I'm now COO of Adlabs Digital Cinema

The cat was out of the bag at ShoWest already, but it's a nice coincidence that my 100th post on this in-frequent blog is the announcement that I've been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Adlabs Digital Cinema.

The news comes in a couple of articles that give details on Adlabs' expansion into the US cinema market.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Adlabs Films has finalized the acquisition of 240 screens across 28 U.S. cities, executives said Tuesday on the sidelines of the FICCI Frames media conference.

"We have acquired these screens that largely have the potential to cater to South Asian and other audiences in the U.S.," Adlabs Films COO digital cinema Patrick von Sychowski said. "Some of these screens were acquired from the likes of Regal and Landmark, among others."

While financial details were not given, Mumbai-based Adlabs -- which operates more than 100 screens in India -- has partnered with Knoxville, Tenn.-based Phoenix Theatres for its expansion.

From Variety, quoting my boss:

Company, part of billionaire Anil Dhirubhai Ambani's Reliance ADAG conglom, has quietly bought up cinemas across the U.S. and is poised to launch next month as a coast-to-coast mini-chain.

"It is important we are seen as an independent American chain, rather than an extension of an Indian company," said Reliance Capital senior VP Anil Arjun.

Reliance, in which billionaire George Soros recently paid $100 million for a 5% stake, has 250 screens at 28 North American locations. These include sites in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, San Jose, Los Angeles, Washington State and one at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

"We've been aggregating. We've bought long-term leases to small chains or mom-and-pop operations, not necessarily the best quality, but we are spending to improve that through things like improved A/C, sound systems and concessions," Arjun said. Total cost of the acquisitions and refurbishments was not revealed.

It is tremendously exciting and a privilege to be part of a company such as Adlabs/Reliance ADAG which has the vision, ability and financial clout to push through such massive initiatives. Expect to hear more from us in the future.

Reliance's motto, from the founder Dhirubhai Ambani is "Think big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no-one's monopoly." They certainly do, and I'm trying to as well.