NEW YORK, May 26, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) (TSX:IMX) today announced that Marc de Grandpre has joined the Company as Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. de Grandpre, who will lead IMAX's global brand and marketing initiatives, will report directly to IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond.
"Marc has the business acumen, the leadership skills and the experience to help us further develop our brand and our reputation," said Gelfond. "He will help us determine new paths that can tap into the emotional connection consumers have with The IMAX Experience®. We are very pleased to welcome him onboard."
Marc de Grandpre's 15-year career spans a distinguished group of consumer products and sports entertainment brands, with responsibilities including Global Product Manager, Director, Vice-President, and Managing Director. He has spent the majority of his career with Red Bull Energy drink and the balance with Nike /Bauer Hockey and Qualcomm. Most recently Mr. de Grandpre was the chief marketer for Qualcomm's Firethorn division, where he led the successful development and launch of a new mobile commerce brand.
Prior to Qualcomm, he worked with Red Bull North America and was part of the original marketing team involved in Red Bull's launch in the U.S. As director of marketing, Mr. de Grandpre managed the brand development efforts for the Northeast and East business units. Following a successful career in Red Bull's beverage business, he was named Managing Director of the New York Red Bulls, a Major League Soccer professional sports franchise. Marc spearheaded the rebranding and repositioning of the franchise while guiding the initial development of Red Bull Arena. Previously, he worked in marketing at Bauer Nike Hockey.
Mr. de Grandpre earned an MBA as well as a BS from Southern New Hampshire University. He will relocate to the New York area from Atlanta with his wife and two children.
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment and technology companies, specializing in the creation and delivery of premium, awe-inspiring entertainment experiences. With a growing suite of cutting-edge motion picture and sound technologies, and a globally recognized entertainment brand, IMAX is singularly situated at the convergence of the entertainment industry, innovation and the digital media world. The industry's top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and as such, the IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe. The Company's new digital projection and sound systems - combined with a growing blockbuster film slate - are fueling the rapid expansion of the IMAX network in established markets such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan, as well as emerging markets such as China and Russia. IMAX theaters deliver the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX 3D, and IMAX DMR (Digital Re-Mastering) technologies. IMAX DMR enables virtually any motion picture to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo and Shanghai. As of March 31, 2011, there were 528 IMAX theatres (408 commercial, 120 institutional) operating in 46 countries.
IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience® and The IMAX Experience® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (), Twitter () and YouTube ().
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This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Important factors that could affect these statements include, but are not limited to, general economic, market or business conditions, including the length and severity of the current economic downturn, the opportunities that may be presented to and pursued by the Company, the performance of IMAX DMR films, conditions in the in-home and out-of home entertainment industries, the signing of theatre system agreements, changes and developments in the commercial exhibition industry, the failure to convert theatre system backlog into revenue, new business initiatives, investments and operations in foreign jurisdictions, foreign currency fluctuations and the Company's prior restatements and the related litigation and investigation by the SEC and the ongoing inquiry by the OSC. These factors and other risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
CONTACT: Entertainment Media: IMAX Corporation - Santa Monica Christine Tasto 310-255-5547 ctasto@imax.com Principal Communications Group Melissa Zukerman/Paul Pflug 323-658-1555 melissa@pcommgroup.com paul@pcommgroup.com Investors: IMAX Corporation - New York Heather Anthony 212-821-0121 hanthony@imax.com Business Media: IMAX Corporation - New York Ann Sommerlath 212-821-0100 asommerlath@imax.com Sloane & Company - New York Whit Clay 212-446-1864 wclay@sloanepr.com
