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Who’s LA: Founder Gerry Cottle Jnr Talks about Rooftop Cinema Club Tremendous Success Over the Years

Movies are supposed to bring people together and to enjoy yourself. Rooftop cinema has done an incredible job providing our city of Los Angeles with an outdoor screening that anyone can enjoy. In honor of Rooftop Cinema Club’s amazing run in Los Angeles, we were intrigued on how the event came about so we chatted with founder Gerry Cottle Jnr for more insight.

Tell us a little about yourself?

I’m from a circus family but I ran away from the circus in London. In 2011, I had this idea where I wanted to do something different and include my love of film. I spied this one venue called the Shortage in London, and the screening went very well. It lead to the UK establishing outdoor cinema with five venues in London alone.

How did you decide to bring rooftop cinema to the USA?

After we had four sold out summers in London, we basically set sail to the Big Apple in Times Square. We opened up there and sold out at the beginning of summer and realized we had something great. We decided to open in LA last year at the beginning of August and did a couple of months to see how people would react to it.

Why do you think people gravitate to what you have established with Rooftop Cinema Club?

Well we are completely different from normal cinema, and also other outdoor cinemas and people like what we do. We have a great atmosphere with food, cocktails and a great outdoor setting. Its all about bringing the community together, coming out for the night out and watching one of your favorite films.

You’ve had some huge celebrities come out and support your screenings, is there anyone is particular that stands out on your mind?

We have been very lucky. My favorite this year, and its maybe because I am British, was Mel B for the screening of “Spice World”. This film is a cult classic, and it’s got a real nostalgia. Fun fact, Spice Girls “Wannabe” is 20 years old.

How did the collab with Darren Criss on September 15th come about for the special screening of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”?

We saw the potential of bringing together his talent with fans of the movie for an incredible evening at Rooftop Cinema Club and everything just seemed to work out perfectly. We’re ecstatic that Darren will be joining us to play a special acoustic performance at the screening.

Rooftop takes place in London, New York and now Los Angeles, is there anywhere else you are planning on opening up a new location?

We love America and there are a bunch of places here that we have our eyes on. We don’t just choose anywhere, it has to be special. So far we have been looking into Miami, Chicago and Barcelona. We want to do it properly, there has to be quality and it has to be spectacular.

For more info on upcoming Rooftop Cinema Club Screenings in Los Angeles, Click HERE

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