Co-CEO Comes Aboard at Lucky Jack

Co-CEO970Continuing to staff up the cold brewed coffee company they purchased six months ago, celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels and her business partner, Giancarlo Chersich, announced that marketing expert Matt Ammirati had joined Lucky Jack as a co-CEO alongside Chersich.

In the new role, Ammirati, who had also been an investor in the brand, will work on making sure that the cold brew brand is on point with regard to branding, innovation, and flavor profiles. Ammirati brings considerable experience to that kind of work, having started his own successful creative agency — Ammirati — one that was eventually merged and sold.

The pirate-themed Lucky Jack isn’t due for a major brand overhaul, Ammirati stressed, but there will be some changes coming, especially as he starts to answer his most important question: who is Lucky Jack’s core consumer?

Understanding that consumer lets a brand develop a tailored pitch, Ammirati said. He’s got experience in doing that, working with both Pirate’s Booty and Glaceau, among others, through

“We’re trying to find that brand voice,” Ammirati said. “We nailed it for glaceau with that kind of ‘Mike-from-Queens’ tone. But we’re still looking for the voice with Lucky Jack.”

Chersich will continue to run the brand’s operations and oversee its sales footprint, he said.

“From the distribution side, we have really started to step up with regard to divisions of West Coast retailers,” Chersich said, adding that the brand is also nearing deals with retailers in Florida and the Northeast.

Ammirati has experience working with celebrities, and he said that he’s aware of the potent megaphone Michaels can offer a brand, but he isn’t going to play that card just yet, he said.

“We know she’s a great asset, but we want Matthew to be really careful about making sure,” Chersich said. “The key is not to force it.”