquired majority ownership of BizEquity, the leading provider of cloud-based business valuation tools and private business data.

As part of the transaction, ACBJ, the nation's largest publisher of local business information, will make a significant capital investment in BizEquity to accelerate its growth.

BizEquity's patented software-as-a-service platform helps business owners value their businesses in real time. More than 625 financial institutions and 2,500 wealth advisors use BizEquity to prospect for clients and engage with business owners to help them understand critical business valuation information.

"Our business journals are trusted sources of information in 43 U.S. cities," said Whitney Shaw, ACBJ CEO. "Historically, our primary service has been providing breaking local business news to people in those markets. We remain committed to that important service. Through BizEquity, we can enhance our core offering by giving additional, valuable information and insights to businesses of all sizes and to the professionals who serve them. We're excited that BizEquity has joined the ACBJ family and look forward to growing the business together."

"Democratizing business valuation knowledge to the more than 31 million private businesses in North America has been our mission from day one," said Michael Carter, CEO and co-founder of BizEquity. "With ACBJ's coast-to-coast footprint and large audience of business owners, we will be able to accelerate that mission. No information is more critical to a business owner's future than knowing what his or her business is worth. BizEquity unlocks that information. We look forward to continued innovation and market leadership as part of ACBJ."

Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Raymond James was the financial adviser to BizEquity on the transaction.

Original Article found at: https://www.streetinsider.com/PRNewswire/American+City+Business+Journals+To+Take+Majority+Stake+In+BizEquity/15805793.html

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

ALL-ARENA FIRST AND SECOND TEAMS ANNOUNCED

The Arena Football League today announced the 2019 First and Second All-Arena teams. All six of the League’s teams are represented on either the first or second teams, a nod to the strength of talent spread throughout the League. Of the 37 players named, 10 find their way to a 2019 All-Arena Team for the first time in their career.

The Albany Empire (10-2) led the way with 11 of its players selected to All-Arena teams, with 9 first-team selections. The Baltimore Brigade (7-5) saw eight total selections, with four players selected to both the first and second teams. The Philadelphia Soul (7-5) finished with six total selections, three to each team. Both the Washington Valor (7-5) and the Atlantic City Blackjacks (4-8) finished with four total selections to the second team. The Columbus Destroyers (1-11) finished with three All-Arena selections, two to the first team and one to the second team.

The League’s top-ranked offense Albany Empire had six offensive first-team selections. Empire QB Tommy Grady earned his third First-Team All-Arena selection after leading the League in passing yards (3097), passing touchdowns (68) and QB rating (125.5). Grady is joined on the first team by teammate receivers, Quentin Sims and Malachi Jones. This duo was nearly unstoppable this season; Jones led the League in receptions (96) and receiving yards (1440), while Sims led the League in receiving touchdowns (29). Philadelphia Soul teammates, WR Darius Prince and OL Neal Tivis round out the First-Team All-Arena offensive selections.

The First-Team All-Arena defense is headlined by a pair of interceptions leaders: James Romain of the Philadelphia Soul and Joe Powell of the Baltimore Brigade. Romain led the League with eight interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns. Powell collected the second-most interceptions (7) while also leading the League in both forced fumbles (5) and fumble recoveries (2).

Various members of the Baltimore Brigade’s top ranked defense are also featured on the First-Team All-Arena. Defensive linemen Darryl Cato-Bishop and Justin Lawrence, along with LB Dexter Jackson anchored a front four that led the League in sacks this year with 18.

Notable selections of the Second-Team All-Arena include Washington Valor QB Arvell Nelson, who led the League in total yards (3206) and total touchdowns (73); Albany Empire DB Tevin Homer, who led the League in total tackles (85.5, 77 solo); and Baltimore Brigade receiver Joe Hills, who holds the record for the longest-consecutive regular season games with a touchdown reception at 103.

The Columbus Destroyers and the Atlantic City Blackjacks, both expansion teams in 2019, are well-represented on this year’s All-Arena teams. The Destroyers had two first-team selections: DB Varmah Sonie and ST Fabian Guerra. Sonie led the Destroyers with 47.5 total tackles. Guerra led the League with 736 kickoff return yards, and ranked tied for most kickoff return touchdowns (3). Additionally, Destroyers DT Terrance Taylor is recognized as a second-team selection. Taylor led the Destroyers with 2 total sacks, which ranks tied for fourth-most in the League.

