-By Andreas Fuchs

“Digital cinema, alternative content and live events, film and trailer delivery, cinema advertising: We touch exhibitors in so many ways.” Suzanne T. Moore, director of corporate communications at Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., sets the all-encompassing tone for the latest addition to Film Journal International’s exclusive series on exhibitor relations.

While our prior profiles included global in-theatre marketing and ticketing expertise, this month we look at the services Cinedigm’s four divisions provide to exhibition, as part of our special focus on digital cinema.

“Cinedigm has been at the forefront of digital cinema and can guide exhibitors in managing their respective deployments,” attests Diane Anselmo, VP of customer operations, Cinedigm Digital Cinema. With some 20 years in exhibition (United Artists Theatres) and both independent and major distribution (Gold Circle and Sony Pictures Releasing, Hollywood Software), she now covers 5,400+ screens, 500+ locations with 30+ exhibitors “and growing.” Anselmo declares, “Our program offers expertise and a variety of choices from financing, equipment and service options. The Digital Cinema division drives the deployment and builds relationships with exhibitors that each Cinedigm division can then expand on to supply the products and services that fully utilize our networked digital environment.”

Before her colleagues can provide those additional services, Anselmo’s job is to “oversee the implementation process and coordinate with vendors to ensure systems are properly installed and serviced throughout the life of our agreements.” Cinedigm’s Phase 2 deployment “offers many choices for an exhibitor interested in digital cinema,” she explains. “Exhibitors can choose between a self-financed option or access to the Cinedigm financing program, [which includes a variety of] “equipment conforming to the DCI specifications and multiple options for industry-leading service and installation experts. Additionally, Cinedigm has the only live 3D satellite technology to broadcast exciting live events.”

The latter offering, branded and trademarked CineLive, relates to two other company divisions. While finding and securing programs and content fall under Cinedigm’s Entertainment Group, the technology and delivery side is managed and maintained by the team of Gerd Jakuszeit, president and chief operating officer, Cinedigm Digital Media Services (DMS). In addition to the “rapidly evolving CineLive 3D experience,” DMS delivers “preview trailers, advertising and pre-show, movies and keys, alternative content,” Jakuszeit details. To do so, the division’s objective is “developing, deploying and servicing fully hardware and system-agnostic platforms and electronic/digital delivery structures.” While this includes “merging the varieties of content and satellite and terrestrial means of delivery,” the true benefit is to people. Cinedigm wants “to enable and furnish the full potential of the digital-cinema experience to exhibitors, content owners and distributors,” Jakuszeit says, all the while “ensuring that consumers experience the finest-quality digital presentations.”

Though not yet fully digitized at the 52 exhibitors with over 2,400 screens in 300+ markets of its network, the cinema advertising and Pre-Flix show portion of the Cinedigm corporate package comes under the auspices of UniqueScreen Media (USM). “We’ve created an exit strategy regarding static slide technology,” explains Steven R. Johnson, USM’s VP of operations and exhibitor relations. “Striving to replace all remaining static screens with digital equipment to bring consistency to our sales model [is as much a priority as] customizing the desires and needs of our exhibitors,” he assures. “We view our exhibitor partners first as clients, just as we do our advertising clients. We act as a vehicle to connect the two entities. Without one, we wouldn’t have the other, so to speak. We partner with exhibitors who are looking for advertising programs to promote and grow their theatres.” While Johnson and his team “strive to promote each of our exhibitors as the best avenue for advertisers to purchase,” they handle “the dynamic end of placing local business on the big screen in their communities” as well.

“Just as we have an exhibitor-relations team internally,” he continues, “we have a technical department dedicated to the operation of our advertising technology and equipment. We train theatre employees on how to operate and maintain our equipment, as their day-to-day duties are impacted by the pre-show advertising present in their theatres. It becomes a part of their jobs and we rely on them fully to make it all happen.”

Both sides taken together, “we have an almost unified agreement where service and satisfaction are concerned—our advertising clients are their movie patrons. We aim to make those clients our highest priority at all times and the relationship between exhibitors and UniqueScreen Media makes that possible. By working together through mutual communication, compliance becomes a standard, two-way street as a means to fulfill the obligations toward our clients.”

