quote: Shane Hoffmann

---

It couldn't have hurt that I called because they didn't even bother asking my name.

---

quote:

---

Career Opportunities
Do you Love Films? Turn Your Passion into a Career!

AMC Theatres has built some of the largest, most productive entertainment complexes in the industry. These complexes, averaging 14 - 30 screens, are located in key markets. AMC needs the most talented personnel in the industry to operate them.

AMC offers a great working atmosphere and nice benefits. To learn more of the company's history, please visit our About AMC section.

Want a Job in the Movies?
Theatre Management

Training
AMC Theatres offers the longest-running professional Management Training Program in the motion picture exhibition industry. The Management Training Program combines classroom-style training with hands-on experience for all aspects of theatre operations.

Benefits
AMC Theatres provides a comprehensive benefits package depending upon eligibility. These benefits include:
Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and Disability coverage
Flexible Spending Accounts
401(k) retirement Plan
Pension Plan
Incentive Programs
Paid Vacations
Educational Assistance Program
Complimentary Movie Passes
How to Apply
If you are interested in a management position with AMC Theatres, you can complete our AMC Online Employment Application, download and complete our AMC Employment Application*, or send your resume in one of the following manners:
Fax your information to us at 816 480-4725
Mail your information to us at:
AMC Theatres
Attn: Human Resources
P.O. Box 219615
Kansas City, MO 64121-9615

Theatre Staff
Our theatre staff positions include concessionist, usher, or cashier. If you are interested in one of these positions, you can apply online using our AMC Online Employment Application. If you need to see where the nearest theatre(s) to you are located, visit our Theatre Locations link and follow the links to the theatre of your choice. Their address and phone numbers can be found there. Write down the ones you are interested in and return to the AMC Online Employment Application form and make the appropriate choices. The AMC Employment Application* is available to download for your completion prior to visiting our theatre should you wish to apply in person.

U.S. AMC Online Employment Application
U.S. AMC Employment Application*
Canada AMC Employment Application*

If you reside in Canada, please apply in person at your local AMC Theatre.

Thank you for your interest in AMC Theatres!

---

 

---

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 08-11-2004, 10:48 PM:
 
Shane, good luck getting a theater job in Wisconsin without knowing people personally...
 

---

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 08-12-2004, 08:10 AM:
 
How about going during a slow period and trying to chat up a manager?
 

---

Posted by Shane Hoffmann (Member # 1620) on 08-12-2004, 09:18 AM:
 
There are three Marcus Theatres that are all about a ten minute drive from my school. I think I will probably drive down and check those out. I'll try to hit them at the right time so I can talk to someone important.

I know a few people who work for Marcus, and they seem to like it.
 

---

Posted by Richard Cieplechowicz (Member # 1275) on 08-12-2004, 10:57 AM:
 
Shane,

Are you applying to the Amc Mayfair? If so drop me an email and I'll help you get in touch with the GM. Also if it is the Mayfair you should do an online search about the theatre. This is a very tough theatre. Your online search will come back with fist fights, guns and several riots.

Rachel,

There are some theatre in Wisconsin that are in need of qualified managers. The Appleton 16 is in need of several hourly and salaried managers.

Richard
 

---

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 08-12-2004, 02:56 PM:
 
My suggestion is to go back in and fill out another application and say that you have no theater experience.

Also keep in mind that they may be hiring based on availability. They may only want someone for certain shifts.

Dont put that you want to work booth on your app either. If you do that it will be given to the booth manager and if he or she does not want to hire oyu then you most likely will be overlooked.
 

---

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 08-12-2004, 04:25 PM:
 
Chris is right. Don't apply directly to the booth because chances are you're just not going to get it with these guys (regardless of experience), and your application will get tossed anyway. Every now and then an application comes in here with somebody claiming they know how to run this projector or that platter system. The first and last reponse by most of the managers is "so what". We have never hired ANYBODY directly off the street and put them upstairs. One must prove themselves in reponsibility before coming up here, and a lot of people have been pissed because they've never been givien the chance.

