Publix Opinion (Aug 31, 1929)

“FEED ’EM FROM BOTTOM” PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF AUGUST 31st, 1929 POLICY. USED TO BUILD UP DISTRIBUTION DEPT. Ny (Reprinted from VARIETY by Permission) ; “Manpower solves all problems of the motion picture business,” said S. R. Kent, general manager of Paramount, at a recent convention of the company. “It is the heart and soul of the industry. The rise, or fall, of a motion picture company, depends entirely upon the strength of its personnel.” Due to the vision and foresight of Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky and Mr. Kent, the Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation is the envy of all producers and distributors because of the manpower it has ‘developed over a period of 15 years, practically since it started in business. The Paramount distribution department, considered the. crack selling organization of the picture business, is a tribute to the polieies_of its leader, Sidney Kent, who has devoted the major portion of his efforts to building up this great machine. Approximately 5,000 persons are on the payroll of this department. The strength of the organization is a direct result of Mr. Kent's “feed ‘em from the bottom” policy. Practically every ranking executive of the sales department started at the bottom of the distribution ladder and has ascended slowly, given time to absorb the functions of the department so that when finally arriying at the top he has knowledge of every step entering into the distribution of motion pictures. The Paramount distribution roster is studded with the names of men now holding executive posts who have been with the eompany for over 10 years, a record in a business. where the turnover in men is as rapid as the turnover in product. Long Service A survey of iength of service of Paramount salesmen shows that practically 75 per cent have been connected with the company for more than 10 years, and the remaining 25 per cent have sold Paramount pictures for five or more years. ‘Herman Wobber, William’ B. Smith. M. H. Lewis and Frank Meyer started with Paramount back in 1912 and have been with the company continuously since that date. In 1913 John Clark, now divisional sales manager, came to Paramount. Mr. Kent joined the company in 1917, and George J. Schaefer, sales division Manager, came into the fold a year later. Charles E. McCarthy, now director of public relations, and Russell Holman, advertising manager, have served Paramount sinee 1919. Though Mr. Kent’s record with Paramount does not match those of a few others in the company in years, it is, nevertheless, admitted that he is a striking ex-ample of the policy which he evolved as respects manpower. development. Following a eareer during which he was connected with the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company and later, practically in charge of the American Drug Syndicate, Sidney Kent relinquished his post with that company to start with Paramount in 1917 as a salesman in the Kansas City exchange. After a short time in this job, Mr. Kent was promoted to a special sales representative, and again moved up after a short period to the position of district manager with the duty of supervising the sale of Paramount pictures sold out of the nsas City, St. Louis, Omaha gnd Des Moines offices. 4 y Kent’s Rapid Rise In May, 1919, Mr. Kent was called to the home office and named general sales manager. In ~ 1921 he was again raised, this time to the post of general manager of distribution, and about a year later Adolph. Zukor, president of Paramount, created the office of general manager of the eorporation for Mr. Kent. Sub sequently he was elected to the board of directors: Mr. Kent put the distribution otion pictures on a scientific When confronted with a lack of manpower, he inaugurated the Paramount Salesmen’s School. Many of his graduates are now in responsible positions with the company. A zoning system, whereby every theatre in the country is ac‘counted for, was another of the innovations started by Mr. Kent. He also inaugurated the present system of sales conventions at which salesmen are told the complete details of the company’s productions, policies, and affairs each year. He started the 100 per cent club, honor unit of the distribution department’s field force, which has supplied many branch managers for the company. precept and example Mr. Kent has ineulcated a policy of fair dealing into his own sales force, which has reached out and raised the level of film selling throughout the industry. John D, Clafk, one of the vet erans of the sales and distribution