Keeping the last Blockbuster Video store up and running is no easy task

John Donegan Enterprise Analyst, ManageEngine

Published on June 11, 2023

Enterprise analyst John Donegan speaks with IT expert and Blockbuster Video legend Dave Carrera, who has worked with Blockbuster longer than anyone else on the planet.

Today, Carrera single-handedly provides 24/7 tech support for all of the hardware and software that runs the last Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon. Through his Careera Company, he runs the servers out of his home office in Plano, Texas.

In a very eventful call, Carrera discusses his day-to-day work, the myriad challenges of maintaining the old software and hardware needed to run the Bend store, and the managerial decisions that led to Blockbuster’s 2010 bankruptcy.

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LISTEN NOW

John Donegan

Enterprise Analyst, ManageEngine

2:16 How Carrera got started at Blockbuster
7:27 Carrera's current work with the last Blockbuster store
9:23 Nostalgia, the relationship with DISH, and rescuing the franchisees
13:40 The remaining hardware
17:08 Uploading new releases
20:21 Should Blockbuster have bought Video Central, H-E-B's video rental arm?
21:45 Failure to utilize access to customer data
23:12 Pricing base store inventory and new release titles
25:40 The tactile shopping experience
27:15 The kiosk model; Alan Payne's business model, and the long tail of distribution
30:06 Blockbuster turns down Netflix deals

33:01 Serialized TV keeps Blockbuster afloat
35:07 Ending of late fees in 2005
38:48 Revenue sharing with studios
40:38 Starz, Epix, Movielink; refinancing debt, and real estate problems
44:10 Geographical issues
46:04 Blockbuster Total Access
53:37 Taylor Morden's 2020 documentary, The Last Blockbuster
56:31 The longevity of Blockbuster's backend systems
58:52 FBOS: franchise back office management systems
1:01:55 What really killed Blockbuster?
1:03:54 Recent titles in the Bend store, and last thoughts