September 16, 2004

Family night FUNdraisers

Almaden businessman looks to turn movies into money for schools

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

Thanks to Almaden’s Apex Promotions, families and staff at Alta Vista Elementary School in Los Gatos eagerly awaited sunset and the larger-than-life showing of “Shrek” last Friday night—an entertaining kick-off for their annual walk-a-thon.

For most, crossing paths with a 38-foot Godzilla or 30-foot gorilla would be a rare sighting worthy of prompting an influx of international news coverage. But on Via Mateo in Almaden, it’s old news. According to neighbors, something even bigger has come to town—and everybody’s watching.

Over the past eight weeks, Carl Schiefer, owner of Apex Promotions, has converted his front yard into private weekend screenings for the neighborhood, thanks in large part to a massive 18-by-25-foot inflatable movie screen and weekly showings of family-orientated films, including the Disney favorites “Ice Age,” “Shrek,” and “The Lion King.”

“We’re getting requests now from the neighborhood kids,” laughs Schiefer. “They’re asking for ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ and ‘Brother Bear.’ We even been asked to show ‘13 Going on 30’ for one girl’s 13th birthday party.”

However, Schiefer has bigger plans for the mega-screen venture and looks to turn his portable entertainment into a fundraising machine for local schools. He admits the idea came to him last April, while on his honeymoon in Hawaii, where he and his wife Leslie attended a movie on the beach. It was reminiscent of a project commissioned by Intel in 1994, where he anchored a giant inflatable box with a clear screen atop a building that aired company commercials.

“We had a projector inside,” he explains. “So it looked like a big inflatable computer monitor.”

It’s just another in a long line of towering air-filled contraptions that fill the Apex Promotions’ toy box—a nice fit for a company in the business of providing familiar and custom-made inflatable creatures, mazes, bounce houses, and slides for parties, corporate events, and community festivals, including the upcoming Almaden Valley Art & Wine Festival [Sept. 26].

“I didn’t do anything with it for years,” Schiefer admits. “But the more I thought about it, the more I thought there would be a market for it.”

The inflatable $50,000 system includes a high-definition screen, with a projection and sound system comparable to those used in indoor multiplexes. But that’s where the similarities end. The portable two-person operation takes an estimated 45 minutes to set up and includes everything needed for a big-screen movie experience—except popcorn and lawn chairs. Rather than venturing out to stress over a parking spot at the mall and wait in long lines at theaters, private showings of popular films can literally pop up at parks, schools, golf courses—even company parking lots.

Eventually, Schiefer plans to pitch the concept to the City Council for city events and outdoor film festivals. However, he remains focused on turning his “movies on the green” into extra green for local schools.

“You know,” he says. “There’s a better way to use this as a fundraiser for the schools. I think it’s a good fit.”

The plan calls for sponsors to pony up $1,000 per event, which will then be donated to the school—a win-win arrangement that would allow companies to give back to the community while promoting their business or product. And Schiefer will do his part by absorbing the necessary license fees required by the movie studios—typically $100-$300 per show.

Although there are no sponsors yet, he remains determined to enlighten the community about the colossal new venture. Alta Vista Elementary School principal Donna Lewis and fundraising coordinator Mary Vanbrunt couldn’t have been more pleased when he offered to use their school for a demonstration last week.

“When I went to get banners made for our walk-a-thon, he asked if we’d be interested in hosting a film to promote his company,” admits Vanbrunt. “He wouldn’t even charge us for the banners. This is absolutely tremendous.”

“The kick-off for our walk-a-thon has never included a movie night—just dinner,” adds Lewis. “It’s wonderful, especially this year because other schools were closed.”

With nearly 500 people sprawled about the school playground on blankets and lawn chairs, Schiefer considers it a good way to get the ball rolling—both for the school and his business. “It gives them a good time, while we break in the product and get some exposure,” he says. “Once we get a few of these going, I think people are going to want to come on board.”

Ultimately, Schiefer hopes to schedule weekly screenings that would provide ongoing family night events for school communities, while putting a much-needed $12,000 check back into the classroom’s coffers every quarter.

“If we can get it going every week, that would mean $48,000 for the schools each year,” he adds.

Although he claims to be courting local businesses, along with corporate giants such as Comcast, Blockbuster, Net Flicks, Ben & Jerry’s, and Starbucks, Schiefer is so confident the concept will catch on that he is willing to offer his services to schools—with or without paid sponsorship.

“I’ll do it anyway,” he says. “It’s no big deal. I’ll just pay for it [fees]. But we’d like to get sponsors so we can give the schools some money.”

For more information about Apex Promotions, including “Movies on the Green” sponsorship opportunities, call (408) 323-9567 or log on to www.apexpromotions.com.