Few other observations:
Rachel you need to live in Pennsylvania honey where you can't even get a job cleaning piss off a toilet seat unless you know somebody.
And Mike is absolutely correct when he explains the proper way to approach somebody when looking for a job. Never be afraid to give your name. Look at mine. Most people just forget it because they can't pronounce it. Maybe thats why I never get any calls . . .
 

---

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 08-12-2004, 04:55 PM:
 
I wouldn't necessarily limit yourself to theatres withing driving distance of your school either (where are you going out of curiosity, Marquette, MSOE, UWM?). Milwaukee has a very good bus system, you can get pretty much anywhere riding the bus. Plus if you are a Marquette or UWM student you ride for free with your ID.
 

---

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 08-12-2004, 06:54 PM:
 
Huh? "Pennsylvania honey" is piss off a toilet seat? I musta misread. Just to be safe I better avoid honey mustard while in the Keystone State. I don't even want to know.
 

---

Posted by Shane Hoffmann (Member # 1620) on 08-12-2004, 07:28 PM:
 
Actually I'm going to Wisconsin Lutheran College. It's a small liberal arts school that my mom works at so I get tuition remission. It's bordered by Wisconsin on one side and Bluemound on the other-- just off of Hwy 45.

I may come back here to Fond du Lac now and then as well. My boss told me he would still like me to do regular maintenance in the booth, and also said he would schedule me in concessions whenever I wanted. The only problem is the 60 mile drive to work...I might have to do it though if I don't find a job in Milwaukee.
 

---

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 08-12-2004, 10:02 PM:
 

quote: Richard Cieplechowicz

---

There are some theatre in Wisconsin that are in need of qualified managers. The Appleton 16 is in need of several hourly and salaried managers.

---

The Regal in Appleton would be great to work at (I go there once a week even though its an hour drive, my favorite theater around here! ) but unless they are hiring weekend only managers that is too far away for me considering school is full-time from 8AM-4:30PM

quote: Aaron Mehocic

---

Rachel you need to live in Pennsylvania honey where you can't even get a job cleaning piss off a toilet seat unless you know somebody.

---

Aaron, you need to live in Wisconsin where you can't even get a job cleaning piss off a toilet seat if you DO know somebody!

I always had good luck finding a job in Massachusetts, word of mouth got around and I was getting offers to numerous theaters but around here I can't even get hired at one. It sucks.
 

---

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 08-12-2004, 11:53 PM:
 
FWIW, a lot of places get pee'ed off if you try to call them when they tell you not to. They look at it like "how can we expect you to follow directives, when you can't even comply with the application instructions?"

In today's throw away society, 'the squeaky wheel' doesn't always get the grease. Sometimes, it gets pitched in the trash.

------------------
BTW, I like that new photo, Rach'! You're a cute little baby-doll alright!
 

---

Posted by Richard Cieplechowicz (Member # 1275) on 08-13-2004, 02:07 AM:
 
Rachel,

Until recently I was the GM of Appleton but had to come back to IL for family reasons. The theatre does need people with strong management and projection experience. I'm sure any hours you could work would be very helpful. The district manager for Appleton is based out of my current theatre in IL. If you email me your resume I will get it to him. Let me know if you need any other information on the theatre.
 

---

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 08-13-2004, 08:44 PM:
 
Richard,

I've been in the theater business for over 10 years (I'm 24) and a manager/general manager for 6 so I have some experience. Projection on the other hand I CAN do and HAVE done for many years, I just don't pride myself on it. I'll email you.
 

---

Posted by Shane Hoffmann (Member # 1620) on 08-13-2004, 10:11 PM:
 
I just applied online for the Marcus Westown UltraScreen Cinemas in Waukesha, WI, and for the Marcus Ridge Cinemas in New Berlin. If anybody has connections to either of these theaters, I would love to hear from you. Just send me an email or post here.
 

---

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-14-2004, 12:22 AM:
 
Aaron--are you saying that your theatre would reject an application for "projectionist" from someone with (say) 10-20 years' worth of experience and excellent references just because you want him to "prove himself" by ripping tickets and sweeping floors?

