(left to right) David Schoner Jr., Associate Director of The NJ Motion Picture and Television Commission; Janice Kovach, NJ Motion Picture and Television Commissioner/Mayor of Clinton, NJ; Kristen Mider, Cranford DMC Chairwoman; Farrah Way, Daughter of Lt. Governor Tahesha Way; Doreen Sayegh, President, JDS Entertainment, LLC; Brian Andrews, Cranford’s Mayor; Baylen Bielitz, Actor; Tahesha Way, NJ Lieutenant Governor/Secretary of State; Kathleen Miller-Prunty, Cranford Deputy Mayor/DMC Liaison; Lou DiGioia, NATO’s COO; Steve Oliviera, DMC Board Member; Paul Gallo, Cranford Councilman
On October 17th, The Cranford Theater held a private special screening of Mothers’ Instinct. Lou DiGioia, NATO’s Chief Operating Officer, attended the event. The evening highlighted the benefits of New Jersey’s tax incentive program and the current filmmaking surge in the state, as well as the importance of the moviegoing experience in theatres. Mothers’ Instinct was primarily filmed in Cranford and played at the Cranford Theater in July.
(left to right) Ted Hope, Ann Hornaday, Ron Yerxa, Susan Fox, Albert Berger, Phil Contrino, Karyn Temple, Derval Whelan
NATO’s Director of Media & Research Phil Contrino joined moderator Ann Hornaday and an esteemed panel to discuss the future of cinema at the 2024 Middleburg Film Festival. The panelists were:
Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa (Producers, Nebraska, Little Miss Sunshine, Election)
Susan Fox (Senior VP, Government Relations, The Walt Disney Company)
Ted Hope (Producer, former head of Amazon Original Movies)
Karyn Temple (Senior Executive VP & Global General Counsel, Motion Picture Association)
Derval Whelan (Head of Distribution, VP, Sales, Searchlight Pictures)
The wide-ranging conversation dealt with many topics including how important low-to-mid budget films are to movie theatres, the perception of movie theatres among consumers, and the opportunities and challenges that filmmakers and distributors are encountering.
The Middleburg Film Festival, founded in 2013, offers a carefully curated selection of narrative and documentary films screen in intimate theatre environments, followed by fascinating conversations with world-renowned filmmakers, actors, and other special guests. The films include festival favorites, world and regional premieres, first-class foreign films, and Oscar contenders.
At the 2024 festival, Conclave and September 5 shared the Audience Award.
(left to right) NATO’s Chief of Staff Amanda Martin, NATO of PA President Gina Taffet, and Frank Moses of Golden Star Cinemas
NATO of Pennsylvania recently held its annual in-person meeting at the stunning R/C Queensgate in York, PA. Under the leadership of President Gina Taffet, members from across the state gathered for an enriching day filled with legislative and regulatory updates, insightful presentations, and valuable networking opportunities.
One of the highlights of the event was a presentation by Drew Sheaffer of Penn Cinema, who showcased the innovative marketing initiatives that engage their local communities. He shared details about the exciting events they organize around major movie releases, which not only draw in audiences but also strengthen their ties to the community.
NATO was honored to connect with such dedicated exhibitors from Pennsylvania, and they look forward to building on these relationships at future meetings. The collective enthusiasm and commitment to enhancing the cinema experience in the state truly made this gathering memorable.
LOS ANGELES, CA – October 21, 2024 – The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) announced today it has named seasoned communications professional, strategist and former award-winning journalist Andrew Stewart as Chief Communications Officer. In this role, Stewart will lead all efforts for the association’s communications and media relations strategy, continuing to unite and promote the cinema industry as the leading out-of-home experience for current and future generations.
As a key member of NATO’s leadership team, based in Los Angeles and reporting directly to President & CEO Michael O’Leary, Stewart will lead a comprehensive and aggressive communications strategy to raise awareness of exhibition’s critical role in the entertainment industry’s success and help map its innovative future, such as promoting the results of exhibition’s recent $2.2 billion commitment to modernize and upgrade theatres of all sizes over the next three years. An immediate priority for Stewart will involve CinemaCon, NATO’s cornerstone annual event and the world’s premier exhibition convention held at Caesars Palace each spring, to amplify its impact and increase visibility with members, key stakeholders from across the industry, the media, and the general public. He will also work in close partnership with the Cinema Foundation on efforts to promote moviegoing.
“We were so impressed with Andrew’s drive and strategic know-how in navigating today’s ever-evolving media landscape,” O’Leary said. “Andrew will be invaluable to ensuring that exhibition is a part of the on-going conversation about the future of filmed entertainment. Not to mention, it’s clear he has a deep passion for going to the theatre, with a desire to see the business of moviegoing not only succeed, but innovate and grow.”
“For me, storytelling is at the heart of communications, so the opportunity to join a venerable organization such as NATO, to tell their story on behalf of the exhibition community, is nothing short of perfect,” Stewart said. “I couldn’t be more excited to roll up my sleeves and roll back the curtain in telling this next chapter in the theatrical exhibition story.”
