Boxoffice - October 2015

WOMEN IN EXHIBITION & DISTRIBUTION
Kelly Nash
Favorite movie?
American Beauty, The Jerk, and Grease.
Favorite snack?
A movie isn’t complete without popcorn. I like
it with butter through the middle and on the
top with white cheddar seasoning. The funny
thing is I never liked popcorn until I started
working at a theater (it’s usually the opposite,
right?). You think you would get sick of the
smell, but I learned to love it, probably because
I would experiment with butter and seasonings.
I remember working for United Artists in the
mid-1990s and they had a Lawry Seasonings
promotion. I would sprinkle that throughout the
popcorn for a little kick!
Alice Rogers
Favorite movie?
Indiana Jones and the Temple of
Doom. It’s a great film and a positive
emotional connection to me that represents
a time and place, which was
working as a theater staff member in
the summer of 1984.
Favorite snack?
Hard to pick just one given our AMC
Dine-In Theatres and expanded food
menu. I love the grilled chicken quinoa
bowl and the salty caramel milkshake.
Quality Theaters, opened a brandnew
10-screen theater, Kalamazoo
10, in the next parking lot over
from Maple Hill cinema.
Little did I know I would
work for Goodrich some
day; I was so saddened
we had to close! Since I
loved working at a theater
so much, I tried getting
a management job at
Kalamazoo 10, but they
already had a complete
management team. But,
my Goodrich career started
in 1998 when I was offered a
management position at West
Columbia 7, our Battle Creek,
Michigan, theater about 20 miles away
from Kalamazoo.
What does your current role at Goodrich
involve?
I have been so lucky to have my hands in a few
different roles here at Goodrich. I moved to Grand
Rapids, Michigan, in 2002 to work at the head office
as a film booker in the film department. I then made
the transition to making graphic still ads and animated
and video ads for our on-screen advertising clients
until about 2008. From that time I was promoted to
my current role and oversee all planning and implementation
of marketing and promotions of movies,
concessions, and company programs. I manage our
team of four to ensure we get our messaging across to
all channels that include in-theater promotion, website,
e-newsletters, social media, Frequent Moviegoer Club
(loyalty), on-screen, radio, and soon-to-be mobile
app. Most recently I have been heavily focused on
our loyalty club. I work
collaboratively with
other departments to present the best loyalty rewards
and promotions to benefit our customers to ultimately
increase attendance and revenue. Based on members’
past transactions at our theater, we can send highly
targeted e-mail campaigns of movies and concessions
offers that interest a specific member, enticing them to
visit us or spend more at the concessions stand.
Would you share with us one (or more) of
your proudest professional achievements in
our industry?
Aside from the honor of being one of BoxOffice’s
key Women in Exhibition and Distribution this year, I
am extremely proud of running a marketing department
for a movie theater chain. Never in a million years
did I think when I started working a summer job at a
movie theater it would escalate into such a wonderful
career. I absolutely love my “job” and the people that
work here; we truly are a little family here at Goodrich.
What are some of the most important traits
needed to succeed in your current role?
Being a team player and providing clear communication
across multiple departments is an important trait,
especially for marketing. I am always talking with the
concessions department about ideas and then have to
connect with IT and operations to make sure the plan
will work technically with our point of sale or in the field.
Another important trait needed is to have a creative
eye and know how to communicate an idea or
promotion across a multitude of channels. This has to
happen in the planning stages right away and, with social
media being a huge medium of how we advertise,
the concept has to work well in a status text, a short
sentence, or even a hashtag, and then we can play off
that for additional creative.
ALICE ROGERS
VP Operations Excellence
AMC Theatres
What was your first job in the
exhibition business?
When I started college, I was looking
for a part-time job that would allow me the
flexibility to attend school in the day and
work at night. I applied at the AMC Puente
6 in Southern California as a concessionist.
At that time this was one of the coolest places
to work, so I was thrilled when I got the job.
What I didn’t realize until after I started
was, given that I was 18 years old
and didn’t need a work permit,
I was scheduled to work the
midnight shows every Friday
and Saturday night. I’ve
seen enough of the Rocky
Horror Picture Show to
last two lifetimes!
84 BoxOffice ® Pro OCTOBER 2015