About Us

The Company

An award-winning startup based in Santa Monica, California, the heart of “Silicon Beach,” Atom Tickets changes the way people go to the movies with its revolutionary social movie ticketing app and website. Backed by Lionsgate, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox Film and Fidelity Management & Research Company, Atom Tickets is enabled on more than 20,000 screens across the U.S. including AMC Theatres, Cinemark, Regal, Landmark Canada & US, Harkins Theatres, Alamo, National Amusements’ Showcase Cinemas, and many more. Atom’s user-friendly and socially driven interface allows movie lovers to search for films instantly, watch trailers, invite friends, buy tickets, pre-order concessions and enjoy a VIP experience at the theater. The platform’s innovative marketing solutions and young, diverse user-base help studios, exhibitors and brands reach their target audience and maximize revenue opportunities. Bloomberg, Forbes, USA Today, Variety and TechCrunch are just a few of the influential media outlets covering how Atom makes it easier than ever to go to the movies. Check out these stories and more in our press center.

How Atom Tickets Works

Atom Tickets re-imagines the most convenient way for users to plan a night out at the movies. The free app and website provide relevant reviews, trailers and synopses to help moviegoers make the best decision on what to see. App users may then invite friends (via their contact lists or Facebook) to purchase their own tickets and join them with a few easy taps—eliminating IOUs and lengthy text conversations. Atom streamlines the process of purchasing tickets and concessions from any iOS or Android phone. At the theater, users skip the box office lines and go directly to the ticket attendants and Atom-exclusive express concession lanes where they simply scan a QR code on Atom-branded tablets to redeem their order. Paper tickets and IOUs have been replaced by Atom's innovative platform that keeps all plans, messages, payment and tickets in one convenient place.

Awards & Recognition

  • 2022 Great Place To Work
    Certified Company

  • 2021 Andreessen Horowitz
    a16z Marketplace 100

  • 2021 Built In LA
    Best Places To Work

  • 2021 The Tech Tribune
    Best Tech Startups

  • Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies

  • 2016 Disney Accelerator Program
    Official Selection



Co-Founders

Matthew Bakal

Matthew Bakal

Matthew has a unique background that includes extensive experience on both the creative and financial sides of the media business. He has worked for Warner Bros., Mandate Pictures, Good Universe, and IBM entertainment consulting. He has structured financial deals that balance creative ambitions with bottom line prudence. Previously at Lionsgate Entertainment, he oversaw day-to-day business development opportunities and strategic initiatives. Matthew wants more people to see more movies, and he thinks there should be an easier way for the industry to match movie supply with consumer demand. All this experience contributed to the spark that has become Atom and our successful capital raise. Matthew holds an AB in English and American Literature from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Matthew’s favorite movie is "Caddyshack". But maybe "Airplane". Or perhaps "Animal House".
Ameesh Paleja

Ameesh Paleja

Ameesh is an accomplished engineer and technology executive. After starting his career at Microsoft, he moved across town to join a small company called Amazon.com. At Amazon, he focused on building software and services that allowed the company to sell digital goods that didn’t come in little brown boxes. Ameesh helped launch Prime Instant Video, Amazon’s Appstore, Cloud Drive, and the Kindle product line. He then became the founding employee of Amazon’s digital R&D facility in Southern California, where he oversaw 550+ employees. Much of Atom's design was born of Ameesh’s frustration with planning a night out at the movies with friends. He has a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego, and holds 16 patents. He is not very good at poker but would be happy for you to invite him to a friendly game. Ameesh’s favorite movie is "Gladiator" (followed closely by "Star Trek VI: The Undisvered Country").
Geoff Shaevitz

Geoff Shaevitz

Geoff has spent the last 19 years in the film industry. He has been a development executive at Warner Bros., Summit Entertainment, and currently oversees the Summit label for Lionsgate Entertainment. He has worked on all sorts of movies, ranging from Batman Begins and Twilight to Red and Now You See Me. His desire to collaborate on Atom stems from his belief that all people (young, old, and everything in between) want to go out to the movies with friends – they just haven’t had the right tools. Geoff holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In addition to being a film executive, Geoff is an avid chef and a horrible dishwasher. Geoff’s favorite movie is "Black Hawk Down."



Leadership

Bryan Bowles

Bryan Bowles

CEO
Bryan Bowles joined Atom in the summer of 2021 and is excited to help create a better digital ticketing experience. Bryan is also a Founding Principal of Bryor Media Partners with over 15 years of experience providing strategy and M&A services in the media sector. Prior to establishing BMP, Bryan was Executive VP of Corporate Development for ITV Studios America, the largest independent television production company in the US, where he supervised all M&A and joint-venture activity in North America, while providing strategy support for the full ITV portfolio of companies. During his tenure at ITV, he was the principal lead on the acquisitions of Gurney Productions, High Noon Entertainment, and Thinkfactory Media. Before that, Bryan spent 12 years at Sony Corporation of America and Sony Pictures Entertainment. While at Sony, Bryan played leading roles in the $2.2BN acquisition of EMI Music Publishing and the $4.9BN acquisition of MGM Studios. Bryan’s favorite movie is “Pulp Fiction.”
Archith

Archith

CTO
Meet Archith, a mission-driven, hands-on engineering leader with over 13 years of experience in software development. He's built and managed mission-critical, highly available, and large-scale distributed systems in the cloud, driving over $100M in annual revenue. With a knack for technology and people management, Archith excels in building products at scale from 0 to 1. He loves watching cricket and playing games on his PS5 in his free time. Archith's passion lies in leveraging technology to solve complex problems, enhancing user experiences, and delivering robust, scalable solutions while having a bit of fun along the way.

  • Michael Amouyal (Marketing)

    Favorite Movie: The Social Network

  • Eric Leino (Product)

    Favorite Movie: Argo

  • Reza Rahman (Infrastructure)

    Favorite Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring