News Release
CJ 4DPLEX Appoints Don Savant As CEO Of CJ 4DPLEX Americas
CJ 4DPLEX
Appoints Don Savant As CEO Of CJ 4DPLEX Americas
Savant previously led IMAX's Global Sales
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Jan. 6, 2020) -- CJ 4DPLEX, the leading
cinema technology company, has announced today that Don Savant will join the
company as the new CEO of CJ 4DPLEX Americas, the U.S. branch of the
groundbreaking next-generation motion picture technology company. Savant will be responsible for growing both
premium formats, 4DX and ScreenX, in the Americas, while continuing to
collaborate with movie studios to deliver the best films in both formats for
consumers.
Savant served 19 years at
IMAX Corporation where he most recently led as President of Global Sales from
2016 to 2018. During that time Savant
led IMAX to unprecedented network growth with the development of 730 theatres
while expanding IMAX's presence in North America, Europe, India, and continuing
growth in China and Asia. From 2000 to 2015 Savant oversaw IMAX's rapid growth
in China and Asia Pacific and established China as IMAX's largest market in the
world, which led to its successful IPO of IMAX China (HK.1970), a subsidiary of
IMAX Corp., on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a valuation of over US$1.45
billion.
JongRyul Kim, CEO of CJ
4DPLEX said: "Don has a proven track record of growing premium theatre
concepts globally and will help continue our record-breaking growth for both
4DX and ScreenX. His has an excellent reputation among exhibitors and the
overall entertainment industry and we are excited to have him oversee our
presence in the Americas and take it to the next level."
"I am incredibly
excited to join CJ 4DPLEX, and the CJ Group. I had worked with CJ CGV Cinemas
for 18 years at IMAX. Their commitment
to the development of the overall cinema experience and the film business
worldwide created a deep and lasting impression with me and I am thrilled to be
part of an organization committed to innovation and excellence," said
Savant.
Prior to IMAX, Savant was
the Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Iwerks Entertainment in
Burbank, CA, where he launched the company's first 4D theatres.
Savant is a Board Member
of APPlife Digital Solutions Inc., a business incubator and portfolio manager
that invests in and creates e-commerce and cloud-based solutions. Savant is
also an active member of his community, setting up the Savant Fellowship with
his wife Elizabeth at the UCLA Center for Autism Research & Treatment.