A New Hollywood

Being just 3 months short of graduation has become a very stressful thought for me. Growing up in a state like Utah can have its challenges when you want to merge your career in the entertainment industry. While Utah is closer to California, where a large part of the film industry is located, I decided to make a cross-country trip to Disney World in Florida to work for the company I had idolized since I was a little girl. Now, after working at Disney for over a year and being nearly finished with my Master’s Degree, I have done what any other future graduate has began to do – look for a job in the field of my study.

With the job search in mind, I am happy to announce that Utah may very well be the next Hollywood. With the already accelerating population growth rate from the 2002 Winter Olympics and the ever-growing Sundance Film Festivals, the film industry has had a very warm welcome in Utah. The biggest news of all is that Raleigh Studios’ decided to move to Utah. Raleigh Studio’s, the major motion picture studio know for such works as Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, is building not only a soundstage but an entire entertainment center that will include hotels. This will give celebrities and crewmembers convenient places to stay while shooting on location in Utah.

It was also announced that, because of the entertainment center, future graduates would have more opportunities to hone their craft by doing internships and applying for positions in the industry while staying in one location.  Utah has welcomed this upcoming attraction by giving more tax breaks to film production companies, making this already high profiled film state even more desirable. This will create more jobs and artistic freedom for young graduates like myself. I guess its time for me to pack my bags!

Dine In Theatre

For this weeks post I had a very interesting experience that I wanted to share because I felt from a future business owner’s point of view it was a very original idea and will be the future of movie experiences. As many of you are aware, I currently work at Walt Disney World, and I try my best to keep current with Disney’s training and innovative business practices. A while back, Disney partnered with AMC and created the Dine In Theatre at Downtown Disney. In the past, theatres have earned most of their revenue not just from ticket sales but from concession stand sales, and I don’t know about you, but how many treats or beverages do you actually buy at a theatre that you don’t pay an arm and a leg for?  AMC and Disney have now changed the approach to revenue growth from concessions to full gourmet meals. The best part about this dining experience is the prices - all food platters range from $4 to $12 dollars making it a very affordable experience. To top off the great meal selection the seats themselves inside the theatre are a lot more confortable then the normal seating selection most theatres have to offer.

            With the Disney/AMC dining experience you simply show up to your movie, select your seats, pay for a ticket (which is only $2 more then an average show) and take your seats. From there you have a personal waiter/waitress that will take care of all your dining needs throughout the show, without large disruption, due to the layout of the theatre. All aisles are on the side of your viewing areas so your waiter/waitress will not obstruct or distract your attention or the attention of those around you. The most impressive piece of the puzzle, however, is the call button. This little button, which simply very dimly lights up to signify to you that you’ve pressed it, is a signal to the waiter/waitress that let’s them know you need something – be it a drink refill, to order a snack, or just to tell them you’re ready for the bill. For me I will never watch another movie at a theatre again unless it’s accompanied by dinner.

            As you can see from the link the idea of more entertainment dinning experiences are spreading fast with Universal Studio’s implementing a summer dinner experience. Enjoy!