Children’s Media Association
Children's Media Association is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run nonprofit founded in 2004 that convenes, educates, and connects professionals across children's television, animation, publishing, podcasts, games, and educational media through membership, mentorship, workshops, signature events, and research reports.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Children’s Media Association does
Children's Media Association (CMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 2004 in New York City, originally as Women in Children's Media and rebranded under President Sarah Wallendjack to reflect broader inclusion. The organization operates as a 100% volunteer-run community with no paid staff, governed by a volunteer board and an advisory team drawn from senior executives across major children's media companies including Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Nickelodeon, PBS KIDS, Sesame Workshop, Netflix Animation, and Fred Rogers Productions. CMA's purpose is to convene, educate, and connect professionals working across children's television, animation, publishing, podcasts, games, and educational content.
CMA's core offerings are a portfolio of member services rather than a unified technology product: tiered membership ($75–$250/year), a 7-month structured mentorship program with 500+ listed mentors, multi-session workshops (pitching, screenwriting, picture books, podcasting), signature keynote events (StoryTime, Red Chair), monthly in-person mixers across New York, Los Angeles, and Bay Area chapters, virtual panels and a screening room, on-demand video library, and quarterly Research & Insights Reports on representation, mental health, and climate literacy. Distribution is primarily via the childrensmediaassociation.org website, a YouTube channel, LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram (3,792 Instagram followers), and Tickettailor for event ticketing; partnerships with Kidscreen, PBS KIDS, The Jim Henson Company, GBH KIDS, Fred Rogers Productions, and Shared Studios extend reach.
The business model is a nonprofit operating model with three revenue streams: subscription-style recurring membership dues at three tiers, tax-deductible individual donations, and corporate sponsorships from industry partners. No revenue figures, headcount of paid staff, or institutional funding are disclosed; the organization is supported by leadership volunteers with day jobs across Disney, Sesame Workshop, PBS, GBH, HarperCollins, and SAP, among others. CMA's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with growth dependent on word-of-mouth, signature events, and industry reputation rather than paid acquisition.
Children’s Media Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Children’s Media Association
- Legal name
- Children's Media Association
- Website
- https://childrensmediaassociation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Children's Media Association is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run nonprofit founded in 2004 that convenes, educates, and connects professionals across children's television, animation, publishing, podcasts, games, and educational media through membership, mentorship, workshops, signature events, and research reports.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Children’s Media Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public/Nonprofit Children’s Educational Broadcasters (MPABAKAF)
Keywords
Where Children’s Media Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Children’s Media Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D, Personnel
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees at three tiers: Executive Member ($250/year), Regular Member ($150/year), and Student Member ($75/year). Membership provides access to events, mentorship, workshops, job board, and member-only content.
- Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting the organization's mission to inform, inspire, and connect children's media professionals.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from companies in the children's media and entertainment industry that support CMA's mission and gain visibility among industry professionals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Executive Member - $250/year - Full access with premium benefits |
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Member - $150/year - Standard membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Member - $75/year - Reduced rate for students |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Children’s Media Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Children's Media Association is a nonprofit professional association that provides a portfolio of community, education, and networking services to children's media professionals. Its core offerings include tiered individual memberships, in-person and virtual events across NY/LA/Bay Area chapters, multi-session industry workshops, a structured mentorship program, an on-demand video library, signature keynote events with industry luminaries, and quarterly research reports on representation and mental health in kids' media.
Product overview
Children's Media Association (CMA) is a nonprofit community organization offering a portfolio of member services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include: CMA Events (in-person/virtual meetups, mixers, panels across NY, LA, Bay Area chapters), CMA Workshops (multi-session industry skill programs including Pitch Me!, Screenwriting, Picture Books, Podcast workshops), CMA Mentorship Program (7-month structured mentorship with industry professionals), CMA Video Library (on-demand panels and interviews), CMA Keynote Events (StoryTime and Red Chair signature events), CMA Research & Insights Reports (quarterly research on representation in children's media), CMA Screening Room (virtual screening and streaming), and tiered CMA Memberships (Executive, Regular, Student). The organization connects professionals across the kids and family media industry through educational programming, networking, and professional development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CMA Membership Tiered annual membership program (Executive $250/yr, Regular $150/yr, Student $75/yr) providing access to events, mentorship, workshops, job board, member-only content, research reports, newsletters, and partner discounts for children's media professionals.
- CMA Events In-person and virtual events including meetups, mixers, panels, book clubs, karaoke nights, yoga sessions, board game nights, and networking gatherings across New York, Los Angeles, and Bay Area chapters.
- CMA Workshops
- CMA Mentorship Program 7-month mentorship program connecting industry veterans with emerging professionals through collaborative groups and 1-on-1 pairings, with over 500 mentors from companies including Netflix Animation, Nickelodeon, PBS KIDS, Disney, Sesame Workshop, and more.
- CMA Video Library On-demand library of virtual panels, thought leadership content, Meet Me On The Playground interviews, and Mavericks changemaker series, with members-only exclusive content accessible via the CMA website and YouTube channel.
