Episode 4: Lessons from Blockbuster’s Rise and Fall with Alan Payne (Part 2)
In Episode 4 of Quality Time With MoreSteam, Alan Payne returns to continue the story of Blockbuster Video’s rise and fall. One of the company’s most successful franchisees and author of Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster’s Inevitable Bust, Alan dives deeper into the pivotal moments that reshaped the video rental industry.
This episode explores the shift from VHS to DVDs, the impact of early disruptors like Netflix and Redbox, and the nostalgia surrounding Blockbuster’s last remaining stores. Alan and Dan also discuss lessons learned about customer data, industry disruption, and the evolving role of process improvement.
Whether you’re a business leader, a fan of the Blockbuster era, or someone navigating a rapidly changing industry, this episode is filled with insights to inspire and inform.
In this episode you'll hear about:
1:14 - The transition from VHS to DVD
6:00 - The retail price of DVD as opposed to VHS
8:06 - Opening a video store across the street from a Blockbuster
10:30 - The video-rental industry and customer data
12:43 - The early days of Netflix
18:52 - Redbox and the kiosk rental business
22:13 - The Last Blockbuster
23:55 - Closing stores and Blockbuster nostalgia
26:47 - What Alan is doing now
Additional Resources
Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust by Alan Payne
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Host • MoreSteam
Dan Swartwout is the host of Quality Time with MoreSteam. A lifelong Central Ohio resident, Dan is a double Buckeye. He earned both a BA and a law degree from The Ohio State University. Before joining MoreSteam, Dan had a long career as a host, comedian, and master of ceremonies. For 17 years, Dan was the studio audience host for the Ohio Lottery game show Cash Explosion. Dan was also the host of CBuzz, which was a collaboration between the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, WWCD 92.9, and the Columbus Dispatch. On CBuzz, Dan interviewed some of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Central Ohio. From 2002-2020, Dan toured the country as a standup comedian. Tracks from his comedy CD have been played over 5,000 times on Sirius/XM satellite radio. Now, Dan brings his experience and enthusiasm to Quality Time with MoreSteam -- it's business and fun, together.
Alan Payne spent thirty-one years in the movie rental business, the last twenty-five of those as a Blockbuster retail franchisee. He took over a small group of Blockbuster stores in 1993 and grew it into one of the largest and most successful chains in the company. He finally closed his last store in 2018, more than eight years after Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy. He also authored the book, "Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust."
