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Author Topic: My time has come.. resignation Dave Williams Wet nipple scene Posts: 1836 From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 09-14-2005 01:09 PM                        Well I am contemplating a return to the industry, sort of. I just had a great showing in a competition at work, and it has not only exposed me to the executive leadership, it has also prompted me to believe that I can do whatever the hell I put my mind to. I have always wanted to run a theater, one to four screens, that runs classic films, and has a live vaudville style show before hand. The employees dress up like they are going to church, and people can bring whatever damn food they want. Of course there is a lot of research that will go into supporting such a notion, so heres to the next two years of putting the plan together. Ciao  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 09-14-2005 07:56 PM                        Andrew, Best of luck with whatever you choose to do. I can tell you one thing... adjusting to 'normality' won't come easy.. at least it hasn't for me. I enjoy being home nights and I LOVE being off weekends and, most importantly, Holidays, but I do miss the theatre. Not a rainy day goes by that I don't wonder what's sold out and if all the staff showed up... On another note.. my last post in this thread was back in May and I indicated that I was going to take the SC State Exam for my 1st Year Sales License... I didn't get around to doing it until last Saturday, 9-10-05. After studying for a week on what I thought would be my weaker areas (especially after three months), I took the test... AND PASSED! So now, I'm going to speak with my wifes BIC about making yet another career change... again, for the better. And, as I always told my own employees, as long as decisions are made that will better yourself, GO FOR IT. SO, all that aside.. Andrew, put your nose to the grindstone and make the best out of whatever you do. From what I've read into your posts, you'll be fine. Typically, those "good managers" will do well in whatever they choose to do. I think you're one of those few 'good managers' out there. And to leave to spend more time with the kids.. completey admirable! Best of Luck....  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-22-2005 09:13 AM                        I figured I would add to this topic. After 16 years in the theatre industry, Sunday, October 16th, 2005 was my last day in the business. My wife, my family, and I moved back to our beautiful home in Maryland (we built it last year). I am looking outside the crazy world of movie theatres for a job. As of Monday - I will be out of work for one week - and it is driving me insane. I have literally applied at over 100 different places and have been interviewed by numerous people. We will see what happens. Has anyone noticed the complete cult-like decline of the industry? What I mean by that is this weird attitude that the big chains are starting to adopt - "We no longer hire managers from outside the company" - "We only promote from within". My assumption is that they bring in someone at minimum wage, making them work their way up to assistant - and then - when they get offered the "GM" position - the company is able to underpay someone significantly to run a multi-million dollar facility. Killing the operation. I see it (and have heard it). Also - the whole re-location thing. I lived in five states and thirty cities in my career. I am done with that. Anyways - I am done with my rant. Thank s for reading it.  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 10-23-2005 10:35 AM                     Good luck Dennis....passion and doing it well should be an asset; but as more cinemas turn into Walmart villages the future appears not to be that promising. I love the radio ad of the apparently loyal but brain dead manager for Walmart...operating a $120,000,000 a year Super Center probably at a non-living wage.  |  IP: Logged Kelly Skaggs Film Handler Posts: 68 From: Springdale UT Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-23-2005 06:45 PM                        Good Luck Dennis, you will find a good job with your experience as a manager. You will love the time off, I know I do weekends and nights off are a nice change . As for Walmart managers, I know a few and am related to a couple and they pay at least 3 times what movie theaters pay, but they do work alot of the same shitty theater hrs.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 10-27-2005 11:21 PM                        Dennis.. Keep your head up.. Someone will realize the qualities you have and the fact that you will be an asset to their company. I, myself, have watched the trend of paying the 'new guy/gal' just a tad more than what they currently make in order to secure location managers. Oh, and the 'if you wanna grow, you have to move EVERY time we have a calling'... well, no thanks. More and more of the GOOD theatre folks are leaving the business. Low pay, excessive hours, NO personal life, and the real clincher... having new policies implemented by folks whom have never even RUN a theatre, much less a 5-10 million/year operation... Funny thing is.. I still miss it. When I say 'it' I actually make reference to my locals and regulars who were like family. In a sad way, I knew a lot of my customers better than some of my very own family... I saw them more... it happens. BUT, life goes on outside the theatre. I've not gone back but about 1/2 dozen times since leaving. Just feels 'strange' going back into a place that I have forgotten more about than anyone else will ever learn about... Good luck... good things happen to good people..  