Light Industry Cinema Project

What Light Industry Cinema Project does

Light Industry is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit microcinema and event venue founded in March 2008 by Thomas Beard and Ed Halter. The organization presents screenings, lectures, discussions, and performances focused on experimental, avant-garde, and non-commercial cinema that rarely reaches mainstream venues. Its operations center on a single physical location at 361 Stagg Street, Suite 407, Brooklyn, equipped with 16mm/Super-8 and digital projection capabilities and designed by AD-WO with AV consulting from Glen Fogel.

The organization's core offerings extend beyond event programming to include a publishing imprint that has produced four notable titles since 2017 — "Metaphors on Vision" by Stan Brakhage (2017, with Anthology Film Archives), "The Films of Doris Wishman" (2019, with Inpatient Press), Michael Snow's "Cover to Cover" (2020, with Primary Information), and "Temporal Territories: An Anthology on Indigenous Experimental Cinema" (November 2024, with COUSIN Collective). Publications are sold through a Big Cartel online storefront alongside merchandise, artworks, and posters. Revenue is diversified across event admissions ($6-8 standard tickets or pay-what-you-can with $10 suggested donation), recurring Patreon memberships, one-time tax-deductible donations, publication sales, and merchandise.

Light Industry serves a niche community of film scholars, experimental cinema enthusiasts, and artists, with audience acquisition driven by curatorial reputation, word-of-mouth, website calendar, mailing list, and social channels (Instagram, Are.na). Institutional support includes the Mellon Foundation (via Coalition of Small Arts New York), New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and New York State Council on the Arts. The organization operates with a lean cost structure, with a Board of Directors that includes notable cultural figures such as Hilton Als, Paul Chan, and Kelly Reichardt.

Name

Light Industry Cinema Project

Legal name

Light Industry

Website

https://lightindustry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Light Industry is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit microcinema founded in 2008 by Thomas Beard and Ed Halter that presents experimental, avant-garde, and non-commercial cinema alongside a small publishing imprint serving film scholars and enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema Venue

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG)

Keywords

• Experimental cinema screenings
• Microcinema venue
• Avant-garde film programming
• Independent film events
• Art cinema publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Event Tickets: Admission fees for screenings, lectures, performances, and special events. Tickets are sold at the door with pay-what-you-can options for some events.
2. Membership (Patreon): Monthly contributions through Patreon platform to sustain Light Industry with small recurring donations from dedicated audience members.
3. One-time Donations: Tax-deductible donations through PayPal and other channels. Accepts check donations by mail.
4. Publications Sales: Sale of books and publications including 'Temporal Territories' ($25), 'Cover to Cover' ($30), 'The Films of Doris Wishman' ($10), and 'Metaphors on Vision' ($40). Sold through online storefront (Big Cartel) and at events.
5. Merchandise and Artwork Sales: Sale of merch, artworks, and posters through their online storefront at Big Cartel. All sales support upcoming Light Industry programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Light Industry is a Brooklyn-based microcinema and event venue that hosts screenings, lectures, discussions, and performances focused on experimental, avant-garde, and non-commercial cinema. The organization also operates a publishing program producing books on experimental cinema, including reprints of out-of-print classics and new scholarly anthologies. It is supported by ticket sales, membership contributions, donations, and institutional grants.

