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
Books
Motivational speakersJack 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]
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]
^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. ISBN978-1-61159-913-8.
