Extensive Creative Staff - Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Not your average everyday movie theater
Dinner, drinks, movies, events all at the same place. The cuisine is enough to differentiate the Alamo Drafthouse from the
competition, but it is just the beginning. The following pages highlight the numerous ways in which the Alamo is strikingly
different from the competition and why Time Magazine has called us “the best movie theater ever.”
Extensive Creative Staff
Henri Mazza leads the Alamo creative team which includes a head-office staff of video editors, graphic designers, social
media experts as well as regional hosts in each market. Alamo Drafthouse is the only theater operation in the world that
creates a true bond between the audience and staff. We do that by being the only movie theater that is run by true movie
nerds.
For Fans By Fans
Every Alamo location employs numerous show hosts who cultivate audiences and introduce our signature programming
events. Their most important job, however, is get to know the customers and make them feel like they are part of the Alamo
family. Show host Zack Carlson, pictured above, recently published DESTROY ALL MOVIES, a comprehensive overview of punk
rock in the movies. Seven years in the making, DESTROY ALL MOVIES features over 5000 capsule reviews and dozens of
interviews. Zack is movie-obsessed, and at the Alamo the movie-obsessed call the shots.
No Advertisements
From day one, the Alamo made a pledge to its customers: we will never show advertisements before the film. Instead,
the Alamo employs a full-time video editor and pop-culture sleuth to create custom “preshow” montages of vintage clips,
educational films, cartoons, Scopitones, Japanese game shows and more. The preshow is usually themed to the movie you
are about to watch. Our goal: even if the movie you watch is terrible, because of the preshow you will still feel you got your
money’s worth. Lars Nilsen (pictured above) has been a show host and preshow curator since 2001.
Technical Excellence
At the Alamo Drafthouse we strive to offer the best presentation in the business. We have standardized on Sony 4K digital
projectors, we maintain changeover 35mm projectors in our metropolitan locations, and we have an extensive preventative
maintenance program overseen by Alamo CTO Andrew McEathron (pictured above).
World-Class Design
Mondo is the alternative marketing arm and design studio of Alamo Drafthouse. Primarily Mondo is known for their much
hunted series of hand-silkscreened movie posters designed by world-renowned artists such as Drew Struzan, Shepard
Fairey and Chris Ware. Mondo creative director Justin Ishmael (above) works directly with studios to create buzz for films
such as True Grit, Iron Man, Inglourious Basterds, Transformers, Tron and Star Trek. In 2011, the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences began archiving one of every Mondo poster. Mondo is the first design house outside of the studio system to
receive this honor.
An Eye on the Numbers
Alamo COO Mike Sherril is rarely without his laptop. Mike oversees the profitability of the entire Alamo operations
infrastructure. One key metric - our net promoter score, a quantitative customer loyalty metric developed by Bain and Co.
The Alamo scores a staggering 81 out of 100 net promoter score, which stacks up favorably to other world class brands
Apple (79), Google (73) and Virgin Mobile (61). Our mission is to ensure that every customer has an awesome experience and
is excited to come back. Mike makes sure of it... by the numbers.
Architectural Innovation
Design and architecture of the Alamo Drafthouse is overseen by CDO Tim Reed. With over 30 years of theater construction
experience, Reed ensures all Alamos meet strict design standards while the creative team ensures that no two Alamos are
alike. The historic Ritz pictured above was awarded the Austin Heritage Society of Austin prize for best historic renovation.
The Slaughter Lane Alamo, currently under construction, will feature whimsical “Little Shop of Horrors” inspired sculpture
and lighting, an homage to the nearby Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Exceptional Cocktails
Alamo Drafthouse beverage director Bill Norris was named the Texas Regional Bartending Champion in the 2008 Cocktail
World Cup and is a three-time finalist in the U.S. Bartender’s Guild National Cocktail Competition. The Austin Chronicle
Reader’s Poll named him “Best Mixologist,” although that is a word he hates. Now directing the national beverage program
at the Alamo, Bill’s job is clear: make every beverage we serve, from apéritifs to coffee, absolutely delicious. Bill crafts the
cocktail menus, organizes beer dinners, trains the baristas and ensures the tea service would satisfy the queen.
