Digital Transformation

Keeping the last Blockbuster Video store up and running is no easy task

John Donegan

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John Donegan Enterprise Analyst, ManageEngine

Published on June 11, 2023

Enterprise analyst John Donegan speaks with IT expert and Blockbuster Video legend Dave Carrera, who has worked with Blockbuster longer than anyone else on the planet.

Today, Carrera single-handedly provides 24/7 tech support for all of the hardware and software that runs the last Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon. Through his Careera Company, he runs the servers out of his home office in Plano, Texas.

In a very eventful call, Carrera discusses his day-to-day work, the myriad challenges of maintaining the old software and hardware needed to run the Bend store, and the managerial decisions that led to Blockbuster’s 2010 bankruptcy.

John Donegan

John Donegan

Enterprise Analyst, ManageEngine

John is an Enterprise Analyst at ManageEngine. He covers infosec, cybersecurity, and public policy, addressing technology-related issues and their impact on business. Over the past fifteen years, John has worked at tech start-ups, as well as B2B and B2C enterprises. He has presented his research at five international conferences, and he has publications from Indiana University Press, Intellect Books, and dozens of other outlets. John holds a B.A. from New York University, an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University, an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.A. from Boston University.

 Learn more about John Donegan

Highlights

  • 2:16 How Carrera got started at Blockbuster
  • 7:27  Carrera’s current work with the last Blockbuster store
  • 9:23  Nostalgia, the relationship with DISH, and rescuing the franchisees
  • 13:40  The remaining hardware
  • 17:08  Uploading new releases
  • 20:21  Should Blockbuster have bought Video Central, H-E-B’s video rental arm?
  • 21:45  Failure to utilize access to customer data
  • 23:12  Pricing base store inventory and new release titles
  • 25:40  The tactile shopping experience
  • 27:15 The kiosk model; Alan Payne’s business model, and the long tail of distribution
  • 30:06  Blockbuster turns down Netflix deals

 

  • 33:01  Serialized TV keeps Blockbuster afloat
  • 35:07  Ending of late fees in 2005
  • 38:48  Revenue sharing with studios
  • 40:38  Starz, Epix, Movielink; refinancing debt, and real estate problems
  • 44:10  Geographical issues
  • 46:04  Blockbuster Total Access
  • 53:37  Taylor Morden’s 2020 documentary, The Last Blockbuster
  • 56:31  The longevity of Blockbuster’s backend systems
  • 58:52  FBOS: franchise back office management systems
  • 1:01:55  What really killed Blockbuster?
  • 1:03:54  Recent titles in the Bend store, and last thoughts

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