New, Cloud-Based Content Platform Committed to Over 5000 Cinema Screens Announces Partnerships with Major US & Canadian Cinema Chain

September 10, 2020

Cinemark, Cinépolis, Landmark Cinemas of Canada, Emagine and Independent Cinema Alliance among the first to partner with MetaMedia

Los Angeles, CA — On the heels of a major new report by the Hollywood Reporter, former IMAX and Disney Studios executive, Jason Brenek, announced five new partnerships with major and independent cinema chains across the U.S. and Canada. The chains will partner with MetaMedia, a growing entertainment technology company that creates next-generation solutions for content producers and cinemas.

As movie theaters reopen across the country, more cinema chains are committing to the MetaMedia Entertainment Network™, the first global cloud-based distribution platform for content producers and cinemas that provides the secure, rapid and cost-saving delivery of movies, trailers, on-screen and digital lobby advertising programs, live-streamed events and other big-screen programming to cinemas including concerts, faith-based programming, and Esports. The growing list of MetaMedia partners includes Cinemark USA, Inc. (the third largest exhibitor in North America and fourth largest exhibitor globally), Cinépolis USA Movie Theaters & Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas (the largest cinema chain in Mexico and fifth largest exhibitor globally), Landmark Cinemas (Canada’s second largest motion picture theatre exhibition company), Emagine Entertainment, and the Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA), an association of 140 member independent cinemas operating approximately 400 cinemas and more than 2,600 screens in communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Emagine Entertainment is recognized as an innovator in the theatrical exhibition industry for many accomplishments including being the first chain in the world to convert to 100 percent digital projection in 2006. Several ICA board members committed to MetaMedia’s platform including Bill Campbell of Orpheum Theatre, Inc. (Chairman), Byron Berkley of Foothills Entertainment, Inc. (President & Treasurer), Brian DiCiancio of Encore Cinemas LLC (Director), Chris Davis of Theater Professionals(Director) and Randy Hester of Hometown Cinemas, LLC, a former Board member of ICA.

Jason Brenek, CEO of MetaMedia said, “Emerging from this challenging period, cinemas are welcoming access to a broader array of content programming options, especially as the Hollywood studios create their new film release plans,” said MetaMedia CEO Jason Brenek. “We are both excited and appreciative to partner with such forward-thinking companies as they get back to the business of entertaining guests in their cinemas. MetaMedia will bring to these partners many of the economic, operational and programming benefits that the industry envisioned with the roll-out of digital cinema over a decade ago, with the added benefit of contactless content delivery for the post-COVID world.”

Mark Zoradi, CEO of Cinemark Holdings, Inc. said, “Cinemark is consistently evolving the moviegoing experience, both for our customers and our team members. We strive to provide the immersive, cinematic experience of seeing content on the big screen in a way that is efficient, high quality and makes the most of today’s technology. The industry-experienced team at MetaMedia has created an offering that is a great example of combining today’s technology and entertainment in a way that makes sense for exhibitors. Through their cloud-based content delivery system, we are able to get the content we need in a way that saves time and money without compromising quality. In addition to delivering films, MetaMedia also provides alternative programming, such as sports, music and other live events, which gives Cinemark the opportunity to further diversify and expand the entertainment experience it offers guests. Now, more than ever, it is critical to be able to operate efficiently and effectively, and MetaMedia allows us to do that. We look forward to growing our partnership as the industry continues to evolve.”

Luis Olloqui Aguirre, CEO of Cinepolis USA said, “For us, it was the mix of saving money and having more content to show in all of our theaters. It is a twofold benefit. We have been connecting to MetaMedia as many theaters as we can and should reach 100% of our theaters connected by the end of the year.”

Bill Walker, CEO of Landmark Cinemas said, “We have long envisioned our ability to bring more live events to our customers, such as live concerts, sports, Esports and other interactive programs that link multiple cinemas together. By working with MetaMedia and their next-generation content platform, we see a new digital era where cinemas are multimedia entertainment venues at the heart of every community.”

Paul Glantz, Chairman of Emagine Entertainment said, “We were on board from the first call we had with MetaMedia. Their network will deliver the operational and content programming benefits we envisioned back when we first converted our theatres to digital cinema.”

Bill Campbell, President and CEO of Orpheum Theatre and ICA Chairman said, “Too many of our members’ locations are still dependent on content having to be hand delivered on hard drives. Now content owners will be able to deliver to our theatres electronically, which will make it more cost efficient for them and for our ICA members, and open up greater availability of content for our members.”

