Revisiting Your Cinema Business Model

Steve was Chief Executive of Broadway Cinema, Nottingham from 2008 until retiring in June 2023. Joining in 1990, he was originally appointed to set up the Finance and Development departments for the then-newly established media centre, leading the development and implementation of successive Business Plans. He managed over £8m of phased capital developments to expand and improve facilities, raising investments from ERDF, National Lottery, regional agencies and sponsorships. Steve oversaw a merger with film training organisation Intermedia and the establishment of Broadway as the lead organisation for Film Hub Midlands in a partnership with Flatpack. He established Broadway as an ACE NPO to become a key regional centre that supports the training and development of creative talent who use new technologies in their practice. Steve led Broadway through 14 months of closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, securing Cultural Recovery Funding, introducing remote working and a restructuring of the organisation, leading to a successful reopening in May 2021.

Catharine started her career as a Film Exhibition Officer at the BFI and has worked with many venues over the last 30 years both as a funder, consultant and advisor as well as a period spent at Arts Council England in a similar role. She set up the ICO in 2003 and took it from a start-up with 3 members of staff and 10 months worth of funding to the present day, with a capital asset and a turnover of just under £2m. Over the years she has led on funding strategy and organisational development and has raised millions of pounds from organisations such as BFI, ACE, Esmee Fairbairn, Creative Europe, Screen Skills and numerous film institutes and other partners. She is an advisory board member for Be The Business (www.bethebusiness.com)

Across thirty years, David has worked as a Programmer, Distributor and Consultant, helping to set up, programme or advise numerous cinemas that have achieved record admissions and have proved sustainable over a long period. From 1998-2002, he was Director of Cinema at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) where he programmed an award-winning season of Japanese experimental film and increased admissions by 100%. He also made a success of the ICA’s cutting edge distribution company, releasing over 50 films including Ring, A One and a Two and Kandahar – all of which were profitable. Whilst Head of Content at the British Film Institute, he co-produced a screening of Borderline staged at the Tate Modern Turbine Hall; and A Throw of Dice with a live orchestra in Trafalgar Square.

Micaela is the Executive Director on The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford’s only independent cinema established in 1911. Under her leadership the cinema successfully met the challenges of pandemic securing a nomination for UK Cinema of the Year in 2021, as well as facilitating a £385k community share raise to bring the business into community-ownership. She is a BAFTA Connect Member as well as a Trustee of Oxford Playhouse. She started her career at Jacari, an educational charity that supports children with English as a second language from disadvantaged backgrounds and founded the charity’s first branch in a new location (Bristol) which is still going strong today. Subsequent roles have deepened her understanding of Oxford, it’s diverse communities and the power of art to transform lives —   these include over a decade of leadership and fundraising experience at cultural organisations including The Story Museum, The Ark-T Centre, and Cowley Road Works.

Flo is an experienced marketing and CRM professional with a passion for audience development. She has worked in a wide range of marketing, communications and venue management roles in arts and cultural organisations in London and Cambridge. Her previous roles include Head of Communications and Marketing at Arcola Theatre, Marketing & CRM Manager at English National Opera and Press & Marketing Manager at Cambridge Live. Having collaborated with Katy Raines to deliver our extensive programme of audience sentiment tracking research during Covid, Flo joined Indigo full time in November 2020.

Based in Leeds, and from Liverpool & South Africa, Mosa is a film programmer of Black, African and Archive films in a freelance capacity and in a permanent role as Creative Engagement Officer at her local heritage cinema, Hyde Park Picture House (est. 1914). At Hyde Park Picture House, Mosa works with anyone external to the cinema to strategically co-curate interesting and mutually beneficial film events. In addition to this, at Hyde Park Picture House Mosa curates a new permanent strand of African films called Cinema Africa! for African and Non-African audiences, working in collaboration with community groups, addressing the unreasonable lack of African films being show on the big screen in the UK. Mosa is particularly passionate about archive film and has recently published a personal journal from a research trip on African Film Archives in South Africa, Burkina Faso, France and the UK.

Ellen Reay joined Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT) as its Marketing Coordinator in 2019. Prior to that she worked in film exhibition marketing roles at the Barbican and the Independent Cinema Office.

Nicola is a seasoned brand, NPD and marketing professional working with retail and hospitality businesses. Specialisms are brand strategy (defining how your business looks and sounds), product and packaging development and strategic support for small businesses owners. Nicola also work as a fractional head of marketing and can take on the day-to-day of digital and local marketing campaigns. Previous in-house roles include Creative Food Director of the Ginger Pig butchery business, Head of Retail at Dishoom restaurants and Product Developer at Marks & Spencer. As a freelancer Nicola has or still works with Ultimate Picture Palace, Harvey Nichols,  Pompette restaurant, Spice Kitchen, Farmison and Sous Chef.