• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, October 20, 2022

Publicis Media’s APX Content Ventures has extended its financing agreement with ad-supported streaming service provider Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment.

PM set up the venture fund earlier this year with $25 million to finance content that elevates diverse voices and story lines.

The first project to get the go-ahead under the extended agreement is a series called Dirty Pool With J.B. Smoove. Smoove is known for his work on Curb Your Enthusiasm. The new show is described as “Dinner For Five meets Celebrity Poker over a pool table.” Smoove and celebrity friends will talk shop as they play pool with no topic off limits. It will debut in late 2023.

No word yet on sponsors for the new program. Under the initial deal with Chicken Soup, PM financed a program called Inside The Black Box, an interview/performance program co-hosted by Joe Morton and Tracey Moore that streamed on Chicken Soup’s Crackle. PM client The General insurance company sponsored that effort.

So far APX has funded over 20 projects with about a dozen diverse owned-and-operated companies.