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Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Premieres Ukrainian Fantasy Series "Cossacks" on Crackle September 1
Directed, written, and shot on location in Ukraine the action-packed sword and sorcery fantasy series features a cast of nearly all Ukrainian actors
COS COB, Conn. -- Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSE) today announced it will premiere the Ukrainian fantasy series Cossacks on September 1 on its free streaming service Crackle. Directed, written, and shot on location in Ukraine and featuring a nearly entire cast of Ukrainian actors, Cossacks is a 12-episode sword and sorcery fantasy series. The series stars Yuriy Dyak (The Inheritance), Andriy Isaenko (Silence), and Mila Sivatskaya (The Last Warrior).
Several Ukrainian actors and crew associated with Cossacks are now actively fighting in the war against Russia. Actors Volodymyr Kravchuk who plays Zubrik, and Volodymyr Kanivets, who plays Khan are on the front lines, as well as the production's horse trainer Oleg Yurchshyn. The production's pyrotechnician Olexander Suvorov was killed during the first months of the full-scale invasion.
Cossacks was created by executive producer and showrunner Oksana Ivanyuk, who wrote the series along with Oleg Zborovsky. The series was directed by Oleksandr Berezan and produced by Anastasiya Shteynguaz and Iryna Khranovska for ICTV, the largest Ukrainian TV channel which provided 50% of the production funding. Cossacks was produced by IQ Production, LLC.
Cossacks is a 12-episode series following the irreverent exploits of Ivan, a young Ukrainian peasant raised by a Polish aristocrat who grows into a likable adventure-seeking rogue. His cheeky disposition enables him to rob the Tsar of Moscow of a set of precious jewels, yet it's to a noble end: he needs the royal riches to free his mother from the Ottomans who have enslaved her. However, Ivan accidentally also makes off with a magical heirloom, an earring that had helped the Moscow Tsar defeat his enemies and leads Ivan into endless escapades.
"We are so excited to have our series premiere on Crackle," said producer and creator Oksana Ivaniouk. "Since nearly every aspect of the series is Ukrainian, it is the perfect way for our people to communicate our culture to an American audience where they can join this exciting fantastical adventure for free."
"We're thrilled to announce this series is coming to Crackle - especially today being Ukrainian Independence Day," said Phil Oppenheim, chief content officer for Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. "Our fans have always gravitated towards comedy, action, and fantasy. This fabulously fun series has everything they're looking for, and more is rolled up into an incredibly smart swashbuckling adventure."
Brendan Murray negotiated the deal for Screen Media Ventures, who holds U.S. and Canadian distribution rights for the series.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment's recent releases includes such hits as the nuptials celebration series Wedding Talk hosted by Olympic gold-medalist and commentator Tara Lipinski, the award-winning black entertainment talk series Inside the Black Box hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Morton and celebrity acting coach Tracey Moore, and the award-winning personal finance series Going From Broke hosted by Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Chegg and financial expert Tonya Rapley.
About Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) provides premium content to value-conscious consumers. The company is one of the largest advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) companies in the US, with three flagship AVOD streaming services: Redbox, Crackle, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. In addition, the company operates Redbox Free Live TV, a free ad-supported streaming television service (FAST), with nearly 180 FAST channels as well as a transaction video on demand (TVOD) service, and a network of approximately 29,000 kiosks across the US for DVD rentals. To provide original and exclusive content to its viewers, the company creates, acquires, and distributes films and TV series through its Screen Media and Chicken Soup for the Soul TV Group subsidiaries. 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 and Available Information
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. Such assumptions involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to risks relating to our core strategy, operating income and margin, seasonality, liquidity, including cash flows from operations, available funds, and access to financing sources, free cash flows, revenues, net income, profitability, stock price volatility, future regulatory changes, price changes, ability to achieve and sustain market acceptance of our content streaming services and other content offerings, ability to recruit and retain officers, key employees, or directors, ability to protect our intellectual property, ability to complete and integrate into our existing operations future strategic acquisitions, ability to manage growth, ability to pay dividends and our debt obligations, as well as evolving regulatory or other operational risks, and risks presented by changing general market conditions impacting demand for our services. For a more complete description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please refer to Item 1A (Risk Factors) in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023, as amended. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Information regarding the acquisition of Redbox and related transactions is qualified by reference to the Company's Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 11, 2022 as amended May 12, 2022, June 6, 2022, August 12, 2022, November 14, 2022 and thereafter from time to time, and all exhibits filed with respect to such reports. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release 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.
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