MetaMedia plans to connect more than 25,000 cinema screens across five countries to the MetaMedia Entertainment Network ™ by 2021. The company also recently launched their platform globally into Australia and Mexico. The company expects to announce more partnerships and an acceleration of installations in the U.S. and Canada as cinemas continue to restart operations nationwide.

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About MetaMedia:
MetaMedia is an entertainment technology company that creates next-generation technologies and new revenue-generating opportunities for content producers and cinemas. MetaMedia created and launched the MetaMedia Entertainment Network TM the first global, cloud-based distribution platform. Powered by Microsoft Azure, the MetaMedia Entertainment Network TM provides for the secure, rapid and cost-effective delivery of movies, trailers, advertisements, live-streamed events and other big-screen programming to cinemas. MetaMedia is headquartered in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.metamedia.global.

About Cinemark Holdings, Inc.:
Headquartered in Plano, TX, Cinemark (NYSE: CNK) is one of the largest and most influential movie theatre companies in the world. Cinemark’s circuit, comprised of various brands that also include Century, Tinseltown and Rave, operates 554 theatres with 6,132 screens in 42 states domestically and 15 countries throughout South and Central America. Cinemark consistently provides an extraordinary guest experience from the initial ticket purchase to the closing credits, including Movie Club, the first U.S. exhibitor-launched subscription program; the highest Luxury Lounger recliner seat penetration among the major players; XD – the No. 1 exhibitor-brand premium large format; and expansive food and beverage options to further enhance the moviegoing experience. For more information go to https://ir.cinemark.com/

About Cinépolis:
Cinépolis was founded in Mexico in 1971. Today, it has positioned itself as the world’s 2nd largest movie theater circuit in terms of attendance. Operating 826 cinema complexes and 6,451 digital screens, Cinépolis entertains over 330 million moviegoers annually in 17 countries worldwide. Cinépolis has recently entered the Indonesian market as well. It was the first cinema exhibitor in the world to pioneer the concept of luxury movie theaters, establishing the first luxury theater experience in 1999 in Mexico City. Cinépolis aspires to provide its guests with the best overall experience in film entertainment and employs a global workforce of over 46,000 people to support its mission. Emagine Boilerplate

About Landmark Cinemas Canada:
A subsidiary of Kinepolis Group NV, Belgium, Landmark is Canada’s second largest motion picture, theatre exhibition company. From a single screen in 1965, today Landmark Cinemas welcomes Movie Lovers to share their love of movies and enjoy a perfect movie-going experience in 44 cinemas and 325 screens throughout Western Canada, Ontario and the Yukon Territory. We are connected to the communities we serve, and our Cast and Crew are proud to support Kids Help Phone. As a National Sponsor of the Walk So Kids Can Talk, through promotional support and fundraising initiatives in our theatres, we are committed to support the mental health and well-being of both our youth Guests and Cast & Crew. Landmark’s corporate headquarters is in Calgary, Alberta.

About Emagine Entertainment:
Emagine Entertainment’s affiliates own and operate luxury theatres in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Emagine operates theatres with a combined 23,141 seats and 244 screens. Emagine has led the way in bringing luxury theatres to the metropolitan Detroit market. Emagine enjoys the honor and distinction of being named “Best Movie Theatre” for several years running by the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, Hour Magazine, and WDIV television. Emagine is a recognized innovator in the theatrical exhibition industry having been the first theatre chain in the world to convert to 100% digital projection. In 1997, Cinema Hollywood (now Emagine Birch Run) was the first theatre in Michigan to open with all stadium seating. Emagine was the first to introduce 4K projection to the Detroit market and it boasted three of the first 100 Dolby Atmos® immersive sound systems deployed worldwide. On December 15, 2017, Emagine began operating the largest movie screen in the State of Michigan with the opening of its Super EMAX auditorium (featuring laser projection technology) at its megaplex in Novi, Michigan and on December 19, 2019, Emagine opened the largest CinemaScope screen in the Midwest at its Emagine Canton/Westland location. For more information about Emagine, please visit https://www.emagine-entertainment.com.

About ICA:
The ICA is a not-for-profit, volunteer alliance of independent cinemas operating in communities throughout the United States and Canada. Theatres operated by alliance member’s range in size from single screen venues in small towns to multiplexes in larger cities. Currently there are 177 member companies representing more than 2,700 screens at 425 locations, sharing one common goal….to provide a public voice that promotes the importance of Independent cinemas as a valuable and necessary part of a healthy and vibrant motion picture industry. For more information, go to www.cinemaalliance.org.

© 2021 MetaMedia Tech Inc., a Delaware Company.

