Cosmo DeNicola Companies News (28)

Monday, November 6, 2017

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT COMPLETES MILESTONE ACQUISITION OF SCREEN MEDIA

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (“CSS Entertainment”) (Nasdaq: CSSE), a fast-growing provider of positive and entertaining video content, today announced the completion of the acquisition of Screen Media Ventures, LLC (“Screen Media”). The transaction was completed after the market close on Friday, November 3, 2017.

The Screen Media acquisition dramatically enhances the value of CSS Entertainment’s portfolio of assets, as well as CSS Entertainment’s capacity to drive revenue and profit growth.

“Screen Media’s assets are an extraordinary addition to our growing portfolio of highly-valuable media assets,” said William J. Rouhana, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer. “As we have regularly communicated to the investment community, our intention has always been to identify potentially transformative opportunities that enable us to achieve our ambitious growth plans.”

The Screen Media content library of over 1,200 television series and feature films is one of the largest, independently-owned libraries of filmed entertainment in the world. Through direct worldwide relationships, this content is distributed across all media, including theatrical, home video, pay-per-view, free cable and paid television, video-on-demand and existing and emerging video platforms.

The Screen Media assets also include the direct-to-consumer Popcornflix online video platform. This platform is comprised of five digital streaming channels. The Popcornflix direct-to-consumer platform is available in 56 countries and has current rights to over 3,000 films and approximately 60 television series (representing 1,500 episodes). The Popcornflix app has been downloaded approximately 24 million times on iOS and Android smartphones and other devices. For the 12 months ended September 30, 2017, Popcornflix had 15 million active users.

“The Screen Media acquisition accomplishes numerous strategic objectives in a single transaction,” added Mr. Rouhana. “Objectives we have emphasized to investors include: building our portfolio of assets; expanding our content distribution capabilities; deploying our ad sales capabilities to maximize monetization of acquired content; expanding and diversifying our sources and timing of revenue (including realizing our revenue more evenly throughout all four quarters of the year); and accelerating tangible growth in shareholder value. We are thrilled to be checking all of these boxes in a single transaction.”

Screen Media is expected to generate approximately $12 million in revenue and approximately $5 million in EBITDA for the full year 2017. A 2017 appraisal valued the Screen Media library and Popcornflix direct-to-consumer platform at approximately $25 million. As required, CSS Entertainment is securing a new independent asset appraisal which will be reflected (along with additional financial information) in an amendment to the Form 8-K being filed today with the SEC. The amended Form 8-K/A is required be filed within 75 days of the closing of the Screen Media acquisition.

“We have been highly disciplined in reviewing numerous opportunities and pursuing those that can dramatically accelerate the implementation of our strategic plan and provide greater diversity of our revenue streams, allowing us to prioritize the timing of various initiatives,” said Scott W. Seaton, vice chairman and chief strategy officer. “Our recent IPO has provided us with the necessary capital resources to diversify our revenue both organically and through acquisitions.”

At September 30, 2017, as set forth in our quarterly report also being filed today with the SEC, CSS Entertainment had in excess of $15 million in liquidity and no debt.

Mr. Seaton added, “We continue to have a strong balance sheet with no debt and substantial liquidity, including cash on hand, an unused line of credit and positive operating cash flow. We now expect our Q4 2017 Adjusted EBITDA to substantially exceed $10 million.”

The purchase price of Screen Media was comprised of approximately $4.9 million in cash, the issuance of 35,000 shares of CSS Entertainment’s Class A common stock and CSS Entertainment’s Class Z warrants exercisable into 50,000 shares of CSS Entertainment’s Class A common stock at $12 per share.

“We are extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to acquire Screen Media’s valuable assets at a significant discount to their appraised value, intrinsic value and replacement cost,” stated Mr. Rouhana. “We had been following Screen Media closely and were patient in waiting for an attractive opening to acquire these assets. Given our familiarity with Screen Media, our strong balance sheet with ample liquidity and no debt, we were well positioned to move forward quickly with the purchase.”

CSS Entertainment’s management will host a conference call this morning, November 6, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. ET. To participate on the conference call, please dial toll-free (833) 832-5128 approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the conference call. International callers may dial (484) 747-6583. Please reference conference ID # 8672469.

The conference call is also being webcast with an accompanying presentation, which can be accessed through the investor relations section of CSS Entertainment’s website, http://www.cssentertainment.com/. Please access the website 15 minutes prior to the start of the conference call to download and install any necessary audio software and download the presentation.

An archived replay of the conference call will also be available through the investor relations section of CSS Entertainment’s website approximately one hour following the completion of the call and will be made available for a period of 12 months.

