Guy Austin
Member Profile
How has Cinema United membership been impactful to you and/or your business?Cinema United has been an essential partner with a wide breadth of topics. Besides being a conduit for networking within our industry, and sharing the best practices, the association aids us in navigating this challenging industry that is constantly evolving. Whether it be the move to digital, the fight against piracy, SVOG, or state and federal regulation changes, the guidance and information provided has always been top of class.
One day while jogging home from high school after wrestling practice I looked up at the marquee of the Edwards South Coast Plaza and saw a now hiring sign. I jogged right up to the Box Office and filled out an application. I always loved movies and thought it would be fun. They hired me on November 14th, 1981. Tearing tickets, slinging popcorn, cleaning theaters, watching people leave with a smile on their face, I loved it all. Besides serving a three-year hitch in the Army, I have never left.
Besides the great films? I will always enjoy seeing people leaving our theatres with their families with smiles on their faces. However, I get a real kick helping people work through the ranks and grow personally and professionally. So many I have worked with are still in the industry today whether it is on the exhibitor, studio, or vendor side. I love seeing enthusiastic and intelligent individuals come into this business and thrive.
My best memories are of opening new locations. Particularly our first dine-in concept in 2008. The CinéBistro was a big idea that came to life with a perfect film for the twenty-one and over premium concept, Sex and the City. With wait service at your seat and a chef-driven menu from scratch kitchens and recipes made with fresh local products. Full bars and a luxurious lobby. I have been a part of many openings. Taking a piece of ground and seeing a theater built, fixturing it, staffing it, is sometimes a painful process. But birthing a new location, seeing filled on opening day, watching people experiencing it wide eyed as they take it all in. I have considerable pride in their experience. I always try and take a moment at each opening with every staff member to say, “Look at what you did. There was nothing here and we created something you can always be proud of, something this community will enjoy for years to come, we did that together.”
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The first memory is my most memorable as it was with my mother and grandmother for my fifth birthday. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in 1971, It was magical. The curtains rising, the film hitting the screen, I remember looking behind me to see where it was coming from. I could see the light from the projector slightly flickering. It started my fascination with movies in the theatre. It was full of color and imagination. The tunnel scene was very scary for me, the rule breaking caused me concern, but the ending made me so happy for Charlie and his family. I still watch that film with the eyes of a child.
I see cinema enduring. We must keep our sights on the guest experience, staying focused on the basics with an eye on evolving technologically as we always have. Seeing new, exciting, thought-provoking, and entertaining films in an unmatched format that continues to improve with each generation. What excites me? I ask everyone who’s with me, friends, and neighbors to share with me their earliest memories in a theatre. I always love hearing those stories, their faces always light up while telling them. Cinema is exciting, it is unique. Seeing a film on the big screen? That magic will never stop touching people. And because of that it will never go away.
My advice is to do your homework; it is fun business, but not for the faint of heart. There are so many members that would gladly share perspective and advice. Then jump in and hang on tight. It is a roller-coaster of highs and lows. Thrills and disappointments. If you have an adventurous spirit, you will love it. I love the roller coaster.
