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VENTURE 10 STUDIO GROUP ANNOUNCES THE SECOND SEASON OF HIT INFLUENCER REALITY SERIES “FOLLOW ME” PREMIERING JUNE 13 ON CRACKLE

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Hosted by Bethany Mota, the series features popular online influencers that include Kika Kim, Jordyn Jones and Jojo Sim

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Venture 10 Studio Group, in partnership with Wright Productions and Crackle, a division of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, today announced the second season of the hit reality series Follow Me will premiere exclusively on the free streaming service on June 13. Sponsored by Mars Wrigley, the 10-episode series shows fans what it takes to build a brand as an influencer in the social media age.

 

Follow Me follows aspiring stars– from the worlds of Fashion, Comedy, Beauty, Cosplay, Skateboarding, Music and more. Each contestant brings their unique talents, backgrounds, and strategic approaches to success – as they engage in business-themed challenges throughout the Bethany Mota-hosted series. Show participants work in the “creator’s studio” and compete in various social media-based challenges. Contestants have access to guidance from a global mix of top influencer guest judges who together have reached hundreds of millions of followers and billions of views – including Kika Kim, Jordyn Jones, and Jojo Sim. At the end of each episode, the contestant with the least number of votes is eliminated. The contestant with the most votes at the end of the competition will be crowned the winner by the judges and receive the $50,000 prize. 

This season, contestants will once again be challenged to craft compelling content inspired by Mars Wrigley’s iconic brand portfolio, including favorites like M&M’S®, SKITTLES®, SNICKERS®, and HUBBA BUBBA®, alongside other esteemed brand partners, including Valley Rays and Versus Games.

Produced by Venture 10 Studio Group and Wright Productions, the team behind the successful first season of Follow Me, which garnered over 700 million impressions and attracted millions of viewers in the 18-34 demographic, the upcoming season promises even greater excitement and engagement.

Executive Producer Rick De Oliveira, known for his work on reality hits such as The Challenge and Love and Hip-Hop Miami, expressed enthusiasm for the second season, “We’re taking Follow Me to new heights in Season Two. As we continue to push boundaries and create compelling content, we’re thrilled to have Mars back for another season as our main branded partner. As the program’s success grows, we’re committed to delivering many more hits for our partners with our dedicated team at V10,” he said.

In addition to Mota and De Oliveira, the series is executive produced by Chance Wright, John Stevens, Jason Newman, Derek Daugherty, and Zach Kozek.

The first season of Follow Me premiered in May of 2023 across a large group of platforms, including Amazon Freevee, Roku, Tubi, Samsung+, Pluto, and FilmRise, with a reach of over 290M homes globally. The first season featured eight contestants, including a model, personal trainer, gamer, and dancer, among others, with branded moments from sponsors, including Mars Wrigley, Six Flags, Bob’s Discount Furniture, Dave & Busters, and Versus Games.

Crackle is available on a wide range of devices, including Roku, Amazon Fire, Vizio, Samsung, and Android TVs, along with the Crackle YouTube channel. Follow Me Season 2 will also launch this July on the CW App.

About V10 Entertainment
V10 Entertainment is a private equity backed media company focused on unscripted content production and investment in companies with owned IP or economic rights. In 2023, V10 acquired both Venture 10 Studio Group along with the studio’s flagship asset, Vin Di Bona Productions, producer of America’s Funniest Home Videos for ABC.

About Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) provides premium content to value-conscious consumers. The company is one of the largest Advertising-supported Video On Demand (AVOD) companies in the US, with three flagship AVOD streaming services: Redbox, Crackle, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. In addition, the company operates Redbox Free Live TV, a Free Ad-supported Streaming Television service (FAST), a Transaction Video On Demand (TVOD) service, and a network of kiosks across the US for DVD and Blu-ray rentals. To provide original and exclusive content to its viewers, the company creates, acquires, and distributes films and TV series through its Screen Media and Chicken Soup for the Soul TV Group subsidiaries. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.

Contact:
Sruthi Dhulipala: sruthi@therightnow.co 
Eric Green: eric@therightnow.co 
Peter Binazeski: pbinazeski@chickensoupforthesoul.com
Chris Woolsey: Chris_woolsey@crackle.com

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SOURCE V10 Entertainment

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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Fathom Applauds Introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the First Federal Blueprint for Independent AI Verification

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Reps. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) introduce a bill to build a competitive marketplace of independent verifiers for frontier AI models.

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fathom welcomes the introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the most complete federal framework yet for independent, third-party verification of frontier AI. The legislation is built to earn public trust as AI technology continues to accelerate. As frontier systems begin to take autonomous action in the world, the gap between what these models can do and our ability to keep them in check is widening. FRONTIER is the starting point to close that gap.

“AI governance keeps running into the same wall. The technology is hard to measure and it moves faster than any law can keep up with,” said Andrew Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of Fathom. “Trying to write the perfect rules and freezing them in place won’t work. What will work is a competitive market of independent verifiers who are accountable for real-world outcomes and who the government can actually count on. The FRONTIER Act shows we can move fast and still get this right.”

The bill gets the fundamentals correct. It sets one public standard – the adequate mitigation of catastrophic risk – and holds both the AI companies and their independent verifiers accountable to it. FRONTIER does not freeze a single testing method into statute. Instead, it licenses competing verification organizations, allows them to sharpen their methods, and gives the government the power to revoke a license when a verifier’s work does not hold up in the field. That is how you build a system that keeps pace with the science instead of falling behind it.

Fathom thanks Reps. Trahan and Obernolte for their leadership, and for their courage in releasing a discussion draft, inviting scrutiny, and incorporating substantive improvements from across the field. One priority improvement as the bill advances: giving the government a fuller range of tools to act upstream – for pushing companies to close identified gaps in risk mitigation early, rather than only once a catastrophe is imminent. We are committed to working with these sponsors, committees of jurisdiction, and Congressional leadership to continue refining the bill in the weeks and months ahead.

About Fathom
Fathom is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to build a governance architecture that helps society navigate the transition to a world with AI by fostering trust, safety, and innovation. Fathom has developed and championed the independent verification model for AI and works with policymakers across the country to put it into practice. Learn more at http://fathom.org.

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SOURCE Fathom AI Inc.

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