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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Kirkland’s Parkplace Cinema to close with Last Picture Show BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
O
n Monday, the Parkplace Cinema will feature its final film, appropriately titled “Last Picture Show,” before closing as the property is on the cusp of redevelopment. Jeff Cole, who manages Parkplace and who has been involved with the
independent theater since 2001, said they tried to find a way to keep it open once Talon Capital announced their plans to redevelopment Parkplace, including the theater, but decided it was time to close. “At my age I’m not willing to move forward when there’s too much risk, too much capital,” he said. “I think it’ll be a good time
for the community to come and say goodbye to the theater.” However, he said that they’re trying to get one of the digital projectors, owned by a separate leasing company, in the Kirkland Performance Center to show for smaller films. “I’m working on that but don’t know if I’ll be successful,” he said.
Although an agreement hasn’t been reached, Cole said that so far the discussion has been positive. “Everybody seems in agreement,” he said. First a Sterling Realty Organization theater in 1983, it later became a Loews Cineplex until 2001 when Loews went bankrupt and repudiated the lease. The former owner
of Parkplace asked Cole to figure out what to do with the space, and he concluded that Kirkland still needed a theater. They bought Loews’ assets and opened it as an independent movie theater right in time for the first Harry Potter film. Prior to this, Cole said, he had never run a theater before. One of the many things he discovered from
the experience was navigating the world of studio contracts, negotiating 27 of them prior to the theater’s opening. Right now, they have around 36. “It’s a fun little business,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about the business, but it was fun.” In 2007, when the Parkplace owners sold the prop[ more MOVIES page 2 ]
Kirkland-based BitTitan growing at exponential rate board in October as vice president of finance. Yip said being able to Kirkland-based Bithire the new executives is Titan is like Jack’s magic a huge milestone for the beanstalk, it just keeps company, as he didn’t take a growing. wage for the first four years. A tech startup formed He added the new team will in 2007 by CEO Geeman help guide their specific Yip, the initially one-man departments, mentor and company offering cloud train those underneath solutions has experienced them, and ensure the com700 percent year-on-year pany remains profgrowth. An IT itable as it continues change automato expand. tion company “We needed specializing in someone redata migration and ally [who] is strong onboarding, they from a go-to market moved to their perspective,” he said current Kirkland Geeman Yip about sales. “I’m an office at 3933 Lake engineer, we’re used Washington Blvd to an engineerNE early this year. centric company. We create On top of expanding products, throw it over to outside the United States, sales and it’s their job to the company recently figure it out. I wanted to added three new executhink holistically by creattives to help manage their ing a long-term roadmap rapidly-increasing number and message versus creatof employees. Jennifer Mar- ing products without any tin was promoted to vice sort of message or cohesive president of global sales message from month-toin August, Rocco Seyboth month.” joined BitTitan in July as The financial managevice president and general ment will also help BitTimanager of products, while [ more TITAN page 3 ] Barnett Silver came on BY TJ MARTINELL
tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Hundreds of people packed Marina Park in downtown Kirkland for the annual Kirkland Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day. The event drew visitors from all over the Puget Sound area. MATT PHELPS, Kirkland Reporter
Kirkland residents plunge into New Year Hundreds pack Marina Park for event BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@kirklandreporter.com
Screams of glee and shock could be heard all
through Marina Park in downtown Kirkland at 1 p.m. on New Year’s Day, as hundreds of people from around the Puget Sound
area participated in the annual Kirkland Polar Plunge. “It was colder than I thought,” said Bellevue resident Caitlin Mack, as her young kids and
husband watched her try to get warm again with a towel wrapped about her shoulders. “This is such a beautiful location and it was fun, cold, but fun. This [ more PLUNGE page 5 ]
Congratulations Moody Family!
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Casey Oiness, Sales Manager – NMLS #265169 425.250.3170 Guild NMLS 3274 720 4th Ave, #240 • Kirkland 98033 www.caseyoiness.com
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