The whole idea of "we don't hire projectionists" is just silly in my opinion. If a theatre needs to fill the position, I don't see why they wouldn't try to hire the most qualified candidate, whether he comes from within the company or outside it.

(As it happens, "projectionist" is the only position that I've ever officially held for any theatre. I will _not_ shovel popcorn or sweep floors, nor will any other projectionists I know who is any good at the job. Is this really so unusual?)
 

---

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 08-14-2004, 01:22 PM:
 
No, I didn't say that. I used the word "responsibility" in my post, and one way of judging a prospective candidate's responsibility is to give them temporary floor positions while monitoring their abilities from afar and in private with other operators. We look for the following: punctuality, respect for tools, basic knowledge of how simple things work, problem solving skills, and ability to work under pressure. Our customers are paying good money to be entertained at out theatre and we want to have qualified people capable of running the equipment. In our area we don't necessarily have an over abundance of trained projectionists jumping from house to house, so previous booth experience for most claiming to be "projectionists" is shoddy at best. Never have I seen a booth applicant in the past 14 years claim to be knowledgible with certain aspects of our equipment or offer anybody as professional-related references. I had a manager who once told me a monkey could be taught to lace a projector . . . he got fired by another theatre recently. Don't really know why, and really don't care why. Maybe he had monkeys upstairs with him - I don't know.
 

---

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 08-14-2004, 09:50 PM:
 
I tried to get a management/booth job at a theater a couple months ago, but was told they could only offer me an entry-level floor staff position to start with and then work my way up, despite having 10 years of booth experience. I found that rather shocking, since I probably have more experience than some of the people they have running that booth now (presentation there has been good but not perfect.) I wouldn't mind doing floor staff for a couple weeks, but that would require me to leave the full-time job I have right now that pays me more than minimum wage, and I just can't afford to do that. I'm willing to "prove myself" however they want me to, but obviously I can't leave my current job before I know if things would work out. (The last company I worked for hired me for booth immediately, since I was much more experienced than any of their other people.)
I hid my disappointment but did remind them that I did have considerable booth experience and would definitely be an asset to their company, so they said they'd forward my info to someone higher up in the company but I never heard back from anyone, so I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'm pretty happy with the job I'm in now, but I miss the theater business and want to try and get back in after being out for nearly 3 years.
It's always tough following up on a job application- if you do call to follow up you might be annoying, but if you don't then they might take it that you don't really care that much about getting the job.
 

---

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 08-15-2004, 08:09 AM:
 
As a manager I have always rejected any and all phone calls regarding applications. I would recieve up to 20 a day, and if all of them called I would never have gotten any work done.

Also, in my management experience of 15 plus years, it is never pleasant to take a call regarding someones application and have them start questioning you as to why they haven't got the job yet.

I do not like explaining myself to people that do not even work for me. And it is almost always the case. People tell these kids to follow up with a phone call, but none of them have ever been taught courtesy with that phone call.

Saying the wrong thing to someone regarding thier application could get you sued. Imagine that someone comes in and is 485 pounds and puts in an application to run the snack bar. I do not want to tell them that they project an unappetizing image and my sales will go down, because I would get protested by some whacko rights group and sued into oblivion. So instead, I can make that judgement call at the time of application, and then leave that judgement in my head where it belongs, and the application in a pile that will never get hired.

There are a million personal reasons that a manager will have to not hire someone. Most will not want to answer those questions as to why, because it begs to question thier motives in management and does not allow them personal discretion, one of the most valuable tools in management.

I have come across thousands of people who projected some form of bad image and I would just not give them the time of day. Just because someone has experience or really wants to work there does not make one the best candidate for the job. It is nothing personal, just a management preference, good or bad.

I personally never allowed an application to ever go out the door without me shaking the hand of the person taking it. I would never allow it to come back unless I took it personally. It allowed me to see what kind of person was applying.

First impression is everything. If you go to the snack bar and some unkempt person is there helping you, you tend to be less enthusiastic about your purchase. But you put someone there that takes you mind off of them and on to your popcorn, good deal done there.

