Oaktree Capital Management has appointed streaming industry veteran Jeff Shultz to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of its global media venture Radial Entertainment, the company announced on Tuesday.
Shultz joins Radial Entertainment about a year after departing Paramount Global, where he served as the Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Business Development Officer for streaming platforms like Pluto TV and Paramount Plus with Showtime.
Radial Entertainment was born from the merger of FilmRise and Shout Studios earlier this year. As part of Shultz’s appointment to the CEO role, Garson Foos will become the Executive Chairman of Radial Entertainment, the company affirmed.
The announcement was made by Jared Frandle, Managing Director for Oaktree’s Special Situations strategy, who credited Foos with steering the integration of FilmRise and Shout Studios. Frandle said Foos helped establish a strong operational and strategic framework that positions Radial for long-term growth.
In a statement, Shultz said he was “fortunate to inherit an exceptional team and the legacy of two highly successful brands,” adding that Radial Entertainment is well-positioned to become one of the most influential independent players in the global streaming market. He cited the company’s financial backing, broad catalog and expansive distribution network as key assets in a competitive sector.
Radial Entertainment has a library of more than 70,000 movies and television episodes, including well-known franchises like “Unsolved Mysteries,” “Forensic Files,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Mystery Science Theatre 3000.” The company has expanded its slate through several strategic acquisitions, including the Emmy-winning talk show “Conan,” the series “Hemlock Grove,” and the Golden Princess film library. Radial also secured new true-crime co-production deals for “Murder in Mind” and “Pushed to Death” and launched Hong Kong Fight Club, a FAST channel built around action programming.
