Arts Alliance Media (AAM), Europe’s leading digital cinema company, today announced the opening of a further European base, in Barcelona, to provide a dedicated service to the Spanish and Portuguese market. The office will be headed by Guillaume Thomine-Desmazures, who has been based in AAM’s Paris office and will relocate to Barcelona to take the position of Sales Manager.
Arts Alliance Media has been working in the Spanish market for the past two years to digitally equip 35 screens for Yelmo Cines, one of Spain’s largest cinema chains, and is currently installing 35 further screens for the circuit. The Yelmo rollout is being managed in conjunction with local integrator partner Suministros Kelonik, Spain’s leading equipment installer.
AAM’s SVP Digital Cinema, Gwendal Auffret, said “Guillaume has done a great job for Arts Alliance Media while working in Paris, and we’re very pleased to offer him the opportunity to focus on this important market as AAM’s digital cinema rollout expands further.”
Guillaume Thomine-Desmazures added “I’m excited to be relocating to Barcelona to work more closely with existing and new partners all across Spain, and to be able to offer AAM’s competitive digital cinema proposition to all Spanish and Portuguese exhibitors as well as offering AAM’s complete digital cinema package - content delivery services, alternative content and software services. The Spanish market is one we think has huge potential and we’re looking forward to working there.”
AAM’s recent announcement of the conclusion of a €50m funding round with Sankaty Advisors LLC, means that the company is able to offer exhibitors a choice of financing arrangements for the conversion to digital cinema, either to fund the equipment purchase themselves (“exhibitor financing”) or to arrange finance through AAM. Whichever option is chosen, Arts Alliance Media’s existing VPF (Virtual Print Fee) deals with five Hollywood studios allow the cost of the equipment to be recouped over time.
The Barcelona base will also allow Arts Alliance Media to better serve distributors and content owners in the Spanish market, providing them with a local contact to manage any digital cinema content processing needs.
As well as the screens already installed in Spain, AAM has also installed and maintains screens in the UK, France, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Italy, and has bases in Paris, Amsterdam and Norway, in addition to the Head Office in London.
