Paul
J. Rogers is president of Rogers Cinemas Inc., the Marshfield,
Wis.-based circuit which currently operates 31 screens at
5 sites in Wisconsin. Rogers currently serves as NATO of Wisconsin
and Upper Michigan’s president.
What
about you would most surprise the majority of your fellow
exhibitors?
I spent 2½ years in the American Embassy in Rangoon,
Burma.
What
would you wish for if a djinn offered to grant one wish (assuming
you couldn’t wish for more wishes)?
A cure for cancer. Both my brother and my brother-in-law died
last year very young from the disease.
What
would you be if you weren’t a cinema operator?
I would be in our diplomatic service.
Who
is your favorite filmmaker and why?
Spielberg of course. Because his films please so many and
are usually quite profitable.
Which
TV show do you hate to miss?
No particular show, but I love the History Channel.
What’s
your favorite book?
“Ghost Soldiers.”
What
kind of lunchbox did you have as a kid?
Paper bag.
What’s
your favorite movie theatre in which you and/or your partners
have absolutely no investment?
Desert Star in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. – it’s just
so opulent.
Which
sacred cow would you like to barbeque?
The 90-10. I consider it a financial punishment for promoting
a film in my theatres.
What’s
the best thing about running a cinema company?
People always want to talk to you about this film – that
film, etc.
What’s
the worst?
“Do you have any free passes?” They just don’t
think there is a cost. What in the world do they think we
sell? Could I have a free haircut, please – no cost,
you know.
What’s
the best thing about living in Wisconsin?
The people, the work ethic, the luscious green of summer,
and believe it or not, the beauty of the snows of winter.
What’s
your most admirable quality?
I am sincere about what I say and do. Right or wrong, I am
sincere.
What’s
your least admirable quality?
I talk too much and listen too little.
Whom
do you most admire and why?
I hate to be known as a mama’s boy, but my mother. Her
work ethic and kindness still overwhelms me.
What
drives you?
I love what I do. Perhaps I don’t know better.
What
is the single best piece of advice you ever got?
Ben Marcus told me – buy the real estate, don’t
lease.
How
do you define success?
Satisfaction when the job is done right.
How
would you like to be remembered?
I cared.
If
your personal philosophy could be summed up on a bumper sticker,
what would it say?
Be kind and good to others so they want to be kind and good
to you. 