department, started as a salesman in the Philadelphia Exchange, where he later became branch manager. From this post he was called to the home office by Mr. Kent and appointed sales manager for the eastern division of the company. Mr. Clark is a native of New Jersey. .Buat Two Divisions Until recently Paramount sales divisions were divided:into three groups, the East, ago this arrangement was changed by Mr. Kent to two divisions, one taking in the Bast amd the! general purchasing agent for the | other the West. Mr. Clark was appointed head of the Western division, and George J. Schaefer was made Eastern divisional sales manager. Canada is a separate sales division, with Morris MilliZan as general manager. Mr. Schaefer, born in Brooklyn, N. Y., came to Paramount in 1919 with considerable experience in the picture business. He relinquished a post as assistant manager of the World Film Company to start with Paramount as booker in Paramount’s New York exchange. A year after he started with Paramount he was named district manager for the New England territory and, in 1926, was appointed sales manager of the Eastern division. Herman Wobber, now assigned to an executive post with Paramount’s subsidiary, Publix Theatres, is one of the oldest members of the Paramount distribution department. He has been with the company since the time Mr. Zukor was selling “Queen Elizabeth,” the first feature length picture ever marketed in this country. Following a period in his early life when he prospected for gold in Alaska, turning from that to a@ position as manager of a station of the Alaska Commercial Company, Mr. Wobber, returned to San Francisco, his birthplace, and formed a partnership with his two brothers. They opened the Unique theatre in San Francisco and shortly after followed with the Vodeon, It was about this time that Adolph Zukor started national distribution of his first picture, “Queen Elizabeth,” which was tmarketed~ on the states rights plan. Mr. Wobber immediately took over the picture for California and, up until the time he was transferred to Publix, Mr. Wobber handled distribution of Paramount pictures on the West Coast. Mr. Wobber is also a member of the board of directors of Paramount. No history of the Paramount distribution department would be/in 1923 again advanced to trayvel-| -}ecomplete without a chapter de voted to the achievements of William E. (Bill) Smith, district sales manager for Paramount, su-| pervising the sale of pictures in Philadelphia and Washington. Bill Smith and Herman Wobber are the only two original iranchise hoiders of Paramount, and, like Mr. Wobber, Smith has been connected with the Paramount distribution ever since the release of “Queen Elizabeth.” Born in Newark, N. J., Mr. Smith started his business career in his father’s harness factory, but soon quit the trade to become Sales manager for a _ wallpaper house, remaining ten years, First N. Y. Store Show Mr. Smith is credited with be ing the first man to open a mo-| tion picture store show in Greater New York, the Chelsea theatre in | Brooklyn, which opened in 1906. | He followed this in 1910 with the |Lyrie theatre in Asbury Park, N. J., and later became connected | with the Mastbaums in the opera| tion of a number of thedtres in | Philadelphia. | When Mr. Zukor started nation}al distribution of his pictures Mr. Smith secured a franchise for a |number of eastern states and later |added the product of Jesse Lasky, |/now first vice-president of Paraj}mount, but then producing his own pictures. Mr. Smith's association with Paramount has been ;} unbroken from that time. Another name to conjure with in Paramount distribution is that ;of Frank Meyer, another Para;mourm standby since the days of “Queen Elizabeth."’ Paramount |owes a deep debt of gratitude to Mr Meyer for his heroic work in saving thousands of dollars worth of negative from a fire which de RACK SELLINC Paramount and, when Mr, B | tora later was given his Publix | post, Mr. Holman was advanced | /to his position, Youngest Exec ; 4 James A. Clark iy Paramount's youngest executive, 28 years old His business career, started at the age of 14, has been confined to the picture business. Myr. Clark was connected with most of the ous positions before joining Paramount in 1920 in the San cisco exchange. of Lgragee > PRS : old line picture companies in vari-| he In 1922 he was promoted to ad ji sales manager of that exchange, ing representative for the ad sales. department and, in 1927, called to the home office and appointed jager of the department. In the |spring of 1928 Mr. Shauer was transferred to Paramount’s foreign department and