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 10-02-2006 10:19 PM                        Update to the update... I have officially left my Property Supervisor's position and am now pursuing my real estate career with the development company my wife works for. Has a GREAT first weekend..and I actually had FUN doing it. If all goes well, I truly think I've found something I'll enjoy doing while making great money in the meantime...  |  IP: Logged Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 11-19-2006 04:40 AM                        On Friday, I rendered my resignation, effective Dec 1st. I love working projection and I had hoped to make a carrer in the field, specifically as a sound tech. Unfortunatly, this was based on working at Regal, which doesn't have projectionists, but manager/operators. This is where my problem is. As anyone in the Psycology field can tell you, there are alpha personalities, beta, and I think one other, with alpha's being the leaders. I am NOT and alpha, and it shows. I have been commended on several occasions for making the right choices, and for my effort, but where I fail is getting respect from the floor staff. I can be as firm and authoritive as I want, just means mor3 fristration on me. Everyother week there is at least 1 major altercation between me and an employee due to the employee not listening. The most recent had an employee screaming at me in the middle of the lobby (yet the employee wasn't fired, what does that say?)after I had firmly told her not to leave the scoop in the popcorn because it wasn't sanitary, and told her not to do it again. There was an event with a tazer involved, there again, with me being the attacked in the situation, and nothing I said, officially or otherwise, was taken seriously, everyone just laughed at my fear of being tazed. Events on this level have happened to me on an average of bi-weekly basis, with more minor (minor only because I was choosing my battles, and choose not to fight them) incidents on a daily basis. Add too it that I have been crapped on by people calling in, or simply not coming in several times in the last week along, leaving me, and if I'm lucky one of our special needs employees, to open and run the theatre; and manage, and run projection, etc. I simply cannot take the stress anymore. When a job makes you seriously suicidal its time to quit, and I mean seriously, no joke. The sad thing is, by doing this, I am trowing away my carrer and everything I worked so hard for, not to mention finally being able to get much needed health insurance. So I either kill myself from depression, or from stress, there is no win here, so I choose depression in hopes of finding some releif, like winning the lotto or something, though it is not likely. I love working booth, and with the equipment, and that is mostly what've kept me going this far. I can always retreat to the booth to calm down and relax. I would stay if I could work strictly the booth alone, but that's not company policy, and thus impossible. I'm a technitian, not manager, and everyone picks up on that, for good and bad. It really breaks my heart. Not possible to go back to Carmike, they're all digital here, and don't use projectionists anymore, not to mention that there's no room for advancement except as a manager, which is out of the question.  |  IP: Logged Brian D. Whitish Expert Film Handler Posts: 103 From: Seattle, WA, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 11-20-2006 04:38 AM                     Oh boy this is a tough one. I have been managing a theatre since 1982. And working in them since 1979. And I work for a pretty good company-Landmark, and I am looking to get out. The decline has accelerated in the last 5 years. Some one really hit the nail on the head when they mentioned that the people running these companies now have no more idea about showmanship than my a**. Its truly disgusting and sadly I dont think its just this business. I so want to go to a theatre and have a great experiance. Anf here in Seattle I am probably more likely than most places, especially with the Cinerama. I was one of the crew that got to run real three projector Cinerama. I thought I was going to cry the whole shift. I never thought I would ever see Cinerama much less project it. But even here it gets harder every day. And I told myself that when I wake up and dread going to work its time to find a new line of work.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 11-20-2006 02:38 PM                        I feel for all of you. If you can find a way, be your own boss or work for a very small company that has the values you have. "Mom & Pop" don't have a lot of money, but they do try to do the best job they can. The big companies are "bottom line driven": and so small things like cleanliness and customer service are not iussues with them. This is becoming a critical time with theatre circuits due to not caring. Certainly, this is true of our world lately, not just cinemas. Louis  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 11-20-2006 03:18 PM                  Louis, your are sooo right on target. It seems to be the "modern" trend for a lot of companies and managers to treat their customers and employees like shit and with little respect. AND by the same token, many employees feel the world "owes" them a job even though they are lazy POS asses and have no self pride. God forbid a company would ask them to do a decent job. AND don't ANYONE give me the lame excuse that they aren't paid enough to do a good job. It's about self respect and pride in one's self. If ya don't like the pay, better yourself and do something else and STOP blaming the company for YOUR shortfalls. I personally think it's a shame that one must give up the work they love for whatever reasons, I think all of us "true believers" will still be grounded in and love film. I sincerely wish ya'll good luck!  |  IP: Logged Ron Curran Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 504 From: Springwood NSW Australia Registered: Feb 2006 posted 11-20-2006 07:10 PM                        Cinemas that try for quality over profit (within economic reason) attract a nicer audience and people who want to work with you. If you only book films for the unwashed masses with big box office as the only motive, you can't get and keep good people. "Mom & Pop" indies with up to 3 screens can afford this luxury. Also, it has to be easier to present a good show if you don't have 30 screens to maintain. When you operate a single, you can keep in touch with your audience. When they choose your little cinema over the nearby megaplex, it means that you AND your staff have their approval. I think that the uture is in personalised, quality cinema, not in multibox videos.  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 07-17-2008 11:29 PM                 It has been 605 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 07-17-2008 11:29 PM                        And yet another update- I have thought time and again that leaving the theatre was could have been a bad decision. I have learned quite a bit about a number of things in the last couple years. I am at yet another crossroad in life. The sales just don't exist in the land sales business. At least not enough to continue to put food on the table,so I am now looking for something to do. I've been given the advice of my broker, but, one thing I've learned in sales.. never believe nor trust a salesperson. at least a good one. They are selling you something every time they open their mouth. The people you think you can trust are the ones you can trust the least. Give everything you have to offer to an office.. and at the end of the day... no one cares. I am bitter right now but I will chalk it up to a hard lesson learned. if I can find my way out of this quagmire I have created I can conquer anything, and my grandparents always told me.. "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I'll be herculean when I get back on my feet. Thank God I have my wife, even though I feel like I let her down in a huge way. I have my health.. and I am great with people. Tomorrow is a new day. Wish me well.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 07-18-2008 02:23 PM                        We do wish you well Jason! Follow your passion and the money will follow, so they say (obviously those people have never worked for either a theater company or an aviation company ). I too am going through a similar situation... again. I resigned from Allegiant Air at the end of March after having been permanently denied a promotion. My career path had come to a dead end with no advancement nor pay increases in the foreseeable future. And the "petite" wages for that position were not something I could afford to endure long-term. What's the use of free airline travel when you can't afford to take it? Time to hit the silk. Went through aptitude testing and interviews for starting positions (but still higher paying than anything at the airline) in a couple of totally different industries - rail transportation maintenance and mining operations. The testing and interviews went well. Now I'm waiting to hear a final "yea" or "nay" from both of these potential employers - both big household-name companies at the top of their industries, and both growing like gangbusters and paying "real" wages and benefits. As opposed to the airline industry which, even though I will always love it, is a low-paying and shrinking industry set to be in decline for what looks to be the rest of my working days (I'd like to be able to retire by 2022). Anyway, last week I'm continuing my job search as usual, and I get a phone call. From Allegiant. Asking if I wanted my old job back. Things changed. Having nothing to lose, I talked to them. A couple of days later an offer letter came. It's still a low-ball offer compared to these other industries but quite a bit more than what I was making. Pending a TSA background check, I accepted. But... there's a good chance the TSA will not let me come back to Allegiant since I've been out of work for four months with no unemployment checks or other published paperwork to document what I've been doing (TSA now requires such paperwork for all air transportation employees out of work for two months or more). But as long as one or both of these other things comes through, I guess it really doesn't matter. I'm especially drawn to the rail maintenance gig which starts 1 September if they take me. We'll see. Out of the blue, stuff happens. So Jason, it's time to think deeply of simple things. Take a short break and figure out what you want. Some "commandments" my USAF F-16 pilot/civilian instrument flight instructor used to say: "Thou shalt always go for it." "When in doubt, press." Take care Jason!  |  IP: Logged

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