Fathom Entertainment, the specialty distributor jointly owned by major theater chains AMC, Cinemark and Regal, has named Jason Brenek its new CEO. Brenek succeeds Ray Nutt, who announced his retirement from Fathom earlier this year.
Fathom, based in Colorado, primarily distributes one-off cinematic events, from live broadcasts of opera, stage plays and live concert pics to anniversary rereleases of classic Hollywood films. As cinema chains seek to supplement films from the major studios (which still lag behind pre-COVID numbers, though this year may change that), Fathom has increasingly been looking for a variety of programming that can help fill the void.
Brenek was most recently the founder and CEO of the cloud-based cinema distribution platform MetaMedia, and before that served in senior roles at Imax, where he was executive VP, and at The Walt Disney Co. where he was a senior VP of digital cinema and cinema programming.
“Jason is the right leader to build on Fathom’s remarkable foundation of success in theatrical distribution and take the company into its next era of growth,” said Adam Rymer, chief commercial officer at Regal Global Entertainment, in a statement on behalf of Fathom’s board. “Jason’s expertise across theatrical distribution, content and event cinema production and marketing, and technology, combined with a history of working with Fathom and a deep understanding and appreciation of the company, made him the clear choice. We are grateful to Ray Nutt for the extraordinary legacy he leaves behind and thrilled to see what Jason and the incredible team at Fathom will build from here.”
“There are very few companies in this industry that genuinely expand what the moviegoing experience can be. Fathom created the category of ‘event cinema,’ and I have admired what this team has built for well over a decade. Having had the opportunity to work with Fathom at different points in my career, I have seen firsthand the care and creativity this organization brings to content producers, cinema partners, and millions of consumers,” added Brenek. “Under Ray’s leadership, Fathom has grown into something truly special during this period of radical change in the broader business of entertainment – a company with a devoted audience, a distinct identity, and a real and expanding role in the theatrical landscape.”
“My focus will be on expanding and elevating the content we bring to the big screen, deepening the relationships we have with our exhibitor and content partners, and growing Fathom’s reach and relevance in ways that deliver communal experiences to audiences and grow the broader entertainment ecosystem,” Brenek continued. “I could not be more pleased to lead this company into its next chapter.”
