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Thomas Popp Passes Away

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Thomas Popp
Thomas Popp
Long-time ARRI employee, Thomas Popp passed away on Dec. 3.

In 1955, at the age of 14, he began his apprenticeship as a precision mechanic at ARRI – and remained with the company for over 55 years. Since 1966 he was employed in the construction department, where he was involved in the development of the ARRITECHNO 35, the ARRIFLEX 35III, 35IIIC, and the ARRIFLEX 16 BL under the direction of camera designer Erich Kaestner. After studying business administration, Popp held various positions in the sales department of ARRI Cinetechnik. He was always keen on special projects, such as managing the reconstruction of the ARRI cinema in 1984, which he completed with his team just in time for the German Media & TV Award “Bambi.”

He took care of the sales of the ARRIPRO and later the LOCPRO on-location projector. He also enthusiastically supported ARRI’s first digital products: the ARRILASER and the ARRISCAN. In 2003 he was appointed sales director camera & digital intermediate systems and granted commercial procuration.

From 2004 on, together with Sigrid Mueller, he was co-managing director of ARRI Lighting Solutions in Berlin, which was responsible for the lighting systems business and sales of lighting products in the EMEA region.

“Wherever Thomas Popp has worked for ARRI, he represented the company with his commitment, his positivity, and with his personal modesty,” said professor Franz Kraus, long-time executive board member and now member of the supervisory board of ARRI.

“Anyone who met Thomas Popp appreciated his reliability and his straightforwardness. He built bridges in many directions and actively promoted ARRI´s cooperation with partners – also in the field of film culture,” said Dr. Michael Neubauer, managing director of the German Society of Cinematographers (BVK). This included his commitment to the Camerimage festival in Poland, intensifying his ties with the BVK, and supporting the film technology museum in Deidesheim, Germany.

Even after his official retirement, Popp was still associated with ARRI and the film industry. From 2008 to 2014, he was a member of the board of the Foerdergemeinschaft Filmtechnik Bayern e. V. and received the special award “1st Friend of Camerimage” in recognition of his services to the world`s leading festival of cinematography.

Most recently, Thomas Popp was featured in ARRI’s video interview series “The Filmmaker’s View” and took part in the celebrations for the company’s centennial in 2017.

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