Reel Life (Mar-Sep 1915)

News and Views from Mutual Men Efficiency Scouts Go Out to Help Exhibitors Win with New $8,000,000 Program THE Mutual Film Corporation's efficiency men are going into the field and have already started operations. It is the duty Of these efficiency men to look into every angle of the service, particularly from the viewpoint of the exhibitor, as outlined in President Freuler's message in the last number of Reel Life. The efficiency men are studying the conditions surrounding the exhibitors in every territory and are endeavoring to aid the exhibitors in making the most of the great opportunities now put before them by the Mutual's new $8,000,000 program. The efficiency staff now includes B. N. Judell, until recently manager of the Minneapolis branch ; E. Auger — whose name is pronounced Ozhay — formerly with Pathe and General ; and J. J. Rotchford, formerly branch manager for General Film in Salt Lake, Rochester and New York. These three men are now out in the field and busy bombarding the home office staff with ideas and reports. They are getting action for the exhibitors. F. W. Bandy, former manager of the Mutual's Denver branch, has succeeded Floyd Lewis as manager in Oklahoma City. Mr. Bandy has had a wide experience in the motion picture industry and his invasion of new territory finds him full of ideas. "The 'fly-by-night' exhibitor who was once a bane of the business in this territory, has now gone on his way and we are now dealing only with the intelligent type of exhibitor who appreciates our service," observes Mr. Bandy. "We are constantly impressing upon our customers the value of advertising and our efforts in this direction are meeting with success, both for us and for the exhibitor. That's the only kind of success that counts, in the long run." J. C. Butner, formerly manager of the New Orleans branch, has been transferred to Boston. But Boston is not a new town to Mr. Butner and his flow of mail to the home office indicates he has found things to do there. C. G. Powell has been promoted from manager of the Continental Department of the Philadelphia branch to Mutual branch manager there. He has just completed arrangements for the erection of a building to house the Mutual interests there and his plans call for one of the finest and most completely equipped exchanges in the country. Mr. Pope has succeeded Mr. Powell as manager of the Continental department. Mr. Pierce has been chosen to assist in the exploitation of Mutual Masterpictures in the Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre territories. Lew Bent, travelling representative in and about St. Louis, is alleged to have a mileage record as a road man in that territory. He mutters something about a matter of 1,569,376 miles. C. A. Helm, formerly road man for the General Film out of Columbus, O., has been appointed Masterpicture representative of the Pittsburg branch. Mr. Helm spent three days at the home office in New York outlining a strenuous campaign for the Pittsburg territory. He has a whole fall's work laid out for himself now. J. M. Mullin, manager of the Albanv branch, recently took in more territory. Some of the territory in the eastern part of New York State formerly supplied by the Buffalo branch was assigned to the Albany office by the home office executives. George Christoffers, formerly special representative of the Syndicate Film Corporation, is the new manager of the Buffalo branch. A. F. Beck, manager of the New York, Twenty-third Street branch, is now thoroughly installed and full of business. Mr. Beck made an enviable record in the film business in St. Louis as manager of a distributing office there. H. Lustig, of the Denver office, is enthusiastic about the co-operative publicity service on the Masterpictures. "We believe the prepared display advertising, press matter and electros for each subject are the most valuable advertising properties in connection with the Masterpictures," he writesv "We urge every exhibitor to liberal use of newspaper space as the first requisite of success in presenting a photoplay.. And it gets results for the exhibitor here, too." C. W. Taylor, of the Omaha office remarks : "We haveinterested a great many of our customers in newspaper advertising and this seems to have been very beneficial service. I have just received a clipping from Mr. Moreland, of the Majestic theater, in Missouri Valley, la. He says that the use of advertising there in his local paper has shown a marked effect on his box-office receipts. We have a good many other exhibitors who are following in the same line with success. We are urging exhibitors to interest their local papers everywhere to put in motion picture columns and to handle the' news about pictures that the fans want." J. R. Crone, of the San Francisco office, sends Reel Life an interesting account of Mutual Masterpicture activities in his territory. "When the Masterpictures were first issued we held private reviews in a number of towns in this district," he relates. "We secured the biggest theater in each town and invited all of the local exhibitors, the press and about five or six hundred of the better class of theatergoers. We did this to create a demand and it certainlv succeeded. "Amonie other things I am telling exhibitors about Marshall Field's opinion on advertising: 'The time to do the big advertising is when business is poor.' " F. A. Keller, of the St. Louis office, is full of pep on the Mutual Masterpictures. "They are just as represented," he writes to the home office — which is hardly a matter of news, but still encouraging. "They are good, and I believe they are getting their most effective advertising through the exhibitors who use them. The exhibitors are talking favorably about the Masterpictures when they meet. We are paying special attention to getting the exhibitor to advertise the Masterpictures and we are succeeding in proving to them that advertising is the way to make the big pictures pay." _____ J. G. Trask, of the Detroit branch, gives out the informa tion that the state fire marshal has announced that no mounted paper can be used in the state after September 7. [ Seventeen ]