Friday, October 27, 2017

MICHAEL DENICOLA TO HEAD UP CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE

Amtech Software President Cosmo DeNicola announced the promotion of Michael DeNicola, who will now lead Amtech's recently formed Digital Engagement Team. Michael officially joined Amtech in 2004 and has held various positions in the Implementation Services, Inventory Management and Sales departments within the company. His various positions have given him the opportunity to learn both Amtech’s business as well as our customers within the Corrugated and Folding Carton industries. The culmination of Michael’s new position, EnCore and iServe assist in providing Amtech its 15-year sustainability path for the future and provide the framework for the next generation of our company.

“If you heard me speak at our User Conference in Las Vegas in 2016, then you know that I have always considered Amtech as my older sibling. I am so excited to continue to grow my career within my family’s company and be heading up the new team! Our new CRM system, iServe, gives us direct access to every user on every shift at each customer location from executive to plant employees” stated Michael DeNicola.

The Digital Engagement Team will work closely with our 600 Box Plant Customers to lower their costs and improve their operations, workflows, profitability and business development.

The new team will continue Amtech’s dedication and active engagement with our customer base. Our new CRM system, iServe, and creation of this team will empower us to directly contact all Users and Customers assessing their utilization of the Amtech Software and offering solutions and tools to drive enhanced performance.

This proactive approach will ensure all customers have access to our industry best practices developed over 37 years with our diversified customer base. This also will help maximize significant performance ROI out of their technology and software investment.

“With over half (50%) of the box plants in the Unites States using our software we feel we can impact our industry and continue to create competitive advantages for our customers that will also reach their end users creating a significant value proposition” states Cosmo DeNicola, Owner & President.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

THE ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE RETURNS TO ALBANY

The Arena Football League (AFL) will return to Albany, NY, with the team beginning play at the Times Union Center starting in the spring of 2018. The soon-to-be-named team marks the first time the city has been represented in the AFL since they left the market in 2000. The Arena Football League, founded in 1987, will be entering its 31st season of play in 2018.

The team will be owned and operated by a local group of businessmen including George Hearst III, Dan Nolan and Ed Swyer. The local group has partnered with the ownership group of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League, led by Ron Jaworski, Dick Vermeil, Marques Colston, Jahri Evans and other Philadelphia area businessmen.

“I could not be more excited to be part of the group bringing Arena Football back to Albany,” said Albany AFL co-owner Dan Nolan. “We are bringing back a sport that has proven to be endeared by this city, and bringing it back with a great group of dynamic business leaders, football experts and all around great people.”

“Having the highest level of Arena Football back in the city of Albany is going to be amazing,” said team co-owner George Hearst III. “This team will be a pillar in the community for years to come. Our unique ownership group, which includes local passion with proven AFL and sports operating expertise ensures we will have the first-class business operation that this city deserves.”

Along with a dynamic ownership, both teams will be led by AFL veteran John Adams. Formerly the president of the Philadelphia Soul, Adams will lead both the Philadelphia and Albany operations. Under John’s leadership, each team also have a dedicated local staff with the Albany business office operating out of the Times Union Center.

The team is currently conducting a search for a head coach who will assemble a football staff and roster. The head coach will be announced at the team’s first public event, date to be announced shortly. In addition to the head coach announcement, the team will also announce the local business leader that will run the day to day operations from the offices at the Times Union Center, and fans will have an opportunity to select their season tickets with a select-a-seat event.

“Albany will have a winner on and off the field,” said team co-owner Ron Jaworski. “We will hire a top-notch football coach and this city will have a consistent winner. We will bring players to the roster that will be gentlemen off the field and fierce competitors on the field. The entertainment experience will be second to none, you won’t want to leave your seat!”

“The return of Arena Football to Albany will bring the excitement of football back to the Times Union Center and give fans an exciting brand of football next year,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “This is good news for downtown Albany and the region as we complete an extensive renovation to the arena which will enhance our fan experience and continue to attract new fans to downtown Albany.”

“I was fortunate to be able to see the Arena Football League experience first-hand when it was here from 1990-2000,” said Times Union Center general manager Bob Belber. “With the ownership group we have bringing this fast-paced league back and with the current renovations occurring at the Times Union Center, I have no doubt this is going to be everything it was and more. We’re getting something special back in Albany.”

“The Arena Football League is very pleased to welcome back the great city of Albany and are very proud to be working with great community leaders like Mr. Dan Nolan, Mr. George Hearst, Mr Ed Swyer and the entire ownership group,” said AFL Commissioner Scott Butera. “Albany is a great sports city with a vibrant, knowledgeable fan base. The AFL is dedicated to offering a complete sports-based entertainment experience catering to families and fans of all ages. I am certain the city will enjoy the AFL's focus on coupling an exciting, action packed sport with a 30-year history with cutting edge media, viewership and technology.”

