Today we’d like to introduce you to Branden Joynt.
Hi Branden, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My wife and I moved to Newport early in 2012 for the purpose of reopening the Newport Cinema 4. The cinema had been closed for just over a year. We felt that with a few changes it could be brought back to life. We opened with $5 first-run movies on March 2nd, 2012, and have been operating ever since with the exception of the pandemic. Over time we have also made many upgrades to the cinema. We upgraded from 35 mm film to digital projection and sound, added digital signage in the lobby, completely renovated the lobby, reseated the cinema with full-rocker leatherette seats, and a host of other improvements.
We have focused on becoming a centerpiece of the community and we are incredibly involved in many local events including several that we host. Our most recent event was our 2nd annual Christmas in July, Each July we play a free Christmas movie and we also give each person in attendance a popcorn/drink combo. Local businesses help sponsor toys for every child that comes. This year we gave out around 400 wrapped Christmas presents! It’s truly amazing to see the impact you can have on a child. Newport is a wonderful community that knows how to come together to touch people’s lives. Another great example is the annual Trick or Treat in the park hosted by Newport Parks and Recreation.
Each year dozens of local businesses come to pass out candy to around 1500-2000 kids. This past year there were even families not affiliated with any business that set up booths to pass out candy. We passed out full-sized candy bars and 800 movie tickets! This year we also gave away free cotton candy and snow cones at the annual Fourth Of July Fireworks Event in Parrottsville. We had over 400 people visit our table!
We also recently hosted a Young Entrepreneurs’ Day at the cinema. This event was for future adults ages 17 and under to come set up booths and sell their products and hopefully have a great business experience. Of course, the event was free to our young vendors. We have already had requests to make this an annual event. About 20 young people came and set up for the event. Hundreds of people from the community showed up to support them.
These are just a few things that we do. There are many other things but I am trying not to write a book. Again, we are all about community involvement and being able to directly impact our customers and future customers. We believe that as a local business we have a responsibility to reach out to our community and pass on a little kindness.
Our mission statement would read a little like this:
1. Provide the highest quality services to the community at a price that makes it affordable to as many people as possible.
2. Directly impact the lives of people in the community we serve.
Our plans for the future are to become even more involved in the community and to provide quality entertainment for years to come.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
All businesses face challenges. It is not about whether or not you will face challenges, but more about deciding in advance how you will handle them.
When Covid-19 shut down theaters globally (as well as many other industries) we decided that no matter what we would not give up. We decided that we would work to keep our doors open no matter what it cost us. We would leverage every asset we had until there was nothing left and even then keep the doors open until someone literally removed us from the building!
Some of the things we did during the pandemic included drive-through popcorn, outdoor movies, and private screenings. We ran at a severely reduced capacity even though there were no formal guidelines from the State of Tennessee. We also worked to eliminate touch points for our customers. We even showed older movies for free in an attempt to sell a little popcorn to keep the lights on.
There were many sleepless nights and the bills kept stacking up. We lost so much during that time but we are still here. Its hard to adequately state how stressful this time was for us. It was absolutely the hardest challenge we had ever faced as a company.
The biggest challenge was that once we were able to reopen Hollywood was still not releasing the product. It would be like running a restaurant and not having food to sell. I think the mentality of never giving up is so important. Hard times will come and sometimes the only thing you can control is yourself.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Newport Cinema 4 is located at 424 Heritage Blvd, Newport TN. 37821. We make movies affordable by offering most of the same amenities as national chain cinemas for around half the price.
We run a super clean facility! Our theater may be a little vintage but it is clean. Between every round, our team is working hard to make your experience amazing. Our customer service is top-notch, our seats are comfy and most importantly our popcorn is fresh! The most valuable thing a customer gives us is their time.
We believe that cinema is for everyone! Our goal has always been to make the movie-going experience something that any family can afford to do. I will never forget going to the cinema as a child and walking up to the ticketing booth. I want others to be able to have that same magical experience.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Giving. You can never give too much to the community you serve.
We keep our prices as low as possible and we participate in everything we can. We believe that nothing can replace directly impacting the life of someone you serve.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.npcinema4.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewportCinema4/
