Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Screen Media Acquires North American Rights to Feature Film The Birthday Cake
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) announced the acquisition of North American rights to the film The Birthday Cake, directed by Jimmy Giannopoulos. The film, featuring stars like Ewan McGregor and Val Kilmer, is set to release in theaters and on-demand in June 2021. The story follows Gio, the son of a murdered mobster, who uncovers truths about his family's violent past during a celebratory evening. This acquisition aligns with Chicken Soup's strategy to enhance its content library and strengthen its position in the streaming market.
- Acquisition of The Birthday Cake enhances content library.
- Features a star-studded cast, potentially attracting viewers.
- Aligns with strategic goals for growth in streaming market.
- None.
Film Stars Shiloh Fernandez, Ewan McGregor, Val Kilmer, Lorraine Bracco, Ashley Benson, Aldis Hodge, Penn Badgley, Emory Cohen, Vincent Pastore and Jeremy Allen White
COS COB, Conn., April 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE), one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks, today announced that Screen Media has acquired all North American rights to Jimmy Giannopoulos’ feature film directorial debut, The Birthday Cake. The mob crime drama features an all-star cast including Shiloh Fernandez, Ewan McGregor, Val Kilmer, Lorraine Bracco, William Fichtner, Ashley Benson, Luis Guzman, Paul Sorvino, Vincent Pastore, Aldis Hodge, Penn Badgley, Emory Cohen, and Jeremy Allen White. Screen Media will release the film in theaters and on demand in June 2021.
The Birthday Cake takes place on one fateful evening in the life of Gio (Shiloh Fernandez), the son of a murdered mobster and the nephew of Brooklyn mob boss, Angelo (Val Kilmer). On the 10th anniversary of his father’s mysterious death, Gio carries on the family tradition of bringing a cake his mother (Lorraine Bracco) baked to this uncle’s house for a celebration. Just two hours into the night, Gio’s life is forever changed as he begins to piece together what really happened to his father and ultimately comes face to face with the type of violence he has managed to avoid his whole life.
"We all grew up loving New York mob movies,” said Jimmy Giannopoulos. “It had been a while since anyone had made one, so we decided to explore the mob today. Where they currently stand. Dealing with gentrification, weakening power, rival gangs, the realities of the Feds knocking them off. But we wanted to combine their traditional world with modern day Brooklyn. A very different world from their glory days. We experience the ride all through the eyes of the son of a gangster who has avoided their world his entire life. But his past comes back to haunt him, and we join him for a night of chaos.”
“This was one tasty treat,” said Screen Media in a statement. “These exciting young filmmakers created a love letter to the great mob movies of the past and gave it a modern twist we know audiences are going to eat up.”
After years working in short films and music with artists including Miley Cyrus, A$AP Rocky and Kid Cudi, Jimmy Giannopoulos marks his feature directorial debut from a script he co-wrote with Diomedes Raul Bermudez and Shiloh Fernandez. The Birthday Cake is produced by Bermudez of Purpose Films, Fernandez, Siena Oberman of Artemis Pictures, Carlos Cuscó of Foton Pictures, and Danny Sawaf of Oceana Studios. Executive Producers include Damiano Tucci of Tucci & Co., Shaun Sanghani of SSS Entertainment and Capital, Andrew Davies Gans, Jamin O’Brien, Fernando Ferro, Kyle Stroud, Luke Daniels, Paola Paulin, Craig Butta, Sergio Rizzuto and Greg Lauritano
The deal was negotiated by Seth Needle, SVP of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions, on behalf of Screen Media with Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers.
Screen Media’s recent acquisitions include the comedies Eat Wheaties! starring Tony Hale, Senior Moment starring William Shatner, Jean Smart and Christopher Lloyd, and Off the Rails starring Kelly Preston, as well as the critically acclaimed documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street. Recent releases include Rod Lurie’s The Outpost, which was one of the top-performing films of the summer and is on many end of year top ten lists, the Bella Thorne thriller Girl, Simon West’s action disaster film Skyfire, and Nicolas Cage hit Willy’s Wonderland.
ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) operates streaming video-on-demand networks (VOD). The company owns Crackle Plus, 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 original long and short-form content through Landmark Studio Group, its Chicken Soup for the Soul Originals division and 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.
ABOUT SCREEN MEDIA VENTURES, LLC
Screen Media Ventures, LLC, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) company, acquires the rights to high quality, independent television series and feature films. Screen Media Ventures acquires worldwide rights for distribution through theatrical, home video, pay-per-view, free, cable and pay television, video-on-demand, and new digital media platforms. The company acquires AVOD rights for third party networks and is the main supplier of content for Crackle Plus and other Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment properties. With a library of over 1,500 television series and motion pictures, Screen Media Ventures is one of the largest independent suppliers of high-quality tv series and motion pictures to U.S. and international broadcast markets, cable networks, home video outlets and new media venues. For more information, visit: www.screenmedia.net.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of management and are not predictions of actual performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those risks set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation 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.
INVESTOR RELATIONS
Taylor Krafchik
Ellipsis
csse@ellipsisir.com
(646) 776-0886
MEDIA CONTACT
Kate Barrette
RooneyPartners LLC
kbarrette@rooneyco.com
(212) 223-0561
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