The name of the team has yet to be selected. Fans can go to AlbanyAFL.com and submit a team name suggestion. Final choices will be selected and made available for fan vote. The winning name will be announced after the voting period. The person that submitted the team name that was ultimately selected will receive a special team prize pack.

Fans can secure their season tickets for the new Albany arena football team now with a $50 deposit per seat ($75 for VIP seats) by calling 518-533-2200 or by going to AlbanyAFL.com. A team representative will contact those that have submitted a deposit in the upcoming 1-2 weeks to select their specific seats, which will be done in the order in which deposits were received.

Monday, October 23, 2017

STEPHON MARBURY BUYS CHINESE ARENA FOOTBALL TEAM - THE BEIJING LIONS

Stephon Marbury is going from basketball in China to... football.

The former All-Star, who will play one more season in the Chinese Basketball Association, announced Friday that he'd purchased the Beijing Lions of the China Arena Football League (CAFL). The league confirmed the announcement.

In homage to fellow Brooklynite JAY-Z, Marbury tweeted “This is a public service announcement. Allow me to introduce myself My name is STAR!” along with an article about the acquisition.

The Lions are one of the founding teams of the CAFL and took home the China Bowl in their inaugural season last year.

“Stephon is following in the footsteps of other NBA greats and business/team owners like NBA legend the great Magic Johnson,” said Marbury’s business manager, Gustavus Bass. “One day he intends to buy a NBA team or maybe a NFL team. A CAFL team in Beijing is a natural fit for Mr. Marbury. This acquisition demonstrates his commitment to his second home and sports in Beijing. He wants to be a part of the sports scene in Beijing for a long time.”

Starbury has played in the CBA since 2010 where he averaged 22 points, won All-Star and MVP honors and collected three CBA titles. The Coney Island native even has his own statue outside of the Beijing Ducks' arena.

The former Knick and Net said last month that he still wants to see NBA action after he retires from the CBA. Marbury also believes that his 21 seasons as a pro — 15 in the NBA and six in the CBA — should make him a Hall of Famer.

Original story posted at: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/stephon-marbury-buys-chinese-arena-football-team-article-1.3577135

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

AMTECH ANNOUNCES INEXT IS NOW ENCORE

After an industry wide contest with hundreds of submissions, Amtech is proud to announce EnCore as the winning submission for the renaming of iNEXT. The winning entry was submitted by Dura Fibre’s Continuous Improvement Manager, Nathan Bevers.

EnCore, previously known as iNEXT, is the cloud-based next generation software to Amtech’s industry leading Imaginera. iNEXT sales commenced in January of 2017, and since demand for the EnCore conversions have been strong.

“The inspiration behind the name EnCore came from Amtech’s long history of constantly going the extra mile by updating their software, creating new modules and transitioning to the latest technology,” stated Nathan. Nathan also took the time to point out Amtech’s system is the heart and core of the packaging companies that utilize it.

“I think the name EnCore says it all and will continue to challenge our company to always do more so our customers can do more for their customers,” stated Cosmo DeNicola.

With is winning entry, Nathan will receive an all-expenses paid trip to a location of his choice in the Continental United States, One free EnCore software license for his company and a $5,000 donation in Dura Fibre’s name to the ICPF.

The new name was announced at the Fall 2017 Amtech User Group meeting on October 17^th, 2017 at the Wyndham hotel in San Diego. The attendees were excited to hear the new name and Amtech’s commitment to give more to their customers and industry (International Corrugated Packaging Foundation).

Thursday, October 12, 2017

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES PRODUCTION OF THE NEW AMERICANS

The New Americans tells stories highlighting the positive contribution of immigrants to the United States. The series, comprised of 15 short-form videos, will be available in 2017 on APlus.com. It will also be featured as APlus Heroes within episodes of the company’s popular Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Hidden Heroes television series.

“Our proprietary online distribution channel, APlus.com, generates over 750 million content views per month,” stated William J. Rouhana, Jr, chairman and chief executive officer. “We are excited to use our extensive distribution to spread these compelling stories to such a wide audience.”

“The New Americans is a great example of our unique ability to maximize value for our sponsors by distributing our content across multiple platforms,” said Scott W. Seaton, vice chairman and chief strategy officer. “Such distribution enables us to attract sponsors for our series driving revenue and profit growth, as well as building the value of our content library.”

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

COSMO DENICOLA COMPANIES ANNOUNCES THE SALE OF PHA

Pursuit Healthcare Advisors (PHA) joined the DeNicola family of companies in April 2014. Over the last three years, PHA has rapidly grown into an exceptional brand providing IT consulting services to the healthcare industry. Due to the success and their rapid growth of PHA in their market place, the decision was made to explore growth opportunities. This process led to the sale of PHA.

