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Chicken Soup for the Soul

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Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC
Company typePrivate
IndustryPublishing
Licensing
Internet
Consumer packaged goods
FoundedJune 28, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-06-28)[1]
FoundersJack Canfield[2] and Mark Victor Hansen[3]
Headquarters
Cos Cob, Connecticut, U.S.[4]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
William J. Rouhana, Jr.[5]
(chairman & CEO)
Amy Newmark[6]
(publisher)

Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC is an American self-help and consumer goods company based in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It is known for the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. The first book, like most subsequent titles in the series, consisted of inspirational true stories about ordinary people's lives. The books are widely varied, each with a different theme.

The company has branched out into other categories such as food,[7] pet food,[8] and television programming.[9][10]

History

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Books

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Motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen collaborated on the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book, compiling inspirational, true stories they had heard from their audience members. Many of the stories came from members of the audience of their inspirational talks. The book was rejected by major publishers in New York but accepted by a small, self-help publisher in Florida called HCI.[11]

After the success of the first book, Canfield and Hansen, with HCI, published additional, similar Chicken Soup for the Soul titles.[12] Later, they published Chicken Soup for the Soul books for specific demographics, such as Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, which came out in 1997[13] and was a major best-seller.[14] New Chicken Soup for the Soul titles and sequels to existing books have been published on a regular basis since the first book came out in 1993.[12] In 2009, author Adeline Lee Zhia Ern was found to have plagiarized the story "Happiness" by Sarah Provençal from Jack Canfield's Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul IV.[15]

A 19-episode anthology series made up of stories from the series was produced and aired in the 1999–2000 television season by PAX TV, the current-day Ion Television.[16][17][18]

Expansion from books

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Main article: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment

In 2008, the founders, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, sold the company to a new ownership group led by William J. Rouhana and Robert D. Jacobs.[19] Since then all new titles have been published by Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC and distributed by Simon & Schuster.[1]

Under the new ownership group, Chicken Soup for the Soul has expanded into other products besides books. The company markets pet foods under the brand Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul and a line of soups, sauces and other prepared foods under the brand Chicken Soup for the Soul.[20]

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment went public in 2017.[21] In November 2017, it acquired Screen Media Ventures, LLC, an independent television and film distribution company, which included Popcornflix, an ad-based online video service.[22][23]

On July 10, 2024, a bankruptcy judge ordered Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment to undergo a Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation after accusing Rouhana of misusing the business and failing to pay employees or support healthcare. With the Chapter 7 conversion, the company's assets will be liquidated, resulting in the cessation of its subsidiaries, including Crackle, Popcornflix and Redbox. In addition, over 1,000 employees were laid off and over 26,000 Redbox kiosks were shut down permanently.[24][25]

Awards

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The original series held a spot on the New York Times Best Seller list continuously from 1994 to 1998.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "What is Chicken Soup for the Soul?". chickensoup.com. February 6, 2014. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  2. ^ Jack Canfield biography Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at official website
  3. ^ Mark Victor Hansen biography Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at official website
  4. ^ Contact page Archived 2014-02-24 at the Wayback Machine at official website
  5. ^ William J. Rouhana, Jr. biography Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine at official website
  6. ^ Amy Newmark biography Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine at official website
  7. ^ Webley, Kayla (September 10, 2012). "Pop Chart". Time. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  8. ^ "Chicken Soup for the Soul". chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  9. ^ Alcon Entertainment (August 8, 2013). "Alcon Entertainment Prescribing 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' -- Los Angeles, Aug. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --". prnewswire.com (Press release). Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  10. ^ "Video: Chicken Soup for the Soul". PBS Video. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  11. ^ Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Newmark, Amy (June 25, 2013). Chicken Soup for the Soul 20th Anniversary Edition: All Your Favorite Original Stories Plus 20 Bonus Stories for the Next 20 Years: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Amy Newmark: 9781611599138: Amazon.com: Books. Chicken Soup for the Soul. ISBN 978-1-61159-913-8.
  12. ^ a b "Results for 'chicken soup for the soul' [WorldCat.org]". worldcat.org. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  13. ^ Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. OCLC 733779771 – via worldcat.org.
  14. ^ "Independents/Chain Bestseller List". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  15. ^ "Adeline Lee's apology on Silverfish Books website". Archived from the original on January 8, 2010.
  16. ^ Chicken Soup for the Soul (Drama, Family), Aron Productions, Sarah David Productions, August 17, 1999, retrieved June 30, 2024
  17. ^ Mos, Linda (May 24, 1999). "Pax TV Adds Four New Originals". Multichannel News. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  18. ^ "PAX TV TAKING A CHANCE ON SOME ORIGINAL IDEAS". Chicago Tribune. July 31, 1999. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  19. ^ Milliot, Jim (February 2, 2009). "Serving Up a New Chicken Soup". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012.
  20. ^ "How Chicken Soup For the Soul Started Selling Actual Soup". NBC News. March 28, 2014. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Sheetz, Michael (August 18, 2017). "Chicken Soup for the Soul stock debuts on Nasdaq after crowdsourced IPO". CNBC. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  22. ^ "Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Completes Milestone Acquisition of Screen Media". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). November 6, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  23. ^ "CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT'S RECENTLY ACQUIRED SCREEN MEDIA ASSETS APPRAISED AT OVER $31 MILLION". www.sec.gov. January 17, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Randles, Jonathan (July 10, 2024). "Redbox Owner to Be Liquidated Following Alleged Mismanagement". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  25. ^ Hayes, Dade (July 10, 2024). "Redbox Owner Chicken Soup For The Soul To Liquidate In Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Shift; Workforce Of 1,000 To Be Let Go And 24,000 Kiosks Shut Down, Lawyer Says". Deadline. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  26. ^ "Chicken Soup for the Soul Awards, Announcements, and Recognition". Chicken Soup for the Soul. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
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