Jeff Shultz Named CEO of Radial Entertainment
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Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., parent company of Radial Entertainment – the newly formed global entertainment company managing the FilmRise and Shout! Studios brands – has announced that Jeff Shultz, former chief strategy officer and chief business development officer of Paramount Streaming, will be chief executive officer of Radial Entertainment, effective January 1, 2026.
The announcement was made by Jared Frandle, managing director for Oaktree’s Special Situations strategy. Garson Foos, the current CEO of Radial Entertainment and co-founder of Shout! Studios will join Danny Fisher on the Radial Entertainment Board as executive chairman.
Frandle stated, “We are extremely grateful for all of Garson’s efforts in guiding us through the seamless transition of this exciting merger. His leadership from the very beginning of our partnership with Shout and through this pivotal period laid a strong foundation for Radial’s future growth. We are now thrilled to welcome Jeff – a highly seasoned veteran of the streaming industry and a uniquely qualified media executive – to lead Radial into this next chapter.”
Shultz shared his thoughts on his new appointment: “I’m fortunate to inherit an exceptional team and the legacy of two highly successful brands. I am fully aligned with Garson, Danny, and the Oaktree team on a shared vision to build Radial into one of the most valuable independent players in the global streaming market. At Pluto TV and Paramount, I had a front-row seat to the rapid growth of Shout! and FilmRise. Now combined as Radial, the company is uniquely positioned to capture the massive opportunity in the rapidly evolving media market, leveraging its financial scale, vast and compelling catalog, and expansive and diversified distribution, all amplified by Oaktree’s support. I am honored to lead Radial into this next chapter of growth.”
Foos and Fisher, the executive chairmen of Radial Entertainment, stated, “After a thorough search, and with the successful unification of the Shout! Studios and FilmRise brands under one umbrella, the timing was right to bring in our successor. Jeff brings extraordinary expertise as an industry leader. He has great expertise in the free-streaming market and a proven builder of high-growth businesses, having led Pluto TV and Paramount Streaming through periods of remarkable expansion.”
Shultz is a recognized pioneer in the free-streaming space. As chief business officer of Pluto TV, he guided the company from a nascent startup to a profitable, billion-dollar global FAST market leader. Following the acquisition of Pluto TV by Viacom in 2019, Shultz served as chief strategy officer and chief business development officer for streaming at Paramount, overseeing the company’s global direct-to-consumer strategy and partnership portfolio during the launch of Paramount+ and the growth of global streaming revenue to more than $7.5 billion.
Radial was launched on July 1, 2025, immediately establishing itself as a premier global content-distribution powerhouse with a diverse catalog of more than 70,000 movies and episodes, including major franchises such as “Unsolved Mysteries,” “Forensic Files,” Hell’s Kitchen,” “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” and movies from the Open Road, Millennium and Sonar libraries, making it the most extensive independent library in the industry on day one.
Since its inception, Radial has continued to expand rapidly through a series of high-impact strategic moves. These include acquiring the Emmy-winning late-night talk show “Conan” and the Emmy-nominated series “Hemlock Grove,” securing two new true-crime co-production deals – “Murder in Mind” and “Pushed to Death” – and launching the Hong Kong Fight Club FAST channel. The company also added The Golden Princess film library to its global distribution slate, alongside several other significant content acquisitions that further strengthen Radial’s position as a leading force in the worldwide entertainment marketplace.
Information for this article was sourced from Radial Entertainment.
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