Wyatt Werner is helping local theaters expand their audience and their business

Wyatt Werner, like any self-respecting film buff, dreamed of making a living sharing his love for movies in a theater of his own.

“I wanted to watch older movies and drink beer in a cool place,” Wyatt says. “Who doesn’t?”

So he set to work, researching potential theater locations and the cost of converting the older buildings he was considering into a comfortable, modern theater. He didn’t like what he learned: fulfilling his dream would be expensive. Really expensive.

“I would be in $1.5 million before I even sold a single bucket of popcorn,” he says.

Wyatt considered the project for years before coming to the conclusion that there was another way he could sell seats. He could partner with an existing facility and help them up their game.

Over the past few years, Wyatt had gotten to know the operators of the Egyptian Theatre in downtown Boise. As a co-founder of Ignite Boise, a popular community event hosted for several years at the historic theater, he had worked with them on all the behind-the-scenes aspects of hosting a large-scale event.

He approached the Egyptian Theatre about the idea of showing classic films. It had been years since the theater regularly had shown films. Instead, it was operating more as a special events center, hosting concerts and the occasional corporate event.

“I ran some numbers backwards at various prices,” Wyatt says. “Then I started thinking about how I could ensure I get the size of crowd I needed to be profitable.”

His solution was to bring the crowdfunding model popularized by web-based companies like Kickstarter. Essentially, local movie fans would nominate their favorite movies for consideration. They would then vote for the film they wanted to see. Wyatt’s company — Boise Classic Movies — would then offer tickets for sale. In order for the film to actually show, it must sell a minimum number of tickets.

Boise Classic Movies’ approach solves a classic problem for theaters who want to feature notable older movies, a genre known in the industry as repertory films. “The big problem with repertory movies is always that people say 'you should show X' and when you do, nobody comes.”

His first movie was The Godfather. Despite every effort (“I was telling everyone. I even sold a wrong number a pair of tickets.”), the movie didn’t officially sell the needed number of tickets. So Wyatt gave it an extra push to ensure it happened. His second film, cult favorite The Big Lebowski, sold out.

He created a community around the films. “If a movie doesn’t happen, it’s the community’s fault. If you don’t tell me what you want to see, they’re not going to show. If you don’t vote, they won’t win.”

With this early success, Wyatt began thinking about what was next. His solution? Crowded Theatre, a service that brings the software and marketing expertise Wyatt developed to other independent theaters.

His first contract was with the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon. To say it went well would be an understatement. “In the first three days of opening in Portland we had more movie suggestions than we ever had in Boise.”

While he does have a few competitors, they have a different business model. They have deals with studios to distribute lesser known titles, while Boise Classic Movies and Crowded Theatre make their money the old-fashioned way — by putting butts in seats.

“They’re trying to create demand and I’m creating supply for demand that’s always there,” Wyatt explains. “The people we serve go to movies that they already own. They have the same movie sitting on their shelf. They could watch it on AMC three times a month. But it’s more fun to watch a movie with people who are as excited to see it as you.”

Wyatt plans to continue to operate Boise Classic Movies while expanding Crowded Theatre. He sees a tremendous opportunity for independent theaters with latent movie programs.

“There are theaters all over the place that fell into disrepair, but then the city or a private party bought it and tuned it up. We can help them really get it going.”

Not bad for a philosophy major who is self-taught in virtually every aspect of his business, from sales and marketing to writing code (though, he says, "the MBA helped"). In fact, when Wyatt started BCM, he was still paying back loans from a previous failed business that involved several partners.

“I built BCM with $400 and time,” he says. ”It was relationships, sweat equity, and three figures. I had three figures.”

Note: Select and purchase tickets for your favorite films at BoiseClassicMovies.com.