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ARRI way
both analogue and digital technologies.
Thomas Popp does not consider these two as
opposites – whether with regard to the technical
approach or to his gradual changeover
from the engineering to the sales department.
For him, it was a logical consequence of his
business training. The desire, “to see beyond
the end of your own nose,” as one says in
German, is perhaps his most important
motivation until today.
Under his leading management, a considerable
variety of new developments for the
clinical sector were realized in the years to
follow: the ARRIPRO 35 which later turned
into the LOCPRO 35, with appropriate mobile
ARRILAB, the QANSAD System and the ARRI
OSCAR. Products which almost seamlessly
and smoothly continued the outstanding
success of the ARRITECHNO X-ray camera.
For a company at home in the film business,
this was a mostly uncharted territory, however,
with almost 13,000 ARRITECHNO
cameras sold, a considerable sales turnover
was achieved.
Long before in the seventies, Thomas Popp
had laid down another milestone for this
business sector, when he developed and
marketed, in collaboration with Philips: the
first so-called DCI system for archiving in
medical technology – DCI for Digital Cine
Imaging - a very early forerunner of data
transfer from electronic images into the longterm
storage media film.
He was entrusted with this topic when it came
to continuing the improvement of image
processing in the medical sector, in cooperation
with diverse heart research centres as
well as OEMs. In 1999 ,Thomas Popp, on
behalf of ARRI, is awarded with the “Supplier
Quality Award“ by Philips-Best.
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1 + 2 1973 Design Engineer Thomas Popp
3 1978 with Erich Kästner and Otto Blaschek
4 1998 with Bob Arnold and Max Welz
In the new millennium, completely new
markets came into focus – this time, not
only from the technical, but even more from
the geographical point of view: from 2001
on Thomas Popp intensified his ambitious
work and focused on Eastern European and
Central Asian states which had previously
only been accessible to a certain limit for
political and economic reasons. This task
required large scale restructuring and a
person who has always regarded special
tasks as challenging opportunities, not as
barriers. ARRI has become a rocksteady
partner for the increasing cinematographic
boom in these countries. Therefore, it was
not surprising that a TV team for the German
network “Deutsche Welle“ accompanied
Thomas Popp during his trip from Moscow to
Kiew to report about the newly awakening
media market.
In 2002, Thomas Popp took over the management
for the camera and digital sector on a
directorial level – the worldwide network of
agencies was expanded, for example in Dubai,
Russia, Kasachstan, Asia, the Arabian World…
the rapidly increasing globalization points the
way for business development and brings
with it an increased demand not only for
technology, but also long years of experience
and a very personal commitment.
In 2004, Thomas Popp was appointed Sales
Director and together with Sigrid Müller, he
also took on the position of Managing Director
of the newly founded ARRI Lighting Solutions
in Berlin, which, aside from other projects,
plan and provide equipment to many studios
in the emerging markets.
“To act as a team player today is more important
than ever,“ is his credo and his recruitment
criteria is very individual – back
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W o r l d w i d e
in 1966, he already founded the FC ARRI
and has trained the company football team
for years. Aside from all the technology,
Thomas Popp`s dedicated ambition mainly
focuses on seeing the human side, making
partners and personal contacts. A good
product always remains part of a complete
unit. It is this very attitude that marks his
character and for which he was distinguished
in 2008 at Camerimage. Thomas Popp was
the first person to receive the Golden Frog
Award as a Festival Friend; since its foundation,
he had supported the Festival.
Camerimage`s increasing success has
made it an important meeting place for
renowned camera creatives worldwide. In
2010, Thomas Popp was admitted to the
BVK as extraordinary member – a special
honour granted only once before to an
ARRI member. Furthermore, since 2007, he
has been entrusted with activities in the
board of managers “Fördergemeinschaft
Filmtechnik Bayern – FGF e.V.”.
All this does not sound like retirement, even
if, after a working period of fifty five years,
he would have earned one. However, a true
member of the ARRI family, as is Thomas
Popp`s very personal definition, “does not
compromise: You have to live and breathe
ARRI. Experience is not something you can
pick up and hand over like a camera or a
light. A slow, calm and supportive development
towards to retirement is advantageous
for customers, too. This means I will still be
available as a consultant for some time.” That
is his concept for the time to come.
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