David Sikich is in his 33rd year as an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago teaching movie business and arts management courses. Sikich worked in the Motion Picture Industry for 34 years, starting his career in 1973 as a movie theatre manager in downtown Chicago and beginning in 1976, spent the next 17 years working in theatrical distribution for Avco Embassy Pictures and Orion Pictures. In 1993, he became a partner in Iltis Sikich Associates, a producers rep firm, where the two men represented and sold the classic "Hoop Dreams" and in 1995 started another company, ISA Releasing, with partner John Iltis and held the position of President of Marketing and Distribution until June, 2006. Most recently, Sikich served as the movie industry analyst for First Business, a nationally syndicated television show, from June, 2008 to December, 2009.
This blog has grown out of the weekly Movies and Money segments that air on the nationally syndicated television show First Business. As the show's movie industry analyst since June, 2008, I analyze the movie business each Friday by delving into the new releases and exploring interesting economic story lines and hot topics of the day connected to those movies. Past segments have explored release patterns, product placement, film festivals, niche films, financing, movie boycotts, marketing strategies and new technologies to name just a few. This forum will give me the opportunity to write longer pieces and to expand on my televsion segments, which will be posted for viewing each Friday. I will also be posting content at various times during the week and would like to hear what you think about any of the topics being discussed or anything you would like to see in future shows and blogs. Comments? E-mail @ davidsikich@comcast.net or click on the blog headline and leave a comment at the bottom of the blog.