Alamo Drafthouse Ups President Michael Kustermann To CEO As Shelli Taylor Retires

deadline.com:

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema said CEO Shelli Taylor is retiring in August and named president Michael Kustermann as its new chief executive.

The fast-growing dine-in chain, that’s been hugely successful luring post-pandemic moviegoers back to theaters, said its board of directors, including Taylor and executive chairman Tim League, selected Kustermann as Taylor steps down, effective August 11.

She will remain on the board. “I am humbled to become Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s next CEO,” said Kustermann, who was promoted to president in April from chief experience officer overseeing the strategy, marketing & creative, product & digital, and development teams and initiatives that included Alamo Season Pass, Rolling RoadShow, and a new Silent Service ordering platform. “I am confident that as this industry continues to build back, we will keep leading the way, just as we have proven we can with over 18 months of solid double digit growth vs the industry’s recovery.

Movies exist to make an impact in our lives and theaters deliver that.” Taylor, a former Starbucks executive and president of United Planet Fitness Partners, joined Alamo as CEO in the spring of 2020 as League stepped into a newly created role of executive chairman, leading the board and creative initiatives for Alamo Drafthouse, sister company Mondo, and the Austin-based Fantastic Fest.