David Chapin

Like every great movie story, the story of this company began with drama: The idea of reclining luxury cinema seating had never been tried in the United States when Stephen Simons and Edward Powell founded VIP Cinema Seating in 2008. The benefits of the new VIP concept opened exciting new worlds for movie-goer satisfaction and profitability for exhibitors across the nation. Through the efforts of an innovative, creative and laser-focused manufacturing team, the company became the number one brand of luxury theatre seating. VIP Cinema Seating had over 1,000,000 luxury cinema seats installed in theatres across the globe when Simons and Powell elected to sell the business. Yet there was more drama ahead. Under the new ownership VIP Cinema Seating later declared bankruptcy, hindering all operations including a manufacturing team of unparalleled talent. And that might have been the end of the story, but a group of investors, led by Simons, Powell and industry veteran Steve Lake, came back on the scene to purchase the company’s assets, reopen its New Albany, MS facilities and rehire the top-flight manufacturing team that drove VIP’s original success. And now it’s an exciting new beginning, as VIP Luxury Seating starts a new era creating the kind of dramatic, game-changing innovations and world-class quality that made the VIP name respected and trusted across the industry. The story continues, and so does the success.