Boxoffice - May 2019

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
BY ALEX RICH, MANAGER OF STATE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, NATO
A GREAT WELCOME TO
THE MOVIE INDUSTRY
AT CINEMACON
ALEX RICH
As the National Association of Theatre Owners’ new manager of state government relations,
I will be charged with monitoring legislation at the state and local level that will affect our
membership in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. That’s a lot of bills and regulations,
and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intimidated by the laundry list of items that will need my
attention. I thought to myself, “How can one person possibly do this job? I’d need an army to
keep up!” But then I went to CinemaCon.
>> When I joined NATO at the end of March,
there was one word on everyone’s mind: Cinema-
Con. The event had loomed large throughout the
interview process and my initial onboarding, so I
was a little nervous when I found myself at Caesars
Palace frantically searching for my next meeting
room or rushing past dinging slot machines on my
way to a studio presentation.
After five days of sit-downs, panel discussions,
celebrity sightings, and business-card collecting,
I boarded my flight back to Washington, D.C.,
exhausted and ready for a long weekend without a
single breakfast meeting. CinemaCon was hectic,
jam-packed, and a little daunting, but I can’t
think of a better way to kick off my career in the
film industry.
In meeting after meeting I was struck by the
passion that NATO members have for the movie
industry, whether exhibitors from the biggest
of the big chains or owners of small-town single-screen
operations. NATO’s engaged and
energetic membership will provide me with the
knowledge base and people on the ground to
effectively advocate for our members and ensure
this industry will continue to be the best source of
entertainment there is.
Theaters are vital to our hometowns, from large
chains to art houses. They are gathering places that
not only entertain moviegoers but also provide an
important economic engine for their communities.
NATO will continue to work in partnership with
local and state governments to provide quality, safe
entertainment and employment across the country,
but will also fight against bad legislation when it
pops up. I also look forward to visiting NATO
members across the country over the next year,
from Washington, D.C., to Washington State.
While the movie industry is new to me, a love
for movies and the theater-going experience are
not. I was an active and energetic kid, but when
my parents took me to the movies, I was captivated
enough by the screen to be quiet and sit still for
90 minutes. The 1990s to early 2000s was a great
time to grow up as a movie nerd: from the jungles
of Jurassic Park to the decks of the Titanic, from
entering The Matrix to battling orcs in The Lord of
the Rings trilogy, I was bitten by the blockbuster
bug young and continue to love seeing my films on
the big screen.
I come to NATO with experience in nonprofits,
government, and campaigns, but I am very excited
to merge my two passions—movies and politics—
into a job like this. I’d like to thank the theater
owners and NATO members I met during my time
at CinemaCon and my first few weeks in this role,
and I look forward to meeting many more in the
years ahead.
MAY 2019
27