Award-Winning Cuisine
John Bullington uses fresh ingredients whenever possible and trains his kitchen staff to make sauces and dough from
scratch. Our regular menu remains several notches above the competition, but where we really shine is with our “feast”
events: rotating specials that match the themes of new-release blockbusters and multi-course tasting menus and wine
pairings for classic films. Samples of recent feasts are featured in the following pages.
Lord of the Rings Feast
Each year the Alamo celebrates the magic of the Lord of the Rings with a marathon screening of all three films accompanied
by seven full meals (one for every Hobbit meal time) over twelve hours. Pictured above is John Bullington’s interpretation of
Elvish Lembas bread.
Harry Potter Feast
J.K. Rowling’s rich description of Hogwarts has provided the Alamo culinary team a wealth of opportunity for food pairings.
With each film, we host a multi-course feast that features the food of Harry Potter; everything from butter beer to chocolate
frogs.
The Skin I Live In Spanish Tapas
For the opening week of Pedro Almodovar’s THE SKIN I LIVE IN, executive chef John Bullington prepared a special menu of
tapas paired with Spanish wines. The promotion garnered strong local publicity that yielded tangible results. The Alamo
opening weekend gross was #2 in the country.
Over The Top Promotions
We have buried our customers alive to experience the same anxiety Ryan Reynolds does in BURIED; we’ve brought out
Robosaurus for the premiere of TRANSFORMERS and set up a flame throwers station for the premiere of RAMBO. Above is
the football stadium Jet Pack Guy for the premiere of IRON MAN. At the Alamo, we always try to make the show something
special for the fans.
The Alamo on the Road
From screening the Descent in the bottom of a cave, Jaws in the middle of a Lake, Close Encounters at Devil’s Tower, Escape
from Alcatraz on Alcatraz and Field of Dreams at the Field of Dreams, the Alamo’s mobile projection team, the Rolling
Roadshow, spends each summer screening famous movies in famous places.
Badass Digest
Badass Digest is the online movie nerd and culture blog owned by the Alamo Drafthouse. Badass Digest is helmed by LAbased editor and chief contributor Devin Faraci, formerly the voice of CHUD.com. The Badass Digest reader is a geek/pop
culture enthusiast, social media savvy and an early adopter. As of November 2011, Badass boasts over 900,000 unique
visitors a month and 2.7 million page views. Although the relationship between Alamo and Badass Digest is arms length, the
site helps to cover Alamo events and build an advance fan base in markets where we have yet to open. Pictured here is a
Badass Digest event: the Party Down cast and crew reunion marathon.
Fantastic Fest
Now in its eighth year, Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the United States with 75 features and 50 shorts.
Fantastic Fest was named by Variety president Charlie Koones as one of “10 Film Festivals We Love,” a list which included
industry heavy-hitters such as Cannes, Toronto and Telluride. We’ve also been named as one of the “25 coolest film festivals”
and the “25 film festivals worth the entry fee” by Moviemaker Magazine. In addition to the great films and an impressive
roster of celebrity talent, every day of Fantastic Fest features flamboyant, lively parties. In the photo above executive chef
John Bullington prepares a whole butterflied cow for the closing night gala.
Drafthouse Films
The Alamo Drafthouse brand has recently expanded into distribution. The first film under the Drafthouse Films banner was
British comedy FOUR LIONS (pictured above), which was named by Time Magazine as one of the top ten films of the year. In
2012 Drafthouse Films will release six new releases and six repertory classics. Drafthouse Films aims to share the movies
we love with as many people as possible.
No talking. Seriously.
If you talk during a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse, we will kick you out without a refund. Earlier this year, a video featuring
the voicemail of a disgruntled customer who was kicked out for texting was viewed by over five million fans and was featured
on the View, Fox News, Howard Stern, Bill Maher and more. Anderson Cooper praised the video on his nightly program,
calling Alamo founder Tim League an “American hero” and further suggested his nomination for the Nobel Prize.
An Awesome Experience
Founder and CEO Tim League oversees the show at Alamo Drafthouse. His job is the exact same as everyone else in the
company, “ensure every guest has an awesome experience and is excited to come back.” By following this simple mission
and continuously striving to improve the customer experience, the Alamo has been called the “Best Theater in America” by
Entertainment Weekly, the “Best Theater in the World” by Wired.com and the “Best Theater Ever” by Time Magazine. League
is pictured here in the vault of the American Genre Film Archive, the 501.C3 non-profit started by Alamo Drafthouse to
preserve and share 35mm exploitation film classics.