Despite Litigation, Goetz’s Screen Engine Growing Fast

Still working out his messy divorce from OTX, the movie tracker’s new firm is full-up with clients and screenings

Four and a half months after leaving research firm OTX to branch out on his own — and kicking off a nasty legal squabble in the process — movie tracker Kevin Goetz says he has more business than he can handle.

Goetz said that despite ongoing litigation with OTX – which includes injunctions on the use of data he culled while working there – business is “bursting at the seams,” with the Screen Engine conducting up to a dozen test screenings per week.

“My clients wanted to follow me wherever I was going, which has been great,” he told TheWrap.

OTX declined to respond to Goetz's remarks, citing the lawsuit. But insiders at the company disputed Goetz's claim, and said they were doing more business in their motion picture research division this year than they were last year at this time.

Goetz said he has quickly built a client list that includes the bulk of Fox and Fox Searchlight’s motion picture research. Executives also said that Sony and Universal are also heavily subscribed to the new company’s business, mainly because of their relationship with Goetz.

The studios say they are also continuing to do some of their screenings with OTX.

Screen Engine is also branching into TV programming research, with Fox and ABC among the client ranks in that realm.

“Filmmakers and executives have a (a lot) of confidence in Kevin,” said one studio executive.

With 14 full-time employees on the payroll, and around 100 regular contractors, Goetz said he’s “too focused on the work” to worry about the ongoing litigation with OTX.

However, despite attempts to have that L.A. Superior Court complaint dismissed, the dispute remains unresolved.

Filed in March shortly after Goetz departed as head of his former firm's movie research department, OTX’s suit accused him of breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets and intentional interference with contractual relations, among other alleged offenses.

Reached for comment, OTX officials released the following statement: “Screen Engine continues to be required to comply with the court ordered preliminary injunction; Screen Engine’s attempts to have the case dismissed were soundly rejected by the court and the parties are in the early stages of discovery for the rest of lawsuit.”

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