New Team Brings Four Decades of Experience
from SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher and Turner Broadcasting
LOS
ANGELES, March 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --
Cineverse (NASDAQ: CNVS), a next-generation entertainment
studio, today announced that it has hired Laura Schumer and Ben
Cabonargi as Directors of Podcast Sales. With over four
decades of experience in the media industry between them, Schumer
and Cabonargi will spearhead the new podcast direct sales team for
the Cineverse Podcast Network. They will work with the leading
podcast media agencies and brands to sell Cineverse's more than 35
audio series that have over 75 million downloads.
Schumer and Cabonargi's appointments are effective immediately,
and they will report to Terry City, Senior Vice President, Direct
Advertising Sales.
Prior to joining Cineverse, Schumer served as Sales Executive at
Pandora/SiriusXM for nine years. There, she sold advertising
revenue for satellite, streaming and podcast and was a top producer
of podcast revenue for SiriusXM Media, working with various
clients, agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Schumer began her
career in advertising sales for Turner Broadcasting (now Warner
Bros. Discovery), where she worked for seven years.
A seasoned digital audio leader, Cabonargi held several
prominent roles before joining Cineverse, including as Director of
Revenue Partnerships at SiriusXM, Vice President of Podcast
Advertising Partnerships at Stitcher/Midroll Media and Vice
President of Sales at TargetSpot. In these positions, he drove
growth, omnichannel monetization and strategic partnerships that
have helped shape the digital audio and podcasting landscape.
Cabonargi has played a pivotal role throughout his career in
connecting content creators to brands across podcasting, video,
social media and branded content.
"Our rapid podcast expansion in the past year has contributed to
significant ad sales growth and the need for an expanded direct
sales team that specializes in podcasts and can complement our
programmatic revenue," said Terry City, Senior Vice President,
Direct Advertising Sales. "We are confident that Laura and Ben have
the right experience, passion and leadership qualities to spearhead
those efforts and continue our upward trajectory as a top-10
podcast network."
Home to fan-favorite entertainment, true crime and horror
podcasts, the Cineverse Podcast Network recently added popular
shows Creepy Places: A True Crime Podcast, RetroCrush
and Midnight Pulp to its catalog, and partnered with The
Stand Group to launch WITZ Podcast Network and expand into comedy
programming. In the most recently reported quarter, podcast and
related revenues were up 39% over the previous year.
About Cineverse Podcast Network
Cineverse operates a top-10 podcast network with more than 35
audio series. It leverages owned-and-operated brands like Bloody
Disgusting, Midnight Pulp and RetroCrush to deliver hit shows in
horror, true crime and entertainment. A growing division of the
Company, the Cineverse Podcast Network generates advertising
revenue from brands across key categories, including movie studios,
retailers and consumer products. In its most recently reported
quarter, Cineverse podcast and related revenue was up 39% versus
the prior year. Top series include Mayfair Watchers
Society, Creepy Places: A True Crime Podcast, The
Dead, Murder in America and more.
About Cineverse
Cineverse (Nasdaq: CNVS) is a next-generation entertainment
studio that empowers creators and entertains fans with a wide
breadth of content through the power of technology. It has
developed a new blueprint for delivering entertainment experiences
to passionate audiences and results for its partners with
unprecedented efficiency, and distributes more than 71,000 premium
films, series, and podcasts. Cineverse connects fans with bold,
authentic, independent stories. Properties include
the highest-grossing non-rated film in U.S. history; dozens of
streaming fandom channels; a premier podcast network; top horror
destination Bloody Disgusting; and more. Powering visionary
storytelling with cutting-edge innovation, Cineverse's proprietary
streaming tools and AI technology drive revenue and reach to
redefine the next era of entertainment. For more information, visit
home.cineverse.com.
CONTACTS
For Media, The Lippin Group for Cineverse
cineverse@lippingroup.com
For Investors, Julie Milstead
investorrelations@cineverse.com
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SOURCE Cineverse Corp.