HOW MUCH DID JILLIAN MICHAELS INVEST IN $GIGL???

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LOS ANGELES , March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Giggles N' Hugs (QTCQB: GIGL) today announced a multi-faceted partnership with Jillian Michaels , the foremost fitness expert and renowned life coach. Through the partnership, Michaels will become one of the largest shareholders in the company and the global brand ambassador, bringing her wealth of experience in building world-wide businesses to the California -based family restaurant and children's play space.
"As a businesswoman, I'm committed to aligning with brands that further health and wellness for people of all ages," said Michaels. " Giggles N' Hugs is the most fun space for families of all ages and I hope to help them expand globally so that countless other families can enjoy the same experience that mine does when visiting their restaurants and play spaces."

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When TV Fitness Personality/Entrepreneur Jillian Michaels was on the set of one of the many shows she contributes to three years ago, including NBC's Biggest Loser, the caterer brought in some Popchips along with her sandwich. At first she was concerned about eating an unhealthy snack. But she quickly learned that it's a healthier option to potato chips. And she loved the taste.

"I was like it has 100 calories per serving, no transfats or artificial colors, sweetners or preservatives and I thought this is too good to be true," recalls Michaels.

So, she immediately contacted the CEO Keith Beiling and not only invested in the company but started promoting the brand on her television talkshow circuit. That's a great example of how Jillian Michaels and her business partner, Giancarlo Chersich find Michaels' next big project, investment and endorsement. Michaels and her partner more often than not actually find most of the deals themselves vs. the ones that are offered to her on a silver platter.

"There were times it was a matter of fear ya know, if we let this opportunity go will we get another one?" explains Michaels. "Now, we're both like, 'You know we don't need to do this anymore."

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On Tuesday, Jan. 19, when celebrity fitness expert Jillian Michaels premieres her new reality TV series Just Jillian on E!, viewers can peek at the “everyday” lives of Michaels, her partner, Heidi Rhoades, and their two children, Lukensia and Phoenix.

Michaels, who spent a decade as a tough-love fitness coach on NBC's The Biggest Loser, calls her new show "a big, gay Modern Family."

Viewers will also get a good look at the hectic lifestyle of Michaels the entrepreneur. Her health and fitness-related empire includes best-selling books, a fitness training program called Bodyshred and a line of healthy grab-and-go meals called Slim Soul by Jillian Michaels.

The latest addition to her empire is Lucky Jack Organic Coffee Co., the maker of a bottled organic cold-brew coffee that's infused with nitrogen for a frothy head. Earlier this month, Michaels's led an investment group that purchased a controlling stake in the Las Vegas coffee startup from founder Richard Karno for an undisclosed sum.


Spoiler alert: Michaels told me that she's often seen holding a bottle of Lucky Jack in the first season of Just Jillian. And if the show is renewed for a second season, you can bet you'll be seeing more about her experiences building the fledgling brand, she said.

What fewer people know is that Michaels, along with her business partner and manager Giancarlo Chersich, has been regularly investing in food brands since 2008 – everything from Popchips , potato chips that are popped, not fried, to Krave Jerky, which founder Jon Sebastiani sold to the Hershey HSY -0.42% Company for $220 million in January 2015, to Thrive Market, a socially minded discount buying club for health food products.

I recently chatted with Michaels and Chersich about the reality show, their recent acquisition and their investment philosophy. What follows are edited excerpts of our conversation.