Johnson, who joined USM in 2003 and is an electrical engineer with a telecommunications background, feels his own obligation goes beyond “excellent advertising services.” He looks to help exhibitors “to integrate their systems and develop new opportunities by connecting them with our support team across all the Cinedigm business units.” Such is the case with Digital Media Services and CineLive.

As Jakuszeit elaborates, “We are on the front lines of delivering the compelling and immersive, growing array of live 3D sports events such as NCAA, NFL, NBA, FIFA and MLB, in addition to delivering others like concerts, performing arts, educational and corporate interactive events and onscreen gaming for all ages.” Their 24/7 exhibitor support includes a “weekly bulletin informing all digital theatres about the technical details of each movie and event,” he says. Trailer Xpress is also delivered weekly in a variety of ways, “providing the latest versions of trailers in multiple 2D and 3D formats. We maintain a trusted device list which is used to generate keys and make sure that the content booked on screens is enabled and up-to-date.”

With delivery safely and efficiently assured by the DMS team, Brad Carroll’s job is “finding out what exhibitors are looking for and trying to provide it.” At Cinedigm Entertainment Group, where Carroll heads up business development and sales as VP, “this involves evaluating how the advances in technology enable different types of content and executing marketing to the best of our collective ability with theatres.” By way of example, “niche content that can satisfy a particular demographic consistently as part of a program” has worked well. “And offering it to exhibitors during times of the week that are typically slower” is even better.

The keys to exhibitor relations are communication, consistency and follow-up, Carroll believes. “We want exhibitors to know what we are doing to market our content offerings and what we are providing to help them locally. If that core package is consistent for each title in a program,” he observes, “it is much easier to execute, and more effective.” Follow-up is a matter of “seeing that the parts are all there and whether there is something special that makes sense for a particular title. Are there new ideas that a theatre is doing? Talking with exhibition and learning what is happening in the community [further help determine] what is working, what is not.”

Carroll has “tried all kinds of ‘motivational tricks’ and contests,” but communications—“personal face-to-face meetings whenever possible, phone most frequently, e-mail when absolutely necessary”—is a must.

The most enjoyable aspect of working with exhibition on digital cinema is the “newness” of it all, says the distribution/exhibition veteran of Savoy Pictures, Miramax, AMC Theatres, Technicolor Entertainment, Fandango and Cinedigm DMS. “With our theatre partners,” Carroll feels “we are building something brand-new in a business that has not changed since the advent of sound.” While that is not an easy task, “the community has been incredibly supportive as we all learn together.”

Having started out as an assistant manager in a twin theatre some 20 years ago, Jakuszeit certainly concurs with Carroll on “the freshness and creativeness the industry brings to bear each day.” He is equally excited, however, about realizing the full potential of digital. By enabling “the out-of-home entertainment experience to reach new audiences and increase repeat business,” Cinedigm helps to increase “the attractiveness of each theatre through creative programming around the clock.” That, Jakuszeit knows, in turn increases “the return on investment of each seat.”

The excitement of being “engaged in a busy period at a theatre with hundreds of eager and happy people filled with anticipation and hundreds departing the complex satisfied” is what he likes best about the business. “The ability of the staff, facility and presentation systems to repeatedly deliver ever-growing varieties of high-caliber experiences can be complex yet is absolutely worthwhile.”

Diane Anselmo completely agrees. “It is a privilege to be able to work with our distribution and exhibition partners to help to provide a better entertainment experience for moviegoers and to be a part of this industry’s exciting transformation to digital cinema.” For Steven Johnson as well, “working in this industry is exciting. The theatrical world has always been a place people go to for entertainment. To be able to work in such a space is an amazing opportunity to touch people…and support causes that bring joy to so many.”

“The enthusiasm (and patience) so far has been great,” Brad Carroll concludes. “We look forward to more enthusiasm (and patience) as we learn together how to make this new part of the business work for everyone. It sounds corny, but it is honest: I really want to thank the exhibition community for working with us.”