Gregg Dunn President / COO – Regal Entertainment Group
In the Beginning
Born in Hannibal , Missouri and spent my early youth in Missouri . My father worked for AMC theatres and , unlike my siblings , I always wanted to be at the drive-in or indoor theatre with him . My mother was always supportive and loved movies . I started earning a paycheck at 14 directing traffic at a National Amusements Theatre in Cincinnati , Ohio .
Family Married to Jennifer Dunn . Our family consists of Will ( 6 ), who is in kindergarten , Kelsie ( 16 ), who is a high school sophomore , Alena ( 20 ), who is a sophomore at UC San Diego , and Zach ( 35 ), who is the Vice President of Launch for SpaceX . We also have two beautiful grandchildren , Theo and Zohra . time , became involved in many different facets of the company , resulting in where I am today .
Hobbies Besides movies , the Kansas City Royals , 60 ’ s and 70 ’ s muscle cars , tennis , boating , jet skis , and hanging out with the family .
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Career Moves
After working at the theatre in various capacities , I became a relief manager and eventually
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Best Advice I Ever Got
Learn as much as possible about every facet of our business .
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a manager of a drive-in at age
17 in Dayton , Kentucky . This was followed by a management stint in the indoor theatres in Cincinnati for National
Amusements . I transferred to
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Best Advice Given
If you have to work , there ’ s nothing better than show business . Throw yourself into it and you will be rewarded .
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East Hartford , Connecticut to work as a manager before returning to Cincinnati to reopen the Movies Repertory Cinema .
After being introduced to film buying , I took a job with Phil
Borack ’ s
Tri-State
Theatre
Service booking independent theatre owners ’ locations . During the late 1980 ’ s , I moved to Grand Rapids , Michigan to work in Goodrich Theatres ’ corporate office . At that time
I was involved in Operations ,
Marketing and Concessions .
An opportunity presented itself in the early 1990 ’ s with Regal
Cinemas , which at that time
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People Who Influenced Me
From a career standpoint , my father , Chuck Dunn , had the greatest influence . A lifelong veteran of the industry now retired , he taught me the love of the business . He provided me with the foundation and early direction needed when it came to working with individuals and coworkers . It was invaluable .
Secondly , Phil Borack taught me the film business and the tenacity needed in dealing with studios and how to really work through tough negotiations . I always marveled at what Phil accomplished in the time
I spent with him .
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had roughly 85 screens in a handful of states . I came in as
Director of Marketing and Concessions , and , over a period of
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Favorite Movies
I have a list that ’ s a mile long of favorites , but there are a couple that
I can watch over and over again .
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62 • ShowTime Preview Guide – Spring 2017 |
The first being Scorcese ’ s mob classic , Goodfellas , which I consider to be brilliantly layered and riveting . My all-time guilty pleasure is The Big Lebowski . I can watch the Dude all day long and never stop laughing . Throw in John Goodman and Steve Buscemi and it ’ s over the top .
Giving Back I ’ m currently a board member of Variety of Eastern Tennessee , the Regal Foundation , the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneer Foundation , National Association of Theatre Owners , University of Tennessee Athletic Development Council , Women ’ s Basketball Hall of Fame , and Knoxville Youth Sports .
Fondest Convention Memory Being taken behind the scenes of ShoWest in the early 90 ’ s by Tim Warner . Just watching all that was going into producing the event was truly fascinating .
Biggest Concern About the Industry As an industry , it ’ s critical that we be willing to reinvest in our assets . By doing so , we will continually give the movie going public a reason to come to our theatres . Sight , sound , food offerings , seating , cleanliness , customer service and content offerings will promote the movie going experience . More studio strategic thinking involving release dates as well as cautious and deliberate thought to windows is paramount .
Biggest Reason to Remain Optimistic Exhibition has always been able to adapt and rise with the change in trends and habits . There is not a better way to enjoy film than being in a theatre auditorium . Our industry will continue to evolve and adapt , it always has , and we will all be at that forefront , insuring our customers are having that great experience that only we can provide .