So don't take it personally that you can't get a job there. Qualifications are fine and all, but I have always found that if you can find a manager that ISN'T busy at the moment, introduce yourself and talk about the theater. It always worked for me when I was a manager. people who werer interested in the actual workings and concerned about potential problems got my attention, and if they were interested in a job and not hideous to look at, then they would definately be put in the maybe pile.

Ciao

Dave
 

---

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 08-15-2004, 11:55 AM:
 

quote: Scott Norwood

---

Aaron--are you saying that your theatre would reject an application for "projectionist" from someone with (say) 10-20 years' worth of experience and excellent references just because you want him to "prove himself" by ripping tickets and sweeping floors?

---

For the most part we do not hire projectionist from outside. However, on a few occasions when we were in a crunch we have done it and with the exception of one person they all were horrible. Some of these people hade experience some did not. Personally I get tired of wasting time training people and then having them walk out in the middle of a round a week later. If someone has already been on the floor for a few months then I feel more confident that thhey will be more stable.

Also, it is difficult to get people to break old habits. I would much rather start with someone new.
 

---

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 08-15-2004, 02:50 PM:
 
If I were in charge of hiring people for the booth, I'd at least give them a written test with their application to see what their current attitudes and knowledge are. I worked with one guy who had previously worked at another theater, and he thought it was perfectly OK to not pay attention to threading in frame, and just adjust the framing onscreen once the show started! Obviously I would have rejected him right away. You have the same problem with training new people though; some of them decide they just don't care right off the bat, or they might care but not understand the right way to do things no matter how many times you tell them.
It's definitely wrong to automatically assume someone with 10 years experience is going to have bad habits that make them worthless- see how they're used to doing things, and if there's anything dreadfully wrong that they're doing explain to them that you'd like them to do it your way, and explain why.
 

---

Posted by Jacob A. Velleman (Member # 2533) on 08-18-2004, 09:10 PM:
 


[ 08-19-2004, 01:23 AM: Message edited by: Jacob A. Velleman ]
 

---

Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 08-18-2004, 11:01 PM:
 
Aaron, your comment to Rachel made me laugh and brought back memories of my stay in New Castle in the summer of 1988 where I was looking after my father's magnet factory. I got a free room at Jefferson Motel by putting in a few hours at the front desk.

Boy , did I learn about people when I worked at the motel for a few hours. In New Castle, the only positive news, was me eating at some diner or some place owned by Chuck Tanner (or maybe he was a frequent guest?). Many seemed unemployed. I met all kinds of people at the motel. I would wonder how a loser would get a decent looking big breasted babe, only to see the room vacated after an hour and the light bulb in my head lights up. Heh. Mothers would come storming in looking for their daughters not because they were aimless and f***ing around at 16, but because they were f***ing around with black guys. A lot of druggies seemed to be there in that small town. I was threatened by some madam because she thought I had the audacity to give her an attitude.

Then again, not all was bad. some greek/middle eastern restaurant used to give me free lunches for some unknown reason. I had no clue why the manager insisted I eat there for free ever since my second or third visit there. I ended up paying for some because it got kind of embarassing.

I did see Beverly Hills Cop2 in New Castle at some 4 plex. Theater was not all that. I was stuck working many hours in New Castle while movies like Batman, Lethal Weapon 2 were coming out. 1988 was a damn good year for mainstream hollywood.
 

---

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-18-2004, 11:02 PM:
 
Two interesting viewpoints here that stand out...

quote: Chris Hipp

---

Also, it is difficult to get people to break old habits. I would much rather start with someone new.

---

quote: Jesse Skeen

---

It's definitely wrong to automatically assume someone with 10 years experience is going to have bad habits that make them worthless.

---

Both have good arguments, but with the occasional exception the majority of the time I have to side with Chris here. The odds are that anyone brought into the booth with previous experience will be WORSE than training a 16 year old who has no idea we don't run DVDs. The reason is simple, they don't know ANYTHING, and when certain parts of the training are stressed, they take it more seriously than someone with experience.

