BRINGING THE MAGIC OF

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MovieTowne

Such is the country’s natural beauty, it could be considered something of an understatement to describe Trinidad and Tobago as a Caribbean paradise.

In addition to its truly outstanding natural heritage, the archipelagic republic which lies off the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean is one of the wealthiest countries in the region and on paper enjoys a per-capita income many times higher than a majority of the surrounding islands, not to mention the wider Latin American continent. So this being the case, upon first glance it is difficult to fathom why Trinidad and Tobago does not enjoy the same reputation as some of its better known neighbours such as Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic to name but a few.

The fact is for all its natural beauty, its abundance of oil and gas reserves and its sunny climes, Trinidad and Tobago is a country which has been stricken by its reputation for high violent crime rates, corruption and an apathetic population. However in recent years, the country has taken significant strides forward and via a combination of government initiatives aimed at diversifying the national economy and ever increasing investment from private enterprise, Trinidad and Tobago looks poised to finally start reaching its potential. And it would not be outlandish to give some of the credit for this forward momentum to what must be one of the most visionary and eccentric businessmen to come from the islands, Derek Chin, founder and CEO of MovieTowne.

The MovieTowne brand is something of a cultural icon in the Caribbean region and its name has become synonymous with the islands of Trinidad and Tobago as a result of its success. However so far ahead of its time was this venture and so fierce was the negativity from all sides that it is only through the determination and audaciousness of MovieTowne’s CEO and founder, Derek Chin that the project made it off the drawing board. He told Djamil Benmehidi about the MovieTowne story.

Endeavour Magazine • February 2013 •

MovieTowne

The MovieTowne story begins back in 2002 when its flagship Cineplex, shopping and entertainment complex opened to the public at Invaders Bay in Trinidad and Tobago’s capital, Port-of-Spain. Boasting a state-of-the-art ten-plex cinema with luxury seating for 2,500 customers, access to the hottest films straight out of Hollywood, a magnificent thematic lobby that takes its customers back into ancient Egypt and a vast array of elegant retail outlets, fine dining outlets, video arcades and a cocktail bar, MovieTowne brought an experience to Trinidad and Tobago islanders which was like nothing they had ever encountered before outside of the US, a boast which still stands today. It is no exaggeration to say that not only has MovieTowne brought about an entertainment revolution to the islands but also that it has opened people’s eyes to a new level of service and raised the bar in terms of their expectations for a quality customer experience.

“The cinematic industry in Trinidad and Tobago was on its knees before MovieTowne came into being. People preferred DVD’s, VHS and Betamax at home to going to the cinema and considering the conditions of the old auditoriums it is no surprise. There was little choice of film on offer and often people would have to wait longer than they should to see the newest Hollywood movies. The bathroom facilities were deplorable, the movie theatre was dowdy and uncomfortable and it was an intimidating experience all round. Customer service was also far from polished if it existed at all.

MovieTowne changed all this. I wanted to bring the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to movie fans here on the islands

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and give people a real experience. Also I wanted to introduce people to a far higher level of customer service than they were accustomed to. MovieTowne was ahead of its time and I believe we have really opened people’s eyes and changed their expectations.”

The rise to prominence of MovieTowne and its integration into island life has made it something of an icon and it is therefore hard to imagine that the MovieTowne project came close to crumbling on many occasions during its early inception stage.

“The negativity from banks and people who insisted that MovieTowne was a dream and wouldn’t work was incredible.

The idea for MovieTowne came to me when I was visiting Miami on business and after a trip to a multiplex to see a movie I just knew it would work on the islands. I didn’t even do a feasibility survey for this project during the planning stage because I knew people would go for it. I made contact with MuviCo, a cinema chain in Florida who were very supportive and the shopping chain PriceSmart who were keen to diversify and invest in the venture.

Even with this seed money however, negotiations with the banks was a torturous process and they pulled the funding on more than one occasion. Acquiring the land on which to build MovieTowne was also most challenging.”