The Blackjacks had four selections to the second team as WR Antwane Grant, WR LaMark Brown and DE Monte Lewis all make their first appearances to an All-Arena team. Grant ranked second in the League in receiving yards (959) and yards per game (87.2). Brown ranked tied in the League for fourth-most rushing touchdowns (7) and rushing touchdowns per game (0.6). Blackjacks kicker Mark Lewis rounds out the Second team, who had 3616 kickoff yards this season.

ALL-ARENA FIRST TEAM

ALL-ARENA SECOND TEAM

Ballots were distributed amongst coaches, PR staff members, broadcast members and appointed media members. Individuals who work for teams were not allowed to vote for players on their respective teams. All other awards will be announced through August 10 leading up to ArenaBowl 32.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Amtech Software Hosts 2019 Global Sales Summit

Industry leader Amtech Software hosted their Global Sales Summit July 16^th-July 18^th, 2019 at the CHUBB Hotel and Conference Center located in Lafayette Hill, PA.

Attendees from Latin America and North America met together to receive intensive training on all aspects of Amtech’s solutions and services which included:

How Amtech’s entire family of solutions delivers complete and tight integration from order entry, to delivery and provides information in real-time across an operation.
The latest upgrade of EnCore, K2, Amtech’s packaging ERP and business management system, which is soon to be released.
EnCore add-on extensions available that address needs such as digital store fronts for competitive advantage and completely integrated intuitive business intelligence with preprogrammed dashboards for proactive business intelligence.
Amtech’s Intelligent Scheduling for Corrugator, Converting, Shipping and Roll Stock Supply Chain Management which shares data across an entire packaging operation in real-time.
Amtech’s quality/production controls, digital signage, and engineered automation solutions that deliver accurate and real-time data while increasing performance and quality.

Attendees left the summit with the knowledge and tools to provide the solutions Amtech customers need to successfully run their packaging businesses.

With over 60,000 users and over 600 installed locations, Amtech Software is the leading ERP Software, scheduling solutions, and corrugator automation control systems for the box and packaging industry. To learn more visit: www.amtechsoftware.com or contact Darren Artillio at: dartillio@amtechsoftware.com.

Monday, June 24, 2019

Futura in the News

This week, Service Now (we know internally as iServe) hosted an event at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia titled the Future of Work Philadelphia! At this event there were over 200 attendees looking at the trends shaping what’s next in the workplace! Our own Dom Sambucci and Shari Divone attended the event and interacted with other ServiceNow customers such as DuPont, CHOP, Trinity Health, and Day and Zimmerman. In addition, Dom proudly represented Futura on a customer panel along with representatives from QVC and Hubble Telescope. The panel shared their experiences and insight as to how ServiceNow has helped digitally transform work processes, organized communication, and streamlined access to information.

Friday, June 21, 2019

Amtech to Exhibit at the 39th ACCCSA International Convention and Exhibition in Miami, Florida

Packaging industry leading software and technology company, Amtech Software, will be exhibiting at the 39th ACCCSA International Convention and Exhibition in Miami, Florida.

ACCCSA’s main objective is to provide the corrugated cardboard industry in Latin America with a space to continue with the proposal of solutions to improve efficiency, effectiveness and competitive capacity. We will continue emphasizing in magisterial lectures and techniques that help us to promote quality, technological updating, sustainable development, innovation, creation of added value and management of human resources.

While at ACCCSA’s International Convention, Amtech will be exhibiting their EnCore ERP System that manages packaging operations from order to cash. Amtech will also be showing how customers can further their operations with the Smart Factory Solutions Scheduling and Automation Controls Engineering Solutions in a fully integrated environment wrapped with business intelligence allowing owners and managers to make effective business decisions, in real-time, with actionable data.

For more information about Amtech’s EnCore ERP system, Smart Factory Solutions Scheduling Suite, and Automation Controls Engineering Solutions contact: Darren Artillio at dartillio@amtechsoftware.com or visit us on the web at www.amtechsoftware.com.

