Movio, a Vista Group International (VGL) company and the global leader in marketing data analytics for the film industry, has appointed Gabriel Swartland Head of Client Services for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The announcement was made today by Sarah Lewthwaite, the Managing Director & Senior Vice President of Movio, EMEA, to whom Mr. Swartland will report. Mr. Swartland was most recently Director of Communications for UK- based exhibitor Picturehouse Cinemas, directing marketing communications strategy for sales and corporate.
Mr. Swartland will be responsible for overseeing Movio’s existing EMEA cinema client portfolio, as well as supporting these accounts with strategic advice and recommendations related to their membership and e-communication strategies. He will also work closely with Ms. Lewthwaite to develop business opportunities with new cinema clients.
“Gabriel’s demonstrable success managing the marketing and communications of the UK’s leading independent cinema group will be an invaluable asset to Movio’s ongoing evolution,” said Ms. Lewthwaite. “He brings enormous experience and vision to Movio’s leadership team.”
“I’m thrilled to bring my range of communications and marketing expertise to Movio, a company whose innovative approach to data-based strategies I have long admired,” said Mr. Swartland.
Highlights of Mr. Swartland’s award-winning career at Picturehouse include a complete redevelopment of their market-leading loyalty programme, numerous new cinema openings including the flagship Picturehouse Central, shepherding the brand through its acquisition by Cineworld Group and launching the award-winning distribution arm Picturehouse Entertainment, whose credits include 20,000 Days On Earth; Branagh Theatre Live (global distribution) which won Event Cinema Campaign of the Year from Screen Awards; Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England; The Lobster, Theatrical Campaign of the Year award-winning campaign in partnership with Element Pictures; The Imposter, £1m+ BO BAFTA winner and top ten highest grossing documentaries (UK); and the global release of the Nick Cave documentary One More Time With Feeling.
About Movio
Movio is the global leader in marketing data analytics and campaign management software for cinema exhibitors, film distributors and studios around the world. A company of Vista Group International Ltd (NZX & ASX: VGL), Movio is revolutionising the way the film industry interacts with moviegoers. The company maintains real-time, authoritative data on customer transactions for many of the world’s biggest cinema chains and captures the behaviour of millions of active moviegoers worldwide. Movio operates in North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, and South East Asia. Movio was named winner of the “Innovative Software Product” award at the 2016 annual New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards.
Movio Cinema, Movio’s flagship product, holds comprehensive marketing data covering 55 percent of cinema screens of the Large Cinema Circuit in North America, 33 percent in the United Kingdom and 28 percent globally accounting for 38+ million active moviegoers. Movio Media has been a game changer for every major American film studio and distributor, providing comprehensive market data on the demographics and behaviour of moviegoers, crucial audience insights and innovative campaign solutions. The Movio Media technology offers the most powerful and most accurate near real-time film market research platform in the United States.