AMERICAN Geoffrey Klein has swapped Los Angeles's movie industry for downtown Eccles.
He once worked for Paramount and MGM Pictures reviewing scripts and choosing directors and casts for blockbusters like Mission Impossible 2, Legally Blonde and the James Bond movie Die Another Day.
Now he hopes to turn a former cinema on the A57 Liverpool Road into apartments.
The development is part of a drive to breathe life into the area.
Salford council bosses, who believe they need more government help to bring private investment to the road, introduced Regeneration Minister Phil Woolas to Geoffrey.
Geoffrey used to work in Los Angeles, where he met his English wife Nita and has now teamed up with father-in-law and business partner Steven Goodman, a Manchester property developer.
Together, as BFD Ltd, they have bought a former industrial building and the old Crown cinema on the busy A57 as they aim to use Eccles's mill town past to help rebuild its future.
Corridor
The council has stepped up investment in the area and given £250,000 in grants to small businesses to improve shop fronts and pavements.
City bosses say they want more new investment along the Liverpool Road "corridor" where high volumes of traffic and the decline of local shopping has depressed the area.
Deputy leader Coun David Lancaster, said: "Liverpool Road is a key gateway to our city and is critical to Salford's image as its appearance can influence people's impressions of the city as a whole. In the last two years we have had some success in Eccles.
"There are far fewer empty shops now and some key sites like this one have been developed after years of neglect. Now we want to take that a step further."
Geoffrey added: "Film production and property development aren't so different - they both start out with a schedule and budget and despite your best efforts, projects usually take longer and cost more than originally anticipated."
The Lyceum Theatre, later renamed The Crown, was the first purpose-built theatre in Eccles with performances dating from 1899.
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I live a few doors down from this cinema and have always wanted to go and explore the inside. The surrounding area is blighted by teenage hoodies drinking, fighting and terrorising whoever walks by. There is a take away also a few doors down and every weekend there are fights that spill out onto the road. 2 weeks ago the road was closed off for 6 hours after someone got stabbed and ended up in intensive care! The only way the council are going to breath new life into the area is to get rid of these youths who just hang around outside to cause trouble.
If we don't have the cinema, let's hope these developer will help return Eccles to prominence.