However training takes time and a LOT of patience, of which I don't always have the time for. What I ideally prefer to find is someone who is currently working at a local theater (or a theater not so far away that I can visit) and watch them in action and carefully pick their presentation apart. Now I don't take into account things like bad sound, or miscut aperture plates, but I do look at the condition of the prints and their attention to detail. If their oldest prints look brand new and they don't have any major bad habits, they are hired flat out because that proves that not only do they have at least the majority of things down, if they are to that level they in all probability know how to handle emergencies. Training someone along these lines will be fairly painless for both parties.

Unfortunately when I visit random theaters I am generally vurping the entire visit. Occasionally I do come across someone who is really trying to put on a flawless show (usually only limited by the equipment they have to work with). For example, I would hire Adam or Kyle from the Esquire and I would also hire Ethan from the Angelika Plano or Chris from the AMC Mesquite in a second. I've seen their work and they have their shit together. I can't say that for very many people though. (Seriously, there are probably only about 1-2 dozen people of whom I can personally vouch for knowing how to truly do film done right, and I have visited A LOT of theaters.)

Most people's presentations are lacking.
 

---

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 08-19-2004, 07:17 AM:
 
There is one thing about hiring someone with previous booth experience:

There are some people in the world who have no mechanical aptitude. Sometimes, when I train new people in projection, this becomes apparent in the first few weeks. Ususally these people do not work out as projectionists. They learn to thread -and that is about it.

Someone who has worked in a booth prior - knows what they are getting into and ususally have the mechanical aptitude.

It is the same with hiring someone for a floor position: If they have previous experience working at a movie theatre, they at least know what they are getting themselves into. Working weekends, odd hours, and knowing what is expected of them is already established coming in the door.

As far as bringing bad habits with them - they are broken of those bad habits - or they go away.....
 

---

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 08-19-2004, 08:02 AM:
 
Seems as Jacob probably said a little too much about his theater. Don't be afraid to post here Jacob, just watch what you post.
 

---

Posted by JC Cowles (Member # 914) on 08-20-2004, 09:20 AM:
 
As a former human resources manager for a both General Cinema and later AMC Theatres, I feel your pain. I witnessed many potential projectionists get thrown to the wind for a variety of reasons. But here are some suggestions that I hope will help.

First off, in regards to AMC, they are very picky on appearance. Especially AMC theatres that were not gobbled up (like Ex-General Cinemas). No long hair on men (yes I have short hair now), no radical styling (corn-rows, dread locks, braiding, excessively teased hair on women, etc—the policy as it was explained to me is you wear your hear how you were born with it—employees with the aforementioned haircuts were terminated when AMC took over my GCC) no visible tattoos, no jewelry (except wedding bands) and no piercings. Not all hiring managers abide to these strict guidelines, but a large number of them do.

In regards to any place you apply….I suggest wearing what you would to an interview when dropping off an application. First impressions are huge and if the hiring manager happens to greet you, a poor appearance may earn your application a place at the bottom of the list. Dress isn’t the only aspect of presentation that makes a difference. The look of your application can often speak more. Legible handwriting is something I cannot stress enough. I used to receive countless applications that I simply couldn’t read. Never fold your application or use wild pen colors (I recommend using black ink from a Rollerball or possibly Gel pen).

Even if you submit a resume, always fill out the application completely! This is especially important when it comes to previous job history. If you don’t have work history, provide personal references like school teachers. Unless you’re applying to Mary Kay Cosmetics, bright colored resumes are a definite no. There is nothing wrong with plain white 24# paper.

Remember, your application speaks for you. When a hiring manager looks over applications to fill a job position, it is typically the only thing that will distinguish you from other applicants. For me, and I know of several other HR managers, completeness and neatness where the two prevailing aspects I’d use to determine who to call—not job history.

In my experience, most applicants for projectionist positions did not have previous projection experience. Someone gave me a chance when I got my first projection job, I wasn’t about to rule out someone new to the industry.

