What Educational Video Center does

Educational Video Center (EVC) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1984 by Steve Goodman to teach documentary filmmaking to young people as a means of developing artistic, critical literacy, and career skills. The organization operates a portfolio of in-school and after-school youth documentary programs — Youth Documentary Workshop (YDW), New Media Arts (NMA), and the 'We're All Connected' urban-rural collaboration — delivered primarily through NYC public schools including transfer schools, District 79 schools, international schools, and equivalency programs. Approximately 95% of EVC's 28,000+ lifetime participants are BIPOC youth aged 13-21, and the curriculum is built on Freirian pedagogy and trauma-informed, culturally responsive practice.

The core technology consists of professional video cameras, audio recording equipment, and standard nonlinear editing software (Adobe Premiere, iMovie, WeVideo) used by youth to produce short documentaries on social issues identified as significant to their lives. EVC's proprietary IP is primarily pedagogical rather than technological: the Youth Powered Video curriculum, The 4 I's of Oppression workshop framework, and the 'Know Your Rights Blueprint' guide co-developed with the NYC Department of Education's Office of Post Secondary Readiness. The organization also publishes academic titles through Teachers College Press ('Teaching Youth Media,' 'It's Not About Grit') that codify its methodology for broader educational use, and maintains a 40-year award-winning film archive.

EVC's business model is a nonprofit hybrid. Primary revenue comes from foundation grants (Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Nellie Mae, Mozilla Foundation, Nissan Foundation) and government funding; secondary streams include individual donations (including alumni monthly recurring gifts), contracted professional development and instructor services ($250/full day), and film licensing/screening hosting fees. Programs are delivered free to youth participants. Distribution is direct via school partnerships, community organizations, and public screening events rather than through commercial channels. The organization is led by Executive Director Ambreen Qureshi (hired 2018 as the first BIPOC executive director) with founder Steve Goodman serving as Executive Director Emeritus.

Name

Educational Video Center

Legal name

Educational Video Center

Website

https://evc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Educational Video Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1984 that teaches documentary filmmaking to NYC public school youth, primarily BIPOC students, developing artistic, critical literacy, and career skills through trauma-informed, culturally responsive curriculum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Media Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Instructional Video & Multimedia (EDAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational & Instructional Nonfiction (MPADADAL), Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Youth documentary education
• Media arts training
• Documentary filmmaking programs
• Teacher professional development
• Youth media nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: EVC receives significant funding from foundations (Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Nellie Mae Education Foundation) and government grants for programming, curriculum development, and teacher training.
2. Individual Donations: Monthly recurring donations from alumni and community members, one-time donations, and major donor contributions. Suggested donation amounts include $1-5/month from alumni.
3. Professional Development Services: EVC provides professional development training for teachers and schools, including curriculum implementation support and workshop facilitation.
4. Film Sales and Screening Hosting: EVC films are available for purchase and organizations can host screenings of student-produced documentaries to educate and motivate community audiences.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Educational Video Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that teaches documentary filmmaking, critical media literacy, and career skills to young people through in-school and afterschool programs in New York City public schools, complemented by teacher professional development, community screenings, and a publishing line of curriculum books and guides. Core programs include the Youth Documentary Workshop (YDW), New Media Arts (NMA), Professional Development Program, Credible Educators, We're All Connected urban-rural collaboration, and Docs & Dialogue community screenings, all anchored by the proprietary Youth Powered Video curriculum.

Product overview

Educational Video Center is a non-profit youth media organization offering a multi-faceted educational portfolio centered on teaching documentary filmmaking as a means of social change. The core offerings include the Youth Documentary Workshop (YDW), New Media Arts (NMA), Professional Development Program, and the Youth Documentary Archive—a living collection of 40+ years of youth-produced films. Supporting programs include Credible Educators (teacher training), We're All Connected (urban-rural youth collaboration), and Docs & Dialogue (community screenings). EVC also publishes curriculum materials and books including 'Teaching Youth Media', 'It's Not About Grit', 'Youth Powered Video', 'Turn On the Power!', and the 'YO-TV Production Handbook', which codify their pedagogical approach for broader educational use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Youth Documentary Workshop (YDW): EVC's core program teaching documentary filmmaking to high school students
• Youth Organizers TV (YOTV)
• Community Organizers TV (COTV)
• The 4 I's of Oppression
• Youth Powered Video

