3 Q's with Aku Jaakkola

Describe your typical day at work
I can maybe describe my typical Monday at work. The rest of the week has so many different aspects that I can’t use "typical" to describe it. Working in a small cinema circuit requires everyone to handle a broad spectrum of tasks. For this reason, we try to build routines at the beginning of the week and pack all our internal meetings into one afternoon. 
After the meetings early in the week, I work on many different aspects of our business. Administration is a given task for any CEO, but luckily, I have a great team behind me. I also chair the Exhibitor’s Association, so I’m quite involved in the politics of our industry. Additionally, I work with our studio partners and other suppliers. Over the last ten years, we’ve built or renovated 13 sites, so a lot of my time has been spent on those projects.
One thing I can point out as typical is the continuous change our industry has faced in the last few years. That has required a lot of reacting and adjusting how we do things now and in the future. Maybe this is another reason why very few things have been "typical" lately. I try to check my email only once a day and spend the rest of my time working on something pre-planned or addressing new issues. Sometimes I’m more successful with this, sometimes less. On the other hand, my phone is always on, and my AirPods run out of battery a couple of times a day.
 
The moment you fell in love with the Big Screen?
 
I guess I first fell in love with film. Seeing movies like Top Gun and Star Wars as a kid made a huge impression on me. Then I developed a need to see new films as soon as possible, so I ended up visiting our local cinema more and more. Later, I started working at a video rental store with VHS and DVDs after school. Soon after, I switched to a job as a projectionist at the same cinema I used to visit as a kid.
So for me, it’s been a gradual process that led to dreaming of building a premium screen in my hometown. Last weekend, I was watching F1 on that dream screen with my family and couldn’t stop smiling. I still get a kick out of the fact that we’re able to build these wonderful screens in smaller cities across our country.
 
The best thing about the cinema experience?
 
I believe it’s a combination. First, there’s the fact that films hit differently when experienced on the big screen. They’re meant to be seen this way by the filmmakers. The sound, the picture, and the sheer scale can never be replicated at home – assuming we do our job well and maintain the high quality I believe we always should!
The second thing is the moment of quiet it provides. I know that might sound a bit absurd, but it’s true. How rarely do we get to focus on just one thing without any distractions? The cinema is a perfect escape from all the noise around us.