This right here is my dream job

Jotham is the business development and creative manager for Movie Jabber, a company he started with the intention of bringing people who enjoy movies and all things movie-related - promos, specials, premieres and fun facts, together.

“I grew up reading comic books and watching movies, but I always wondered how movies were delivered to the cinemas around the world. I read up on that and learnt it was through a process known as ‘distribution’”, he says.

He was at university then, and recalls making a note on his diary saying that one day, he would work for a distributor, a company that represents Hollywood studios, what you would call the middle-man between the studios and the various cinemas around the world.

“I always wondered why international markets had all the fun when it came to fun promotional events and content around movies, for instance Comic-Con – my intention was for Movie Jabber to be the hub of pop-culture in Kenya, and then beyond.”

It is this single-minded dedication that has made Movie Jabber, both on and offline, the place to go when looking for an authority on the silver screen, so much so, that Jotham decided to focus on his company full time. His company is located on the first floor of Nakumatt Junction, next to the cinema. Appropriate, isn’t it?  

So what does Movie Jabber do exactly?

In layman’s language, we create standees, (the upright banners around cinema halls) and organise events that feed into commercial cinemas and help them grow through interaction with cinemagoers, such as happens during special movie screenings, giving away popular movie merchandise and hosting round tables for movie and series discussions.

Are you happy with the impact you have made so far?

My team, we are five, get really happy when we see more and more people start to interact with us based on our efforts to create events, products and content that appeal to them. Cinema footfall has tremendously increased. Movie goers want to see what’s happening out there and happening here in the same way music lovers would want to see international artistes perform locally.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, though. Getting brands and their key decision makers to understand that there is a reason big global brands have a presence in Hollywood releases, and that there is a reason they promote and support events such as premieres and conventions, is one side of the challenge. The other side is getting all the movie lovers, TV show lovers, anime lovers, comic book lovers and artistes to come out and play a role in making this scene the industry that it is abroad. Movie Jabber, like every new idea, has put together events that people did not come to, or had a low turnout. We had challenges setting up, getting capital and convincing brands and companies that they are necessary. Now, the company and our supporters are growing, to the point where we take on volunteers and mentor those interested in what we do.

What needs to be done to improve the local film industry?

The local film industry needs to sit down with cinema owners and managers so that they understand the high level of advance planning and parallel marketing that goes on the minute a Hollywood movie goes into production - major studios send schedules to various cinemas two years before a movie is released so that they too can benefit from it. We have the talent, creativity and resources, it’s just the marketing and distribution element that handicaps our industry. 

Hollywood is very aggressive when it comes to marketing their releases – prior to marketing, they have done their case study research, data collection and mining for every specific movie from every specific region to properly analyse and understand customer reaction and reception to a movie. The same needs to be applied here. Thousands of people flock to cinemas on a daily basis. Cinemas keep a detailed track record of this and they have data that will make the difference.

Who do you look up to in the movie industry?

I would love to meet anyone at management level at Warner Bros. to ask as many questions as I can to learn more about the industry, and more so industry secrets, plus get insights on projected future market trends.

You are an avid movie-watcher, what are your favourite films?

My three favourite movies of all time are the three instalments in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Allow me to squeeze in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

What else do you do for leisure apart from watch movies?

I play rugby for a local club. It is true what they say about rugby guys. We are kind, caring, extremely gentle and very passionate about chess as a part-time hobby. It helps our reflexes.

In last week's issue of myNetwork, we attributed Nairobi Comic Convention, (NAICCON), to Movie Jabber, while it is in fact organised by Lulu Diaries Events, LDE. Movie Jabber run Movie Expo (MX), which had its first event this year.