Canela Media has hired media and entertainment veteran exec Philippe Guelton as global president, where he’ll be tasked with leading the Hispanic digital media company’s growth and profitability in the U.S. and international markets.
Guelton joins New York-based Canela after his previous employer, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, shut down after filing for bankruptcy last year. At CSSE, which was the parent of DVD kiosk network Redbox, Guelton served as chief revenue officer and president of free streaming service Crackle (previously a joint venture with Sony). He oversaw Crackle as well as Crackle Connex, the company’s ad-sales arm for its owned-and-operated streaming and branded entertainment properties.
Prior to Crackle and CSSE, Guelton was CEO of SheKnows Media (now SHE Media), which he grew to a total reach of 70 million monthly unique visitors and over 300 million social media followers. He led the lifestyle media company through its 2018 sale to PMC (which also owns Variety). Previously, Guelton was president of Thrillist Media Group, COO of Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and CEO of Japanese media company Fujingaho (now part of Hearst).
At Canela Media, he reports to co-founder and CEO Isabel Rafferty Zavala. “I’m so humbled to have brought this company to a point where we can bring on an executive of this caliber to lead our efforts on a global stage for the next phase of Canela Media,” Rafferty Zavala said in a statement. “Philippe is a wonderful addition to the Canela family and we are so honored to have him join us during this exciting time of growth and prosperity as we enter new markets, develop new content and expand our technological capabilities.”
Guelton commented, “I’m thrilled to join Canela Media and look forward to collaborating with founders Isabel and Michael Rafferty to build on the company’s success and amplify its impact. As the Spanish-speaking population continues to grow and shape every facet of our society, I’m excited to contribute to Canela Media’s mission of delivering culturally resonant and influential content.”
Canela Media operates Canela.TV, a free streaming platform aimed a U.S. Latino audiences that features a mix of original programming across Canela Music, Canela Kids, Canela Deportes, Canela News and a library of telenovelas and classic Mexican films. The company’s proprietary Canela Audience Solutions identifies U.S. Hispanic audiences on English- and Spanish-language streaming platforms.