Mr. Clark was appointed to the position relinguished by Mr. Shauer. Prior to the reallocation of 'sales divisions John Hammell, another veteran of the distribution department, was sales manager lof division No. 2, taking in the Middle West states and Canada. Poor health caused Mr. Hammell |to request a transfer to a position in the home office where he now has charge of physical distribu}tion of prints and acts as liaison |man between the production and Seg tae departments. With the exception of Messrs. | Wobber and Smith the foregoing }are all located in the Paramount | home offices. Many of Paramount's | |oldest employees are scattered pbout the country serving as district and branch managers. | Myron (Myke) Lewis, now dis| triet manager in the far west, hag been with Paramount continuousily since 1912. He has been branch |manager, district manager, asuistjant to Mr. Kent, head of the com|pany’s statistical department, edi‘tor of its house organs and, prior to leaving the home office recently ‘to take up his position as far west district manager, he held the position now occupied by Mr. Hammell. Harry G. Ballance, district sales | manager for the south, joined PaTramount in 1916 and served under Mr. Wobber as branch manager in Los Angeles for two years | when he was appointed district} New England. A |Manager for t . awit assistant to Melville Shauer, man-}] Je % 19 hf D later we ice as “i. hand. Bi stroyed the old 26th street studio year later he was brought to the/ the Dal; of Famous Players in 1914. | Until a year ago Mr. Meyer was Middle West | head of the Eastern laboratories | post for five y and Far West. About six months of the company and had charge|made distric ;Of the pieture prints in circulajtion. Recently he was appointed ;company in addition to his other |}duties. His position as general }purchasing agent inv | Vision of everything that is bought | for the company. Mr. Meyer is |an assistant secretary of the company, haying been elected in 1918. In 1919 Some of Paramount's most important executives joined the company in 1919. These inelude, in addition to Mr. Schaefer, Charles E. McCarthy, A. M. Botsford, now director of publicity and advertising for Publix Theatres: Russell Holman, advertising manager for Paramount, and James A. Clark, manager of Paramount's Ad Sales department. Mr. McCarthy, appointed to the newly created Paramount post of Director of Public Relations, started with Paramount in its publicity department in 1919. Shortly after joining the company he was named publicity manager and remained at this post until a few weeks ago when he was advanced to his new position. Mr. Holman, Paramount's advertising manager, joined Para mount in 1919 after a period with | the MeClure Productions, in that eompany’s advertising department, With Paramount he started in the press sheet department and shortly after was, transferred to the publicity department. In 1922 he was appointed as assist. ant to A. M. Botsford, at that time director of advertising for jhome office as division manager | for the east, remaining at that ears. Later he was t manager of the south, locating in Atlanta. ; Largest District Harry Ross, district manager tn ,Chicago, has been connected with ithe pict ,and later in the sales department Of many of the old film companies. | He joined Paramount in 1918, jtaking charge of the Detroit ofjfice. In 1920 he was called New York and named assistan }sales manager. Mr. Ross now supervises the largest Paramount sales district in the United States | with headquarters in Chicago, | Tom Bailey, New England die | trict manager, came to Paramount |in 1919 as a salesman in the Ok|lahoma City office; J. EB. (Eddie) | Fontaine, district manager con|trolling sales in Columbus, Cleve| land, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, was associated with picture com-|. panies in one capacity or another juntil he joined Paramount im 1919 as booker in Detroit: R, G LiBeau, district man sas City, St. Louts City, back’ to 1914 when he operated an exchange in Detroit for one of the franchise holders of the Famous} Players company; Hugh W. Bra-/ and Oklahoma mount with supervision over Denver, Salt Lake City and Butte, started his picture career in 1922 a8 & projectionist in Mr, Webb Vodeon theatre in San Franei Ben Blotcky, district manager Minneapolis, started asa usher, became a film «. was named Kansas City ure industry continuously |} olves super-| since 1908, first as an exhibitor exe ager for Kan-| ee! One empia aed was rhool | ass Pe e at ne. A Ry head v1 Pos pb. dates his Paramount service | ms i ly, district manager for Para-|_ e?