National CineMedia President Cliff Marks, Who Brought Premium Ads To The Movies, Retires; Scott Felenstein, Mike Rosen Promoted To Sales Chief, CRO

Cliff Marks is retiring as president of NationalCinemedia on July 1 but will continue to work with the big movie theater advertising network as a consultant in a multi-year deal, the company announced Wednesday.

The 19-year NCM veteran joined from ESPN and was an original member of the leadership team in 2002 when it was then known as Regal CineMedia Corporation.

Marks is an acknowledged force in transitioning the movies into a premium video option for brands, leading with the creation of NCM’s movie pre-show The 2wenty, which evolved to become FirstLook, and now, Noovie, that combined entertainment and advertising on the big screen. Noovie is now presented exclusively at 53 national and regional theater circuits including Regal, AMC Entertainment and Cinemark.

As per the company’s established succession plan, Scott Felenstein, NCM’s EVP, President & Chief Revenue Officer, will step up to the post of President, Sales, Marketing & Partnerships. Mike Rosen, SVP of East Coast Sales, has been promoted to EVP & Chief Revenue Officer.

“With a strong summer movie season anticipated on the heels of a great Memorial Day at the box office, both Scott and Mike are already highly engaged in driving revenue and were instrumental in helping get NCM through the most difficult time in our industry to emerge as an even stronger, more diverse media company,” said NCMI CEO Tom Lesinski.

In a push that started before Covid-19 shuttered theaters and accelerated during the pandemic, the company has also inked a series of deals for advertising that’s not on screens — atop cash machines in 7-Elevens, on Coinstar kiosks in supermarkets, in elevators and at restaurants.

Felenstein joined NCM in 2017 after 17 years at Discovery, most recently as executive vice president, national advertising sales. Rosen joined NCM from Roc Nation, where he was SVP of Sales and Partnerships. Prior to that, he worked at NBCUniversal in a progression of sales leadership roles for both legacy and advanced marketplace properties.