Most recently, Stewart served as Vice President at 42West, one of the leading entertainment PR agencies, where he led the Los Angeles-based team for the company’s Strategic Communications Division, working on a wide range of clientele across industries, including entertainment, gaming, technology, social impact, as well as crisis communications and issues management. Prior to that, he served in various communications roles for Participant and IMAX Corporation. During his time at Participant, he worked on campaigns for such box office hits as “Wonder,” “The Post,” “RBG” and “Green Book,” while at IMAX, he was part of the team for such record-setting IMAX releases as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Jurassic World,” the “Fast and Furious” franchise, among others. Stewart began his career as an entertainment journalist for Variety, where he reported on box office, film distribution, digital and on-demand platforms, as well as independent film and theatrical exhibition. As a journalist, he has been honored multiple times by the Southern California Journalism Awards. Prior to being a Variety film reporter, Stewart worked as an online editor for the LA-based trade publication. Stewart comes from the Midwest, where he received bachelor degrees in both journalism (news-editorial) and film studies from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
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ABOUT NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 32,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and more than 34,000 additional screens in 89 countries worldwide. For more info, visit www.theatreowners.org.
NATO’s 2024 Fall SummitConveys Optimism For A Bright Future By Michael O’Leary President & CEO, National Association of Theatre Owners
The 2024 Fall Summit brought together more than 300 exhibitors in Los Angeles from September 23-26 for a week full of meetings, presentations, panel discussions, screenings, and networking events that were focused on the future of our great industry
We came to Los Angeles with our vision clearly set on a bright future for exhibition and on fans who love movies on the big screen. The Summit did not disappoint as the optimism for the future was palpable. As the box office continues to rebound, exhibitors across the country continue to create great experiences for moviegoers to enjoy. We have the wind at our backs for the first time in a while.
I want to thank all our members who volunteer their time to support NATO, The Cinema Foundation, and CinemaCon. You take time out of your busy schedules to help make sure this great industry thrives. We could not make the Fall Summit – or anything we do – a success without you.
The passion and innovative ideas that members conveyed in 1-on-1 conversations and on panels are truly inspiring. This industry is incredibly creative and dynamic, and the entire team at NATO is committed to promoting you each day. Our “Investing in Ourselves” panel—moderated by B&B’s Brock Bagby and featuring Salt Lake Film Society’s Tori A. Baker, Cinema Lab’s Brandon Jones, Emagine Entertainment’s Ally Smith—provided many examples of creativity in our space.
A vibrant future requires us to be clear about the challenges, and to be intentional in how we address them. This industry works best when we have open lines of communication with our partners in distribution. I applaud Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps of Warner Bros for their candor when answering important questions about the future of our industry. Jeff and Andrew are true champions of the theatrical experience. On a separate panel, NEON’s Tom Quinn, Focus Features’ Peter Kujawski, and Searchlight’s Matthew Greenfield addressed the state of mid-budget and specialty films and how confident they are in the future of this important part of the theatrical ecosystem. We need all aspects of distribution to excel!
Our film screenings at the Summit showed just how diverse and strong the upcoming slate is: Sony’s frenzied and fun Saturday Night, Paramount’s action-packed Gladiator II, and Universal’s highly anticipated new musical Wicked. The commitment from distribution to releasing films for theatre continues to be strong and it on full display during the week. I know that members felt energized by all three films.
During our visit to SONY, it was an honor to welcome acclaimed filmmaker Jason Reitman to the NATO family and to the Independent Theatre Owners Coalition (ITOC). Jason, along with a group of legendary directors including Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg, recently purchased the legendary Village Theatre in Westwood. Jason’s passion for the big-screen experience comes through in a big way, and he fits right in among the NATO membership. Jason shared a moving story about watching Ghostbusters: Afterlife at CinemaCon with his late father, Ivan Reitman, and how he’ll never forget the crowd’s reaction to a movie he made for his dad. Welcome, Jason, and we all look forward to all the great things in store for the Village Theatre.
For the NATO team, the Fall Summit is not just a welcome chance to catch-up with NATO members, it also signals the end of the summer movie season, and the time when we turn our focus to thinking about the coming year and how we are going to capitalize on the opportunities before us. As I noted at the Summit, we are at long last in a welcome period of “normalcy.” For the first time in almost five years, we are not dealing with the impact of outside factors on the marketplace. Rather, we are welcoming an increasing number of movie fans, looking at ways to enhance the experience of all those fans, and showing them a wide range of top-quality movies. In other words, you are getting to be theatre operators once again. The future holds much promise, both for this fall and into 2025. Now is the time for us to leave the pessimism and cynicism of the past to history and move deliberately to define ourselves and our role in the next century of filmed entertainment. Let’s build on the enthusiasm and optimism of the Fall Summit and continue to innovate and show the world that there simply is no other entertainment experience like a movie on a big screen in a theatre full of people.
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