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Jason Brenek

Chief Executive Officer

Leveraging two decades of senior executive experience across multiple sectors of the film and entertainment industry, Jason Brenek assembled a group of powerful industry leaders with incomparable experience and relationships to forge the building blocks of MetaMedia. As Chief Executive Officer of MetaMedia, Brenek focuses intently on realizing the operational, economic and programming benefits of creating a next-generation distribution network, which are mutually-beneficial to content producers and cinemas around the world.

Prior to MetaMedia, Brenek was President of IMAX HOME at the IMAX Corporation, where he led business and engineering teams around the world to develop and launch multiple new products, technologies, and platforms. Before IMAX, Brenek spent over a decade in senior management roles at The Walt Disney Studios. While serving as Senior Vice President of International In-Home and Head of Global Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, Brenek established partnerships with global brands including Netflix, Google, Amazon, Apple. and Samsung to distribute Disney-owned content across new digital/OTT platforms, television, and retail. Brenek previously served as Disney's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Digital Cinema and Cinema Programming, overseeing the company's global transition from analog to digital cinema. Brenek also developed and co-produced two Disney feature films and multiple live sporting events in cinemas with ESPN. Brenek received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Danny C. Stein

Chairman

Danny Stein is a seasoned, growth-oriented media and technology executive with 30 years of operating and investment experience across media, technology, and consumer businesses. Stein has managed across the full life-cycle of deal origination, deal execution, business building and exit for small and mid- cap public, private and distressed companies. Stein is a digital media innovator having built a portfolio of businesses as CEO of Dimensional Associates 2003-2014, including as the Executive Chairman of the Orchard Enterprises, a global music and entertainment company, specializing in media distribution and 1091 Pictures, a digital and theatrical distribution company. From 2015-2016, Stein was the Senior Vice President, Growth Investments of MacAndrews and Forbes Holdings, Inc., a company that acquires and manages a diversified portfolio of public and private companies across various industry segments.  In that role, Stein’s focus was on building and investing in digital media and technology-enabled businesses. Through MacAndrews and Forbes, Stein also served as President of New Media and Corporate Development at Deluxe Entertainment (a wholly owned subsidiary of MacAndrews of Forbes), responsible for Corporate Development, M&A, Strategy, Digital Media and Innovation.

Chuck Goldwater

President, North America

For over two decades, Chuck Goldwater has served as a senior executive in the entertainment and cinema exhibition industry which has earned him incomparable industry-wide trust and respect. As President, North America for MetaMedia, Goldwater draws upon his broad understanding and deep connections to exhibitors and studios across the country to create a robust network of exhibitor and studio partnerships for MetaMedia. He also applies his knack and experience for building successful entertainment startups to MetaMedia's growing infrastructure and success.

Prior to MetaMedia, Goldwater was co-founder and CEO at cinema chain New Vision Theaters. Before that, Goldwater served as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Carmike Cinemas, which acquired Digiplex Destinations, a cinema chain where Goldwater served as Executive Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors. At New Vision, Carmike, and Digiplex, Goldwater was an energetic and effective advocate for alternative programming and “event cinema” as a means of increasing seat utilization and creating incremental revenue for exhibitors. Before Digiplex, Goldwater was President of Cinedigm (formerly known as AccessIT), the company credited with deploying the first digital cinema infrastructure and electronic delivery network. Previously, Goldwater was selected by the then seven largest Hollywood studios to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Digital Cinema Initiatives (“DCI”), a joint venture that created the industry-wide specifications and the technical quality and security architecture for digital cinema systems. Goldwater was also inducted into the industry’s ShowEast Hall of Fame and is a Will Rogers/Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation Board Advisory Member.

Shaiwal “Shay” Priyadarshi

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

A dynamic inventor with over a dozen patents, Shaiwal "Shay" Priyadarshi is a trusted leader and mentor to high-performing tech teams, executives and business partners. For over 25 years, Priyadarshi has assembled and led front-end and back-end engineering teams, developed market-leading products and intellectual property that spans from embedded systems and data centers to leading cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform and Oracle Cloud. As chief technology officer (CTO) for MetaMedia, Priyadarshi continues to maintain his exemplary track record of overseeing innovative products from concept to delivery.

Prior to MetaMedia, Priyadarshi was CTO of IMAX Home, where he developed the world's highest-quality, internet-delivered video playback system needed to support IMAX Corporation’s pioneering technologies. Before IMAX, he served as CTO of PRIMA Cinema where he led the research, development and approval processes of the world's first and only movie service that was authorized to distribute new Hollywood movies to private home theaters. And previous to PRIMA Cinema, he worked as director of engineering at DivX, where he led the development of new technologies that power many leading streaming services today. Priyadarshi received his Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and Electronics from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.