If you do have projection experience, the time for it to shine is during an actual interview. Keep in mind, not all hiring managers have projection experience. Make sure you find out if they do before using a vocabulary they may not understand. Confidence goes a long way in an interview, even if you’re partially faking it. If you act like you believe you are the person for the job, hiring mangers will typically pick up on it.

Be prepared to answer technical questions (do your reading on Film-Tech kids). If you don’t have previous projection experience, then learn all you can before interviewing. However don’t give answer you’re not sure of. If a hiring manager knows you don’t have previous experience, they will probably be forgiving if you simply don’t know answers. But their opinion of you will certainly plummet if you try to B.S. you’re way around an answer. Also, if you don't have projection experience, be prepared to answer this question: "Why do you think you would be a better choice to hire over someone who has experience in the industry?" If they don't ask it. Tell them!

In brief summary, the most important things I believe you can do is providing a neat and complete presentation when applying and show confidence when interviewing.

I wish everyone applying to work for a theatre the best of luck. I sincerely enjoyed my 4+ years in the industry. Maybe if I get sick of toying around in the printing/copying industry, I’ll come back and have to take my own advice .

 

---

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 08-22-2004, 08:50 PM:
 
Pravin,

Didn't know you were ever this close. In fact I'll bet the theatre you saw Beverly Hills Cop 2 is the place I'm currently employed at. Back in 1988 we were three screens (now nine) and were (and still are) the largest cinema in the city of New Castle. You're right about the place being mediocre. At that time the building was about ten years old and under old-school management. This was also about the same time the union operaters were locked out and floor staff trained upstairs.

Oh yes, I know about the Jefferson Motel and what went on there. It has since closed down, but for a time a medical doctor owned it. I'm not quit sure if he still does or what will become of the property. What I find interesting about the whole thing is the Jefferson was built in the late 50's or early 60's to help stop what urban geographers call "white flight", or the mass movement of middle class whites into the suburbs. By showing a then-modern building in the downtown offering reasonable lodging to business class and vacationing people alike, this motel attempted to prove the central business district still had meaning in the regional economy. It failed miserably when by 1980, our industrial sector was literally pulled out from under us by foreign competion. By 1988, the Jefferson was simply a place for prostitutes to meet their "johns" or, as you say,

quote: Pravin Ratnam

---

Mothers would come storming in looking for their daughters not because they were aimless and f***ing around at 16, but because they were f***ing around with black guys.

---

Now I will tell you why you got free food at either Nala's or Mary's (doesn't matter since they were both owned by the same family) ... It was your father's magnet factory. You could give somebody a job and they knew it. It was a classic case of "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours". Even if you never mentioned the factory, they knew. And you know how they knew? New Castle is nothing but a bunch of ethnic clans looking out for each other. Greeks and Syrians on the south side, Irish and Blacks on the west side, Italians in the east, and old Pilgrim stock up on the North Hill. People talk in this town and it ain't about the weather or how Jimmy's doing away at school. Each one of these groups has their own people in charge of something in this town and they only staff those places with their own people. Outsiders may laugh, but when you get here it will amaze you! Many times I joke that I'm "going to America" when I leave town for a while. Those people that seemed unemployeed simply were since they had no patron to find them a job.

Chuck Tanner (former major league ball player and 1979 world champion Pittsburgh Pirate manager) is a New Castle native and anybody whose anything always claims the old bullshit line that "they played little league with Chuck Tanner" BFD . Yet with this being said, I do recommend Tanner's Resturant on Wilmington Ave on the northside if anybody is passing through. The croissants are excellent.

New Castle is finished. It will never be what it was, even though the people here still believe new factories will come in and save us all from that last act of final damnation. The average income is $29,000, yet over 20% of our county population makes $23,000 or less. My advice is to stay the hell away from here and if you ever came, don't look back.
 

---

Posted by Alan Plester (Member # 852) on 09-10-2004, 05:08 PM:
 
Shane Keep banging at them mate,maybe you`l get lucky I sure do hope so Was in the game nearly 20 years cant get back 4 love nor money they dont like experianced guys think they might tread on toes
 

---