Pocket Productions

What Pocket Productions does

Pocket Productions is a community-focused arts organization headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, founded in 2009 by Aaron Pelzek and Kimi Maeda. The organization operates three core event series: ArtRageous (spontaneous public art performances in everyday locations), Playing After Dark (multi-disciplinary collaborative performances featuring local artists), and Independent Projects (partnerships with organizations such as Southern Exposure and Artista Vista). A 2013 addition, Tiny Doors of Columbia, extends the brand into permanent public art installations. The organization serves three primary segments: local artists (visual artists, musicians, performers, dancers, puppeteers, poets, writers) seeking commission-free venues and exhibition opportunities; the general public of the Columbia Midlands region seeking accessible arts experiences; and partner arts organizations seeking collaborative programming. The commission-free model, in which artists retain 100% of art sales, is a structural differentiator from fee-charging local galleries.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit structure in transition to 501(c)(3) tax status, currently utilizing Columbia Music Festival Association as fiscal agent. Revenue is diversified across grants (NEA Our Town, Knight Foundation, SC Arts Commission, Arts Institute at USC, Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties, City of Columbia, Richland County), tax-deductible donations and memberships, modest event admission fees (Playing After Dark $3, Art on the Trail $15-$45), and commissioned corporate projects (notably Cirque du Soleil, Colonial Life Arena). Most events remain free. The organization has reached over 10,000 Midlands residents, showcased 50+ visual artists, and partnered with 30+ organizations, supported by a small core leadership team (Executive Director Sherry Warren, Associate Director Kirill Simin, Board President Aaron Pelzek). Distribution is direct through public spaces, partner venues, and grassroots marketing via social media, email newsletter, and local press coverage.

Name

Pocket Productions

Legal name

Pocket Productions

Website

https://pocketproductions.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pocket Productions is a Columbia, SC-based non-profit arts organization that produces community-based collaborative art events including ArtRageous, Playing After Dark, and Independent Projects, serving local artists, Midlands residents, and partner arts organizations through a commission-free model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Events

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD)

Keywords

• Community arts events
• Public art installations
• Multidisciplinary performances
• Arts organization
• Collaborative art events

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: The organization accepts tax-deductible donations through its fiscal agent Columbia Music Festival Association. Members receive benefits including invitations to member-only events, website recognition, and committee participation. Membership subscription was noted as currently unavailable.
2. Event Revenue: Early Playing After Dark events charged small admission fees ($3). Artists receive 100% profit from art sales at events. The organization operates as a commission-free company for artists.
3. Grants and Sponsorship: Funded by grants from NEA Our Town Grant, Arts Institute at USC, Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties, South Carolina Arts Commission, City of Columbia, Richland County, Knight Foundation. Corporate sponsors support specific seasons and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pocket Productions is a Columbia, SC-based community arts organization that produces spontaneous public art events (ArtRageous), collaborative multi-disciplinary performances (Playing After Dark), and public art installations such as the Tiny Doors of Columbia project. The organization also accepts commissioned artwork for corporate clients and runs independent collaborative projects with local artists, operating on a commission-free model where participating artists keep 100% of sales proceeds.

Product overview

Pocket Productions is an arts organization that produces community-based collaborative art events in Columbia, SC. Their core offerings consist of three event series: ArtRageous (spontaneous public performances and installations), Playing After Dark (multi-disciplinary collaborative art events with local artists), and Independent Projects (collaborations with organizations like Southern Exposure and Artista Vista). The organization does not offer software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ArtRageous: Spontaneous art series featuring public performances and events that bring art to everyone, everywhere in Columbia, SC. Inspired by Improv Everywhere.
• Playing After Dark
• Independent Projects
• Tiny Doors of Columbia

