Chicken Soup For The Soul Series

[Kenneth]

ChickenSoup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. was an American self-help, consumer goods and media 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. Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC continued to publish about twelve[7] new books per year.

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.[12]

After the success of the first book, Canfield and Hansen, with HCI, published additional, similar Chicken Soup for the Soul titles.[13] 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[14] and was a major best-seller.[15] 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.[13] In 2009, author Adeline Lee Zhia Ern was found to have plagiarized the story "Happiness" by Sarah Provenal from Jack Canfield's Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul IV.[16]

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.[20] 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.[21]

In 2013, the company announced plans to produce a television series and a film with Alcon Entertainment. Chicken Soup for the Soul has produced television programming with other partners, including PBS.[22] In 2016, Chicken Soup for the Soul acquired a majority stake in the website A Plus.[23]

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment went public in 2017.[24] 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.[25][26]

On March 28, 2019, it was announced that Sony Pictures Television would sell a majority stake of Sony Crackle to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, after which the service would revert to the "Crackle" name.[27][28]

On December 15, 2020, Sony traded its remaining shares in Crackle for a yet to be disclosed preferential stake in Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, giving them full control of the ad-supported streaming service.[30] As of 2020, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series included more than 250 titles.[31]

In April 2021, Chicken Soup for the Soul acquired the film and television catalogue of Sonar Entertainment. In return, Sonar will hold a 5 percent stake in a new AVOD network featuring its library.[32] Through the acquisition, Chicken Soup now currently owns the North American rights to a majority of the Laurel & Hardy films and shorts, and most of the Our Gang library, as well as the holdings of the former RHI/Hallmark/Cabin Fever/Sonar outputs, and a majority of the Hal Roach library, all via their Halcyon Studios division.

On April 1, 2024, Chicken Soup for the Soul received a delisting notice from Nasdaq, informing that the company's stock would be delisted from the Nasdaq after it had 180 days to return to compliance.[36]

On April 23, 2024, Chicken Soup for the Soul announced a $636.6 million loss in 2023, and warned that without any options to generate additional financing, the company may be forced to liquidate or pause operations, and seek a potential Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing.[37] In June 2024, chairman and CEO Bill Rouhana removed the company's board of directors.[38] On June 29, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after cutting benefits in May, missing a week of paying its employees, and failing to secure financing.[39][40][41]

On July 1, 2024, former federal prosecutor Bart Schwartz replaced Rouhana as CEO, and a new board of directors was installed.[42] On July 5, the company was able to secure funding to restore payroll and benefits.[43]

On July 10, 2024, a bankruptcy judge ordered Chicken Soup for the Soul's Chapter 11 bankruptcy to be converted into a Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation after accusing the company's previous CEO 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 will be laid off and over 26,000 Redbox kiosks will shut down permanently.[44][45]

The beauty of this recipe is that it can produce two distinct experiences. One, a clear soup with lots of floating vegetables and shredded chicken and the other a thicker, blended soup topped with chicken. Each takes approximately 30 minutes to cook. I enjoy pairing these with either a slice of toasted bread, often a slice of baguette or topping my bowl with some croutons.

Next, the chicken. Typically chicken legs are available with the skin on in supermarkets. I prefer to remove the skin. But that is entirely optional. An easy trick to remove the skin is to use a paper towel. Take a sheet of paper towel and use that to hold the skin (as if it were a glove) and pull the skin off. Try it. It has always worked for me.

Put a large, deep pot on the stove on medium heat. Then add oil to it, followed by garlic, ginger, bay leaves and black cardamom. Saute until garlic starts browning. Next, add onions and saute until just translucent. After this add chicken legs and saute on high heat. Finally, tip in all the vegetables and add 2-3 cups of water or enough to cover everything. Cover the pot and cook for 30-40 minutes. I prefer using a pressure cooker which shortens the cooking time considerably.

The publishing company behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of inspirational storybooks, Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, announced late last week that they'll start selling their own soup in 2013. Called "Chicken Soup for the Soul Foods," since we're guessing "Non-Metaphorical Chicken Soup" was taken, the line will include Chicken Soup for the Soul Food Chicken Noodle, Chicken and Rice, Creamy Tomato, and Mushroom Barley soups, among others.

It remains unclear which of those flavors is most appropriate for the hungry bodies attached to Adopted, Scrapbooker's, or Ocean Lover's souls, but we're sure they'll publish some kind of collection of helpful stories for coping with finding your path to the end goal that's best for you.

3a8082e126