- CMA Keynote Events Signature keynote events including the annual StoryTime event featuring industry luminaries sharing personal stories, and Red Chair conversations with notable children's media creators, including co-location with the Kidscreen Summit.
- CMA Research & Insights Reports Quarterly research reports covering representation topics including gender, race/ethnicity, and disability, plus reports on climate literacy and teen mental health for the kids and family media industry.
- CMA Screening Room
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 500 mentors and industry experts listed in mentorship program roster
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Children’s Media Association
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Children’s Media Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Children’s Media Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- KEPyR TeamminorCMA partnered with KEPyR Team to bring children's media professionals into real-time creative connection with young poets in Malawi's Dzaleka Refugee Camp via Shared Studios' Live Portal technology.
- KidscreencoreCMA partners with Kidscreen to bring the signature Red Chair Event to the Kidscreen Summit, a major industry conference. This partnership exposes CMA to senior children's media executives and positions the organization at a premier industry gathering.
- Skirball Cultural CenterminorHost venue for CMA's signature Red Chair Event in Los Angeles. The partnership provided an elegant cultural setting for the organization's high-profile industry gathering.
- PBS KIDSminorPBS KIDS partnered with CMA for programming around PBS KIDS Across America initiative, featuring content celebrating America's 250th birthday across puppetry, animation, and live action.
- The Jim Henson CompanyminorFeatured production partner in CMA programming around PBS KIDS Across America, presenting Wowsabout puppetry content for the initiative.
- GBH KIDSminorFeatured production partner in CMA programming around PBS KIDS Across America, presenting America's Awesome Kids live action content.
- Future Brain MediaminorFeatured production partner in CMA programming around PBS KIDS Across America, presenting City Island: USA! animated civics series.
- Fred Rogers ProductionsminorMajor children's media production company represented among CMA leadership and membership, contributing to mentorship program and industry programming.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Children’s Media Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kidscreen: Industry trade publication and B2B events company serving the children's entertainment sector. Kidscreen is the most directly comparable peer to CMA, convening executives through the Kidscreen Summit and year-round editorial coverage of the same children's media industry CMA serves.
- New York Women in Film & Television: New York-based nonprofit professional organization for women in film, television, and digital media. CMA literally originated from a NYWIFT children's television event in 2004, making it a near-clone peer in membership-association model and mission.
- Women in Film: National nonprofit advancing women in the entertainment industry. Shares CMA's women-in-media heritage, chapter-based membership structure, and professional development mission across film, television, and digital media.
- Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment: Nonprofit supporting women across toys, licensing, and entertainment industries. Closely comparable in mission (advancing women), membership model, and adjacent children's entertainment verticals that overlap with CMA's constituency.
- ASIFA-Hollywood (The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839): The Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Association and the IATSE union local representing animation professionals. Directly comparable as a membership-driven organization serving animators in the children's media ecosystem.
- NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications): Advocacy organization advancing diversity in the communications industry. Comparable professional association model serving media professionals with a representation-advancement mission that aligns with CMA's research focus.
Broad incumbents
- Producers Guild of America: Trade association representing thousands of producers across film, television, and new media. Shares the membership-association model and serves many of the same entertainment professionals CMA supports specifically in children's media.
- Writers Guild of America: Labor union and professional association representing over 12,000 film, television, and digital media writers. Many CMA members are WGA writers, and the WGA's guild-driven professional community model is broadly comparable to CMA's.
- Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: Membership-based organization behind the Emmy Awards, representing the television industry at scale. Comparable membership association model serving TV industry professionals that include CMA's children's media constituency.
- International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: Membership-based organization behind the International Emmy Awards, recognizing global television excellence. Comparable membership association structure serving TV professionals worldwide, addressing the global scope CMA aspires to via virtual programming.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Children’s Media Association social profiles
Digital presenceChildren’s Media Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Children’s Media Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Children’s Media Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Children’s Media Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Children’s Media Association
What does Children’s Media Association do?
Children's Media Association is a nonprofit professional association that provides a portfolio of community, education, and networking services to children's media professionals. Its core offerings include tiered individual memberships, in-person and virtual events across NY/LA/Bay Area chapters, multi-session industry workshops, a structured mentorship program, an on-demand video library, signature keynote events with industry luminaries, and quarterly research reports on representation and mental health in kids' media.
Is Children’s Media Association a public or private company?
Children’s Media Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Children’s Media Association founded?
Children’s Media Association was founded in 2004. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Children’s Media Association based?
Children’s Media Association is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Children’s Media Association make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are donations and corporate Sponsorships.
Who are Children’s Media Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kidscreen, New York Women in Film & Television, Women in Film, Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment, ASIFA-Hollywood (The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839) and NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications). Broad incumbents are Producers Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Does Children’s Media Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Children’s Media Association.
What industry is Children’s Media Association in?
Children’s Media Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAKAF, Public/Nonprofit Children’s Educational Broadcasters. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8600.