Product overview

Light Industry is a Brooklyn-based cinema venue presenting hundreds of events annually—screenings, lectures, discussions, performances—since March 2008. The organization operates as both a physical venue and a publishing house. Its core offerings include the cinema venue itself, a publications program that republishes experimental cinema classics and produces new anthologies (such as "Metaphors on Vision," "Cover to Cover," "Temporal Territories"), merchandise through BigCartel, and a membership/donation program via Patreon. The venue was developed and is overseen by Thomas Beard and Ed Halter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Light Industry Cinema Venue A Brooklyn-based physical venue at 361 Stagg Street, Suite 407, presenting screenings, lectures, discussions, and performances for film enthusiasts and the experimental cinema community. Developed and overseen by Thomas Beard and Ed Halter, with space designed by AD-WO and Glen Fogel as A/V consultant.
• Publications Program Light Industry's publishing program releases books on experimental cinema, including reprints of out-of-print classics and new anthologies. Titles include 'Metaphors on Vision,' 'Cover to Cover,' 'The Films of Doris Wishman,' and 'Temporal Territories.'
• Temporal Territories: An Anthology on Indigenous Experimental Cinema The first critical anthology devoted to Indigenous experimental cinema, featuring newly commissioned pieces alongside reprints of key writings, theoretical interventions, artist portfolios, intergenerational dialogues, and manifestos. Edited by COUSIN Collective and published with Light Industry.
• Cover to Cover by Michael Snow Michael Snow's classic artist's book republished in a facsimile edition. Originally released by Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1975. Published by Light Industry and Primary Information, with James Hoff as Managing Editor and Rick Myers as Managing Designer.
• The Films of Doris Wishman Edited by Peggy Ahwesh, this book documents the films of Doris Wishman and includes a facsimile of the original 1995 zine plus unpublished transcript of a 1994 video interview with Wishman.
• Metaphors on Vision by Stan Brakhage Stan Brakhage's landmark theoretical statement on cinema, originally published in 1963. Republished by Anthology Film Archives and Light Industry in 2017 with full facsimile of original George Maciunas design, corrected text, and annotations by P. Adams Sitney.
• Merchandise, Artworks, and Posters A selection of merchandise including artworks and posters available for purchase through the online storefront on Big Cartel. All sales support upcoming Light Industry programs.
• Membership Program Monthly membership program through Patreon to sustain Light Industry with small recurring contributions from dedicated audience members. Also accepts one-time tax-deductible donations via PayPal and by check.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of events presented since 2008

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• COUSIN CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2024COUSIN Collective (Sky Hopinka, Adam Khalil, Alexandra Lazarowich, and Adam Piron) collaborated with Light Industry to publish 'Temporal Territories: An Anthology on Indigenous Experimental Cinema' in November 2024. This is the first critical anthology devoted to Indigenous experimental cinema, featuring newly commissioned pieces alongside reprints of key writings.
• Primary InformationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLight Industry partnered with Primary Information to republish Michael Snow's classic artist's book 'Cover to Cover' in October 2020.
• Inpatient PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLight Industry partnered with Inpatient Press to publish an expanded edition of 'The Films of Doris Wishman' by Peggy Ahwesh in January 2019.
• Anthology Film ArchivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLight Industry co-published 'Metaphors on Vision' by Stan Brakhage with Anthology Film Archives in September 2017. Anthology Film Archives also preserves prints of films programmed by Light Industry.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Primary Information: NYC nonprofit art-book publisher. Directly comparable as Light Industry's co-publishing partner on Michael Snow's 'Cover to Cover,' with an overlapping editorial footprint in experimental/avant-garde art publishing.

Broad incumbents

• Metrograph: NYC repertory/art-house cinema with restaurant and bookshop. Comparable as a curated film exhibition venue, though larger, more commercial, and focused on repertory rather than experimental work.
• Film at Lincoln Center: Nonprofit cinema program affiliated with Lincoln Center, presenting festivals and repertory programming. Comparable mission-driven film curation and exhibition at materially larger scale.
• Film Forum: NYC's leading nonprofit art-house cinema. Comparable as a nonprofit cinema exhibition venue, though with broader programming, multiple screens, and significantly larger scale.
• IFC Center: Independent art-house cinema in Greenwich Village. Comparable as a curated independent/experimental film exhibition venue, though commercially operated rather than mission-driven.

Direct peers

• UnionDocs: Brooklyn-based collaborative documentary studio and screening venue. Operates a single physical space hosting curated screenings, discussions, and residencies — a comparable community-oriented documentary/independent film venue.
• Anthology Film Archives: New York's principal cinema venue dedicated to experimental, avant-garde, and independent film. Directly comparable because Anthology co-publishes Light Industry's 'Metaphors on Vision' and preserves Light Industry-programmed prints.
• Northwest Film Forum: Seattle-based nonprofit art-house cinema and filmmaking resource center. Operates a single venue with curated independent/experimental cinema, community programming, and filmmaker support — structurally a close peer to Light Industry in a different region.
• Maysles Documentary Center: Harlem-based microcinema and documentary education nonprofit. Operates a small venue with curated documentaries, public programming, and filmmaker events — structurally similar small-scale documentary/independent film exhibition.
• Spectacle Theater: Brooklyn-based microcinema screening rare, underground, and experimental film. Closest operational peer to Light Industry, with a similar pay-what-you-can model and a parallel focus on non-commercial programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/lightindustry
• Facebookfacebook.com/lightindustry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/light-industry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Light Industry Cinema Project