We are proud to announce the PHA has been sold to Atos, a global leader in digital transformations headquarter in Bezons, France with over one hundred thousand employees in 72 countries. This sale will enable PHA to continue to grow through Atos’s ability to fund lager scale growth and provide the ability to offer data management services, large scale managed services and Cyber Security services.

Cosmo DeNicola Companies Portfolio Manager, David Gulian stated “Cosmo and I are so proud of the PHA team for building an emerging growth company in such a challenging healthcare environment with hundreds of professionals.”

The Cosmo DeNicola Companies continue to focus on healthcare and technology as a core component of its portfolio. Investments and operating companies are active in Healthcare Mobility, Healthcare Consulting, Chronic Disease Management and Population Health.

“David and I will continue to explore all opportunities to grow our Healthcare/Technology Platform” says Cosmo DeNicola, Chairman.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Atos acquires 3 key healthcare consulting companies in the US

Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announces that it has closed the acquisition of the following healthcare consulting companies: Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, Conduent’s Healthcare Provider Consulting and Conduent’s Breakaway Group. Following on from the acquisition of Anthelio Healthcare Solutions in 2016, these acquisitions will allow Atos to play a leading role in the fast-growing U.S. healthcare IT market, to support provider groups and payers as they look to optimize clinical and financial performance and address the increasing demands of new government regulations.

The newly acquired companies bring recognized industry expertise within healthcare consulting including technology adoption, program and project management; Electronic Health Record (EHR) implementation and optimization capabilities, and population health and analytics expertise. This will further strengthen the scale and scope of Atos’ healthcare-focused services in its Business & Platform Solutions division.

Further to the acquisitions, the Atos Group will generate more than 1 billion euros revenue on annual basis in the healthcare sector.

Approximately 400 healthcare consultants will join the Group. Thanks to these new capabilities Atos will help its clients in North America to:

drive technology adoption,
optimize financial performance,
improve the quality and speed of EHR implementations,
reduce the cost of care through high-value population health management capabilities,
address the demands of new government regulations for providers and payers (e.g. ICD-11, payment bundling, MACRA).

“Atos is committed to healthcare on a global scale. The expansion of our North American healthcare practice is a priority for Atos. We want to help healthcare organizations expand and change their business models while also creating a unique position for Atos to take advantage of the projected high-growth in the healthcare IT market. We are excited to welcome Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, Conduent’s Healthcare Provider Consulting and Breakaway Group businesses to the Atos family,” said Michel-Alain Proch, Group Senior Executive Vice President and CEO North American Operations, Atos.

Darin LeGrange, Managing Director North America Healthcare, Atos said, “Through these acquisitions we now have strengthened our end-to-end capabilities, from optimizing and securing the technology foundation to leveraging financial and clinical data, in order to help our customers manage their businesses while transitioning to new healthcare models such as value-based care.”

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS SECOND QUARTER RESULTS

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (“CSS Entertainment”) (Nasdaq:CSSE), a fast-growing provider of positive and entertaining video content, today announced that it has filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2017with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The company also reiterated in this filing that it is targeting 2017 revenue of $20 million and adjusted EBITDA of $10 million and 2018 revenue of $36 million and adjusted EBITDA of $18 million.

“This filing does not give effect to the company’s August IPO and its positive impact on the company’s financial strength,” stated William J. Rouhana, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer. “Our third quarter 10-Q, due November 14, 2017, will reflect our strong balance sheet with no debt and substantial liquidity, including cash on hand, positive operating cash flow and an unused line of credit.”

Mr. Rouhana continued, “Our second quarter results are in line with our expectations. The vast majority of our revenue and adjusted EBITDA for 2017 will be recognized in our upcoming fourth quarter. This is consistent with our 2016 results where over 70 percent of our revenue and adjusted EBITDA was recognized in the fourth quarter. As indicated in our filing, we are reiterating our 2017 full year targets.”

In connection with its IPO and its listing on Nasdaq, the company was required to file its Form 10-Q for the second quarter of 2017 by October 2, 2017. The Form 10-Q was filed in a timely manner and is available on the company’s Investor Relations website at http://ir.cssentertainment.com under SEC Filings.

Friday, September 29, 2017

EMERGING FILMMAKERS RECOGNIZED

The Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI) is proud to announce that their filmmakers training program has once again been recognized for its contribution to Emerging Filmmakers. Two filmmakers from “Countries in Conflict have been accepted into the competition at the upcoming Vancouver Film Festival. HDI worked with 15 Pakistani filmmakers for 18 months under a grant awarded by the US Embassy Islamabad. HDI extends thanks and congratulations to HDI’s film consultant Bill Megalos for his untiring efforts and inspiration working very closely with our filmmakers. The festival takes place October 6-13. We will announce outcomes at the end of the festival.

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Cosmo DeNicola Companies News