Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Brown.
Hi Lauren, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started working at the Music Hall in High School and continued to work my way up in the chain to Manager and then General Manager. In 2019 Peter Ambrosio, Luis Orellana, and I had discussed starting our own theater and shortly thereafter we found out the Laemmle’s were vacating the Music Hall. So soon our idea was formulating into a tangible reality, one in which events began to transpire quickly. We set up a meeting with the landlords of the building to secure a lease, we meet with the Laemmle’s to discuss how theater operations has worked for them thus far and regarding an equipment buyout. During this whole time I was working as the General Manger for Laemmle’s Royal and had just started working at California Institute of Technology in their Contract & Grant Department as a Department Assistant (around September of 2019). Needless to say this was a very busy time for me personally and this was all in conjunction with us starting this the theater. Peter was working on finalizing everything needed as well as Luis and I, but during this time Luis was still working for the Laemmle’s as a manager until they vacated the premises; it was a truly a crazy time for us all.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was not a smooth road at all. I will say from the point of it being a thought to actuality, that was really quick and fairly smooth. There were bumps, but not too bad. We opened in November 2019 and in March 2020 Covid hit and everything was shut down. Like most people, we felt the closure would not last that long. We hadn’t been open that long so we did not have a lot of capital, we couldn’t pay rent in full (although we were still paying what we could during covid), we owed studios money, we had bills to pay, it was bad. We were really struggling on how we could survive this, it was starting to look bleak. I was looking into doing a drive-in theater, Luis started selling popcorn and candy while the closure was in effect and I would help out doing that. I will say that even though this was a really difficult time, it had its tender moments. I got to know a lot of people who would come out and support, the theater really became a community space for everyone and I’m still friends with some to this day. If I can take away a something positive from such a horrific global event it would be that, just really getting to know people, talking, laughing, crying, that was nice.
Then the struggles really started. So while we’re struggling to stay a float with the popcorn sales and a Go Fund Me page one of the studios we had worked with and owed money to decided they liked our theater and wanted to take it over. They met with the landlords, they spoke to the press about their exciting new venture, it was all very surreal. I mean, here we are trying everything we could to survive (we even talked to lawyers), and we have this studio going to the press saying they are taking over our theater. It was like all our hard work was vanishing before our eyes. Not to mention we still had a lease (albeit month to month) but were still occupying the space on a daily basis. We had the keys, and this is going on for months, they were bring in architects, contractors, everyone and even had the nerve to say isn’t this exciting and it was time for us to move on! It really felt like they were trying to steal our dream, it was insanely nerve-racking.
Around December of 2020, they signed a lease with our landlords and had an equipment agreement with the Laemmle’s and we were supposed to give up the keys and clear out by February 2021. It seemed like it was all over. Just like that; one day we had a theater and the next we didn’t. We started cleaning everything out to make room for them, but just then theaters got the all clear to open. And we were like uh, well we still have the keys so let’s open, then to make matters even better, LA County extended the eviction moratorium on business. So we told everyone we’re staying. We called the lawyer, got the all clear and continued operations as normal. Everyone was shocked, the studio was pissed, our landlords were baffled. While we were open, we were served with a pay or quit sign taped to our theater. I mean things were looking up, but they were still bad. We owed back rent, we owed studios, patrons were really not coming back to theaters. It was very slow going.
Eventually, our loan came through, and we were able to pay our back rent and keep our lease, but most importantly we saved our theater. It was a nerve-racking struggle, but one we weathered together.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve worked in theaters my whole life. I have worked other jobs as well, but I have mostly stayed in theaters. I am also a paralegal, but I have not really used the certification that much. I guess I would most be known for helping to create Lumiere Cinema. I try to get to know the patrons on a personal level, and you can say that sets me apart.
How do you think about happiness?
Walking my dog, who doesn’t love a nice walk around the neighborhood.
Pricing:
- Monday-Friday before 6PM $7.50 Adults $6 Seniors
- Monday-Thursday $12.50 Adults $9.50 Seniors $10.50 Students
- Friday-Sunday night $14 Adults $11 Seniors $12 Students
- Saturday-Sunday before 2PM Everyone is $11
- Inner Circle $3 Off on weeknights and during the week $5 a ticket
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lumierecinemala.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lumierecinemala/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musichall3/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/musichall3
Image Credits
Eva Glow- For the photos in the black top H Dellamorte- For the photos of me in the orange dress