But acquire first the lands and then the funds Derek did, and upon opening its doors following construction, MovieTowne’s modern, flamboyant thematic experience, pleasant facilities and vibrant staff soon won over its sceptics and it is no coincidence that the complex in Port-of-Spain

MovieTowne

today enjoys over 1 million ticket sales per year.Over the decade following its birth, MovieTowne has

expanded considerably and alongside its flagship complex in Port-of-Spain, two additional complexes now fall under the MovieTowne brand. An eight-screen multiplex cinema at Price Plaza, Chaguanas, and a four-screen multiplex cinema at Gulf City Mall in Tobago, also accompanied by a selection of shopping centres, entertainment facilities, and restaurants are now open for business. These facilities also enjoy high footfall and considerable ticket sales.

The scale of its success is such that the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reported how MovieTowne has ‘contributed towards enhancing the social and national fabric of the country’ for a variety of different reasons; a statement which Derek Chin agrees with.

“MovieTowne is more than a business, and is now a cultural, educational and charitable institution on the islands.

We promote and fund youth education through film, we founded the Secondary Schools Short Film competition which enables film students to not only get specialist support and tutoring, but win scholarships into higher education courses and we engage in much charitable work while investing in communities.

MovieTowne has been a wonderful addition to the islands.”

Access to its Fiesta Plaza has provided a platform for many emerging artists to showcase and promote their talents, and for the last two years, MovieTowne has hosted the “Trinbago Kids Got Talent” competition.

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Through this competition children from different age categories have been able to showcase their talents to thousands of patrons and receive constructive feedback on how they can hone their talents from local professional artists. MovieTowne has also been a lead collaborator in promoting foreign cultures with film festivals and is involved in charitable activities.

It is clear that MovieTowne carries more strings to its bow than that of its industry rivals, but in spite of the banks of neon lights, the colour and the spectacle, the foundation of its success lies in the fact that it does the small things well. Its mantra of providing cinema-goers with excellent service and a memorable customer experience is at the core of his business’ success and as Derek observed, this would not be possible without motivated, hardworking and loyal staff.

“I feel privileged to have the staff that I have at MovieTowne and a lot of what has been achieved is down to them.

Many of the employees have been with me for a long time now and share my vision for the MovieTowne project. They do great work and understand me and my philosophy; it is like a family here.

MovieTowne offers training, a happy working environment and employee benefits, but more than this, they enjoy working here. It enriches them and they are proud to be part of the MovieTowne story. The core staff and the student Summer staff look after each other but also keep each other in line.”

The MovieTowne success story is going to begin a new chapter in 2013 due to the opening of a new complex in

MovieTowne

Guyana, its first venture outside of its home islands. With construction currently underway on the new six-plex cinema and an accompanying mall which will bear the MovieTowne hallmark and offer fantastic retail and entertainment facilities, plus enquiries from other Caribbean islands who also wish to explore the option of opening their own Cineplex, CEO Derek Chin faces a busy year ahead as he seeks to export the MovieTowne brand across the region and cement a legacy.

However while overseeing the expansion of his MovieTowne venture, Derek is also concurrently working on his next venture in Trinidad and Tobago, the Streets of the World project, a vision that Derek describes as “the big one” and should it take off, he hopes it will create the foundations of a true Trinidad cultural heritage.

“It will be my gift to help make my country proud and help it grow.

Streets of the World will celebrate the multi-cultural nature of Trinidad and Tobago and bring us closer together. By creating a Chinatown street, a festival street, an Arab Street, a Madame Tussauds street which will teach people about their cultural heritage and the successful personalities who have come from the islands. It will give people pride in the islands and also give tourists something to see aside from the carnival.

This will be a multi-million, if not a multi-billion dollar project and there is a lot to do but I learned a lot from the MovieTowne experience and I am as confident that Streets of the World will be just as successful as MovieTowne. Maybe more so.”

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Written by Djamil Benmehidi

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