Behind The Screens: The Faces of Exhibition

The exhibition industry is one of storytelling – NATO members bring a wide range of stories to the big screen for the moviegoing public to enjoy. For NATO’s latest project, Behind the Screens: The Faces of Exhibition, we capture the stories of the individuals who bring the movies to life in their local communities. This video series officially premiered at CinemaCon 2024.

Emelyn Stuart, Founder/Owner

Stuart Cinema

Brooklyn, NY

Emelyn Stuart, owner of Stuart Cinema & Café in Brooklyn, New York transformed a warehouse storing construction trucks into a cornerstone of her neighborhood. As a filmmaker, Emelyn has a passion for telling and sharing stories with people of all walks of life. As a movie theater owner, she has a passion for serving community. Emelyn shares her story of how investing in her theatre changed her community.

JD Loeks, CEO

Studio C/Celebration Cinemas

Grand Rapids, Michigan

JD Loeks, CEO of Studio C, is part of a family legacy of innovation. His grandfather and father before him all took Studio C and exhibition to new heights. JD took his family legacy of innovation and brought them back to where it all started, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Studio Park project started as bringing a movie theater back to the downtown area and became a multi-million dollar project bringing restaurants, apartments, hotels, a live event venue, with the movie theater as the anchor of it all.

Francisco Schlotterbeck, CEO

Maya Cinemas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Francisco Schlotterbeck is the CEO of Maya Cinemas, a company that prides themselves in serving communities with little to no family entertainment options. Francisco got his love for movies and theaters from his mom and has thought of the family experience all throughout his career. In this video, Francisco describes how family is core to the Maya Cinemas experience.

David Haywood, SVP of Food & Beverage

Cinemark

Plano, Texas

David Haywood has worked in exhibition for most of his career. Starting as an intro-level employee at a movie theater in Texas, all the way to SVP of Food & Beverage at Cinemark, David loves tying food to the experience of watching a movie. In this video, David talks about unlocking old memories and building new ones all through the food and snacks offered at a Cinemark theater.

Mayte Alquicira, Loyalty Manager

Cinépolis

Dallas, Texas

Mayte Alquicira is the Loyalty Manager at Cinépolis in Dallas, Texas. Originally from Mexico City, Mexico, Mayte first had dreams of work for Cinépolis when she was studying abroad in India and came across a Cinépolis movie theater in a mall. Mayte has been able to combine her passion for abstract art with her passion to create a great experience for every moviegoer. As she shares in this video, building a unique loyalty program for each member using their different tastes in movies and snacks is like sitting in front of a blank canvas with a palette of colors.

Lauren McChesney and Matt McClanahan, Co-owners

Shankweiler's Drive-In

Orefield, Pennsylvania

Lauren McChesney and Matt McClanahan co-own America’s oldest continually operating drive-in Theater. A staple of the community in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, the drive-in was close to being torn down and turned into industrial space. Lauren and Matt bought the drive-in and have built a community around it. Hosting events, bringing local vendors, and going viral on social media, this young couple has breathed new life into the world's oldest drive-in.