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Announces Appointment of Two New Directors, Cosmo DeNicola and Martin Pompadur

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (“CSS Entertainment”) (Nasdaq: CSSE), a growing media company building online video on-demand (“VOD”) networks that provide video content for all screens, today announced two new appointments to the Company’s board of directors, Cosmo DeNicola and Martin Pompadur effective June 12th, 2019.

Cosmo DeNicola has founded and grown several national companies to market-leading positions. Mr. DeNicola founded the Cosmo DeNicola Companies, a portfolio company that holds a diverse range of businesses in the healthcare, technology, publishing, professional sports, and entertainment industries. In 1981, Mr. DeNicola founded Amtech Software, a provider of software and hardware solutions for the corrugated manufacturing industry. Mr. DeNicola founded Futura Services Inc., a technology support company, in 1992, and currently serves as its chief sales and marketing officer. He co-founded enterprise mobility provider of wireless/RFID technology, InfoLogix Inc. in 2001 and served as its chief executive officer until the 2006 merger of InfoLogix with New Age Translation, Inc. In 2011, Mr. DeNicola co-found international SAP services company, LogiStar Solutions, and served as its chairman until LogiStar was sold to Ernst & Young in 2014. In 2014, Mr. DeNicola co-founded Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, and served as its chairman until Pursuit Healthcare Advisors was sold to Atos in 2017. In June 2018, Mr. DeNicola was awarded with Ernst & Young's Philadelphia Region Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2019, Mr. DeNicola was honored by the Fox School of Business as one of 100 world-wide entrepreneurs and visionaries who have helped shape the Fox Business School and the business world.

Martin Pompadur has more than 50 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry. Mr. Pompadur began his career at ABC, Inc. in 1960, holding a variety of positions including general manager of the Television Network, vice president of the Broadcast Division, president of the Leisure Activities Group, and vice president of ABC, Inc., culminating with his becoming a member of the ABC, Inc. board of directors. From 1977 through 1982, Mr. Pompadur served as president of Ziff Corporation. Mr. Pompadur was then head of RP Companies from 1982 to 1998. Mr. Pompadur joined News Corporation as executive vice president of News Corporation, president of News Corporation Eastern and Central Europe and a member of News Corporation’s Executive Management Committee in 1998. From January 2000 until November 2008, Mr. Pompadur served as chairman of News Corp Europe. He served as global vice chairman, Media and Entertainment at Macquarie Capital from 2009 to 2016. Mr. Pompadur has served as a director of Nexstar Media Group (Nasdaq: NXST) since November 2003. Previously, Mr. Pompadur served on the boards of IMAX Corporation, ABC, Inc., Ziff Corporation, News Corporation Europe, Sky Italia, News Out of Home, BSkyB, and Metromedia International Group.

“We are thrilled to have Cosmo and Marty join our board of directors,” noted William J. Rouhana Jr., chairman and chief executive officer. “They are seasoned experts with impressive careers and bring with them extensive knowledge of finance, mergers, and acquisitions for media and other companies.”

In connection with the changes to the board of directors and in order to be able to take a more active role in advising the company on a series of initiatives, Peter Dekom stepped down as a member of the board of directors.

“We look forward to working with Peter even more closely in the future. His 40 years of media and entertainment legal, consulting, and entrepreneurial experience will continue to be a major asset to the company. We thank him for his service to date,” said Mr. Rouhana.

ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nadsaq:CSSE) is a growing media company building and acquiring streaming video-on-demand networks (VOD) that provide content for all screens. The company owns a majority stake in Crackle Plus, a joint venture with Sony Pictures Television, 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 long and short-form content through its Chicken Soup for the Soul Originals division and through APlus.com. 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.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks (including those set forth in the offering circular) and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements. The company expressly disclaims any obligations 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. Investors should realize that if our underlying assumptions for the projections contained herein prove inaccurate or that known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from our expectations and projections.

INVESTOR RELATIONS
James Carbonara
Hayden IR
james@haydenir.com
(646) 755-7412

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

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