Philippe Guelton, the former president of Chicken Soup for the Soul’s streaming service Crackle, is headed to Canela Media to serve as that company’s global president.
In his new role, Guelton will lead Canela Media’s growth initiatives in the United States and Latin America. He reports to Canela Media co-founder and CEO Isabel Rafferty Zavala.
“I am thrilled to share the exciting news that as part of our growth strategy, we have brought on board Philippe Guelton as Global President to help lead us into this next chapter,” Rafferty Zavala said in a statement on Friday. “Philippe will oversee global sales, marketing, HR, ad operations, and customer success, based in our New York office.”
Rafferty Zavala said Guelton brings to Canela Media “a wealth of experience in the streaming space, and I’m confident he will play an instrumental role in leading Canela Media’s growth in this next phase.”
Guelton has worked in the media and entertainment space for more than two decades. During his five-year stint at Chicken Soup for the Soul, he oversaw the development of Crackle’s ad-supported video on-demand (AVOD) service, as well as its Crackle Connex advertising platform.
Prior to his work at Chicken Soup for the Soul, Guelton worked as the CEO of SheKnows Media, which reached more than 70 million monthly unduplicated visitors and over 300 million social media fans with platforms like SheKnows, BlogHer and StyleCaster. SheKnows was acquired by Penske media in 2018.
Guelton has also held a variety of executive roles at Thrills Media Group, Hearst Magazines and Hachette. His move to Canela Media comes at a time when the media and entertainment company has seen significant momentum: Its Canela.TV streaming service, which offers a mixture of Spanish-languge dramas, documentaries, movies and kids programming, saw its global scale increase 70 percent last year. This year, Canela Media will continue building out its data product, Canela Audience Solutions, and launch a new program called Canela Rewards.
“I am delighted to join Canela Media and look forward to collaborating with Co-Founders Isabel Rafferty Zavala and Michael Rafferty to build on the company’s success and amplify its impact,” Guelton said on Friday. “The economic impact of the U.S. Hispanic population cannot be ignored, and it shapes every facet of our society, as well as the meaningful impact of streaming as an entertainment destination for Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America. I’m excited to contribute to Canela Media’s mission of delivering culturally resonant and relevant content coupled with innovation across our data and product offering.”