Products and services

• Youth Documentary Workshop (YDW) EVC's primary program where students collaborate to produce short documentary films about social issues they identify as significant to their lives and communities, culminating in public screenings. Designed for BIPOC youth ages 13-21 attending NYC public schools, delivered free of charge through school partnerships.
• New Media Arts (NMA) Program focused on digital media arts education and creative production for youth, building on EVC's documentary filmmaking foundation.
• Professional Development Program Training and professional development services for educators to build capacity for youth-centered, culturally responsive teaching using media arts. Delivered to NYC public school teachers and school leaders, with contracted session rates such as $250/full day and $150/half-day for Youth Media Documentary Film Instructors.
• We're All Connected Cross-cultural documentary program connecting NYC and Appalachian youth to explore shared experiences across geographical and racial divides through collaborative documentary filmmaking. Originally launched in 1984 with the Roses Creek, Tennessee partnership and revived in 2017 with Mozilla Foundation funding.
• Docs & Dialogue Community screening program where EVC's award-winning youth documentaries are shown to spark critical conversations and inspire action in schools, community organizations, and festivals. Includes hosted screenings with discussion guides and optional EVC staff facilitation.
• Credible Educators

Quantifiable outcome

• 180+ awards and official film festival selections worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• New York City CouncilminorOthers · 1 January 2024EVC youth leader Mously Thiam testified before the New York City Council in March 2024, demonstrating EVC's impact on youth civic engagement and policy advocacy.
• AppalshopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984Appalshop, a community film center in Eastern Kentucky founded in 1969 as part of the War on Poverty, inspired EVC's founder Steve Goodman and became a key partner for collaborative youth media programs. Appalshop provided free use of editing facilities and film programming inspiration that led to EVC's urban-rural youth exchange programs.
• Marie Cirillo / Woodland Community Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984Marie Cirillo, a community organizer from Clearfork Valley in eastern Tennessee, provided cabin facilities on the Woodland Community Land Trust for EVC's collaborative summer documentary camps with Appalachian youth, and organized grassroots community events and oral history projects.
• NYC Department of Education Office of Post Secondary Readiness (OPSR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPSR partnered with EVC to develop and disseminate the 'Know Your Rights Blueprint' curriculum guide for principals and teachers across all OPSR schools, promoting EVC's model of Youth Participatory Action based on student voice/choice.
• CTV Channel 20 Cable Access Station (Knoxville)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCTV Channel 20 cable access station donated edit suite time and broadcast their youth documentaries, shooting studio interviews with students about their work.
• Highlander Research and Education CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth participants in the 'We're All Connected' program visited the Highlander Research and Education Center to learn about the history of Southern organizing and connections between urban and rural youth.
• Local Grassroots Organizations (Appalachian)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local organizations in Appalachian communities including Parent Resource Center, documenting oral histories, community organizations, and events through the Rural Video production company formed by camp participants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC): San Francisco-based nonprofit providing youth media production, media-maker training, and digital arts programs; comparable to EVC in delivering youth documentary/media-arts education and supporting a community of emerging media makers.
• Reel Works Teen Filmmaking: Brooklyn-based nonprofit that mentors NYC teens in documentary filmmaking and produces youth-led films; shares EVC's model of pairing high-school youth with professional mentors to create original short documentaries.
• Spy Hop Productions: Salt Lake City-based nonprofit offering youth media production programs in film, audio, and music; comparable to EVC as a multi-decade youth media organization producing award-winning youth content and offering professional development.
• The LAMP: NYC-based nonprofit that brings media literacy and video production education to K-12 students and educators; closely aligned with EVC's emphasis on critical literacy, teacher training, and youth-led media.
• Appalshop: Community-based documentary and media arts organization in Eastern Kentucky, founded in 1969 as part of the War on Poverty; EVC's direct collaborative partner and the historical inspiration for its urban-rural youth exchange program.
• Global Action Project: NYC-based nonprofit that uses media production and storytelling to train youth of color in video, digital, and audio arts for social justice—directly comparable to EVC's youth documentary and media-justice pedagogy in the same city.
• Scribe Video Center: Philadelphia-based nonprofit providing documentary video production and media arts training to youth and adult community members; closely mirrors EVC's combination of youth documentary workshops, community screenings, and social-issue storytelling.
• Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV): NYC nonprofit documentary media arts center offering youth media education, production workshops, and film screenings; comparable to EVC in mission, geography, and emphasis on community-driven documentary.

Regional players

• BYP100 (Black Youth Project 100): National member-based organization of Black youth activists creating culture and policy change through media and storytelling; comparable to EVC's youth-led, social-justice framing but focused on organizing rather than documentary production.

Emerging players

• Civic Life Project: National nonprofit that trains middle and high school students to produce short civics-focused documentary films; comparable to EVC's youth documentary model but oriented toward civic education across distributed school partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/E_V_C_
• YouTubevimeo.com/educationalvideocenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/educationalvideocenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/educational-video-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/educationalvideocenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Educational Video Center