About MKPE

Michael
Karagosian

Michael Karagosian

Michael Karagosian is the founder of MKPE, a business development consultancy based in Los Angeles, California. Michael has been a leader in the cinema industry for over 30 years, and is known for his work supporting the worldwide theatrical transition from film to digital projection. His successes include the negotiation of virtual print fee subsidies covering up to $300M of digital projection equipment in Ireland, UK, Philippines, and five countries in Latin America, and led development of the DCP content packaging concept used daily in cinema. Michael was a driver behind digital 3D in exhibition, and served on the Board of Directors for pioneering 3D conversion company In-Three.

In the exhibition market, Michael consulted the National Association of Theatre Owners for 11 years, driving the development of foundational standards for digital cinema and representing the technology interests of theater owners during the development of the DCI specification. He conceived and led the standards effort for cinema closed captions, enabling competition and dramatically reducing the cost of compliance to US ADA law. Michael's effort paved the way for the US Department of Justice Final Rule on Movie Captioning in 2016, which specifically names him and his work.

Michael worked to develop, defend, and monetize the intellectual property of Pendrell/ContentGuard, MasterImage 3D, and Laser Light Engines. Prior to the digital transition, he co-founded and led CinemaAcoustics, a division of Peavey Electronics, was Chief Engineer of BGW Systems, and consulted to Walt Disney Imagineering. He led the development of Dolby's flagship cinema and recording studio products in the late 70's and early 80's, including 70mm stereo surround for Apocalypse Now and the first THX-approved cinema audio processor.

A graduate of UC Berkeley, Michael is a SMPTE Life Fellow, a Life Member of the Audio Engineering Society, co-founder and former co-chair of the ASC's MITC Technology Committee on Next Generation Cinema Display, and a recipient of the ShoWest 2006 Award of Appreciation for the Advancement of Digital Cinema.

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