On the battlefield, you can always tell when the commanding officer is close to beginning a major assault when he starts to move pieces of military hardware around to maximize their effectiveness in light of the battle plan. The same idea applies in the business world - when personnel additions are made, and people are moved around, it's usually the beginning of something big. That's why investors may want to prep themselves for something big from Independent Film Development Corporation (OTCMKTS:IFLM). The company placed a new CEO today after naming a CFO last week, and moved the previous CEO over to the lead role of real estate operations [which was always the plan]. So what? All these changes are an omen that IFLM is finally ready to begin its frontal assault on the likes of amusement park names such as Cedar Fair, L.P. (NYSE:FUN), or even against the venerable The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS). But nobody beats Walt Disney at its own game, you say? We'll see.
The company's name doesn't do it justice. Yes, Independent Film Development Corporation is very much involved in independent films and television programming, but the exciting part about IFLM to investors is that it has a legitimate shot at becoming some real competition to theme parks like those owned by Cedar Fair, L.P., and yes, even parks owned by The Walt Disney Company. How so, because Independent Film Development Corporation - aka IndyFilmCorp - is on a mission to deliver the visitor experience that DisneyLand and DisneyWorld won't, and an experience that an amusement park like Cedar Fair can't.
In simplest terms, consumers' entertainment tastes and delivery methods have evolved. One only has to look at today's television shows and films to see there are literally no limitations as to what can be made to appear real on-screen. And, one only has to look at the content from a distance to know that the types of programs and movies that consumers prefer are far more intense than films and TV shows from 30 years ago. Programs like Breaking Bad, The Living Dead, and even documentaries like Ghost Hunters and Panic 911 are finding an enormous audience despite being dark, spooky, and even a little macabre. Consumers love that "heaviness" though.
It's not just the topic, however. Thrill-seekers also want to be immersed in an experience rather than simply view one. That's how amusement park rides like Universal Studios' Transformers ride or even the Walt Disney slow-boat ride Pirates of the Caribbean have become so popular... riders are smack dab IN the middle story line. The immersive experience Pirates of the Caribbean and the three-dimensional Transformers ride, however, are small potatoes compared to what Independent Film Development Corporation has planned for the first of what could be the first of several theme parks peppered across the country.
Tapping into its special effects rolodex and movie know-how, IndyFilmCorp is developing a theme park with experiential rides that will make companies like Cedar Fair, L.P. or The Walt Disney Company green with envy. Imagine a log flume ride that looks like a journey through the River Styx, ending with a narrow, splashy escape from Hades. Imagine a haunted house with ghosts that actually look - and act - like ghosts, rather than looking and acting like something out of a rejected Vaudeville act. Imagine catching a glimpse of Bigfoot lurking around the park's forested areas. Those are just some of the concepts IndyFilmCorp is planning to bring to life at the park it's currently developing in the Catskill Mountains in New York.
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That's not the important piece of information current or prospective IFLM shareholders need to know today, however. What fans and followers need to know today is that a new CEO has been named.
If the name David Garland rings a bell, it may be because he recently ran for a Senate seat in New York. That's not what makes Garland such a great fit for the position of CEO for the young company, however. No, what makes Garland such an exciting addition to the management ranks of IFLM is that the Wharton graduate has more business experience - and corporate transformation experience in particular - than anyone would ever know what to do with. He helped restructure AIG after its collapse, he helped IBM turn things around, and he's now a managing director for a New York-based private equity firm (which could come in handy in the future).
But he's not a movie guy or even a theme park guy, who might miss some of the nuances that Walt Disney was so well known for not missing? First of all, Walt Disney (the man) didn't do everything himself, or even see everything in his parks that he's credited for seeing. Second, however, David Garland is already surrounded by brilliant parks and movie people who do see everything, and better still, know how deal with Hollywood's set designers, special effects people, and costume makers. Indeed, IndyFilmCorp's in-park visual experiences may end up making DisneyLand and DisneyWorld attractions look like what they are... a 40-year old technology.
Even more meaningful to investors than that, however, is that today's announcement is the second major personnel announcement that Independent Film Development Corporation has released in the past couple of weeks, and has been the first news we've heard from the company in months. This is apt to be an omen of upcoming announcements and news, each of which could prod the stock higher. Interested investors who have been on the sidelines may want to consider wading into an IFLM position here, as it appears the company is getting serious about pushing ahead with its theme park.
For more on company, visit the corporate website here. For more details on the park's concept, the company explained it in this letter to shareholders.
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