Products and services

• ArtRageous Spontaneous public art events that bring art into public spaces in Columbia, SC, allowing local artists to exhibit and sell work without commission fees to a general community audience.
• Playing After Dark Collaborative multi-disciplinary art performances held at night in Columbia, SC, combining visual art, music, dance, and performance in public settings.
• Tiny Doors of Columbia Public art installation project featuring small decorative doors placed around Columbia, SC, designed to bring small-scale art discoveries into everyday public spaces.
• Independent Projects Collaborative art projects with independent artists in Columbia, SC, organized as part of the organization's broader community arts programming.
• Corporate Commissions Commissioned artwork and promotional art projects delivered to corporate clients in and around Columbia, SC, providing revenue to support the non-profit's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Showcased artwork of over 50 local visual artists
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Columbia Museum of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for gallery events including Ugly Art theatrical performances. Hosts ArtRageous events and provides exhibition space for artists.
• Palmetto Conservation FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for statewide Art on the Trail environmental art projects along the Palmetto Trail. Joint initiative to create art installations using natural materials found along the trail.
• Columbia Marionette TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal venue for Playing After Dark events. Home to puppeteers Lyon Forrest Hill and Kimi Maeda.
• Colonial Life ArenaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Cirque du Soleil promotional projects and Zombie Flash Mob collaboration.
• Southern Exposure (USC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning New Music Series collaboration pairing local visual artists with nationally renowned musicians. Includes Artists Exposure gallery component at performances.
• Cirque du SoleilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned four local artists to create promotional artwork for Alegria performance in Columbia. Sponsorship through Colonial Life Arena.
• Columbia Music Festival AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiscal agent during 501(c)(3) application process. Provides venue (CMFA Art Space, 914 Pulaski Street) for Playing After Dark events.
• Trustus TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Ugly Art theatrical productions at Columbia Museum of Art.
• Improv EverywhereminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspired ArtRageous; founder Charlie Todd is Columbia SC native. Collaboration for MP3 Experiment public performance.
• Friends of RCPLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator for Improv Everywhere MP3 Experiment at Urban Tour.
• SC Book FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Tiny Doors of Columbia series providing input on author selection.
• SC Humanities CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Tiny Doors of Columbia series providing input on author selection.
• Indie GritsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEA-funded expansion of visual art component for Indie Grits festival.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• MASS MoCA: Large-scale contemporary art institution presenting multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts programming. Comparable in cross-medium, multi-disciplinary arts presentation and institutional partnerships, though operating at materially larger scale.
• Burning Man Project: Nonprofit that produces Black Rock City and supports regional events centered on community-driven art, self-expression, and spontaneous participation. Comparable in mission to enable artist-driven public art experiences accessible to broad audiences.
• The Public Theater: New York-based nonprofit producing theater and public programming with a mission to make theater accessible. Comparable in free public programming, multi-disciplinary artist collaborations, and institutional partnership model.

Emerging players

• Meow Wolf: Artist-founded immersive arts company producing large-scale, multi-disciplinary installations. Comparable in combining visual art, performance, and storytelling into immersive public experiences, though operating at much larger commercial scale.

Direct peers

• Improv Everywhere: New York-based comedy group that stages spontaneous public performances and flash mobs. Pocket Productions explicitly credits Improv Everywhere as the inspiration for ArtRageous, with founder Charlie Todd cited as a Columbia, SC native, making this the closest peer in mission and method.
• Creative Time: New York-based nonprofit that commissions and presents public art projects in nontraditional spaces, partnering with cultural institutions and community groups. Directly comparable as a community-engagement public-arts nonprofit producing free, accessible programming in everyday locations.
• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: Long-running New York experimental theater nonprofit producing innovative, multi-disciplinary work and nurturing emerging artists. Shares the experimental/fringe performing-arts focus and artist-development mission that anchors Pocket Productions' Playing After Dark series.
• Forecast Public Art: National nonprofit supporting public art practitioners through grants, training, and commissioned projects. Comparable as a mission-driven intermediary connecting artists, communities, and institutions to produce public-facing art projects.

Others

• High Line Art: Public art program of the High Line in New York, commissioning site-specific installations and performances in a public space. Comparable in bringing art to nontraditional public venues and partnering with cultural institutions for programming.

Regional players

• Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Washington, DC-based theater company producing bold, experimental work and developing emerging artists. Comparable as a mid-sized performing-arts nonprofit focused on innovative programming and artist development in a single metropolitan market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PocketProductionsORG
• Facebookfacebook.com/pocketproductions
• Xx.com/PocketProSC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pocket-productions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Pocket Productions