What MIX NYC does

MIX NYC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 in New York City by Jim Hubbard and Sarah Schulman as The New York Lesbian and Gay Experimental Film Festival to showcase LGBTQ experimental cinema that was absent from both mainstream venues and traditional LGBTQ festivals. The organization operates the annual MIX FEST (now formally the New York Queer Experimental Film Festival) at Quad Cinema each November, supplemented by monthly One-Night Stand screenings at partner venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn including Anthology Film Archives, Film-Makers' Cooperative, Millennium Film Workshop, Spectacle Theater, and Brooklyn Art Haus. Its programming explicitly prioritizes Trans and BIPOC LGBTQIA2S+ filmmakers and has historically launched the careers of Su Friedrich, Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon, Barbara Hammer, Isaac Julien, and Jonathan Caouette.

The organization maintains no proprietary technology and operates primarily through standard web platforms: FilmFreeway for global film submissions (tiered fees), Ticketleap for festival passes, and Donorbox for donations and memberships. It preserves significant cultural assets including the ACT UP Oral History Project (launched 2003, coordinated by Hubbard and Schulman) and over 2,000 hours of AIDS-era film and video curated by Hubbard, now accessible at the New York Public Library. Revenue derives from four streams: tiered annual memberships ($75 Member, $250 Supporter, $500 Patron, $1,000 Advocate), tax-deductible donations, festival passes and individual screening tickets, and FilmFreeway submission fees. Contributing corporate sponsors (Shure, Adobe, Sherpa Films, Spunk) were added for MIX FEST 2025.

MIX NYC is governed by a Board of Directors and a committee-based volunteer structure. The current co-directors, Blake Pruitt and Alex Smith, assumed leadership in 2024 after a 2019 near-cessation of operations, leading a revival that included restarting year-round screenings, securing the flagship MUSEUM OF MIX collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in Spring 2025, and re-establishing MIX FEST as a three-night November event. Operations are described as volunteer-run, with funding directed to artist fees, year-round programming, and organizational continuity.

Name

MIX NYC

Legal name

MIX NYC

Website

https://mixnyc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MIX NYC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 that operates the New York Queer Experimental Film Festival (MIX FEST) and year-round One-Night Stand screenings, serving LGBTQIA2S+ experimental filmmakers and queer cinema audiences in New York City.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Film Festival

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

Keywords

• Queer experimental film
• LGBTQ film festival
• Experimental cinema programming
• Independent film exhibition
• Queer arts nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

New City

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. Membership Program: Annual membership tiers ranging from $75 to $1,000+ per year, offering benefits including free tickets, exclusive events, merchandise, and on-screen acknowledgement. This provides predictable recurring revenue from community supporters.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from community members and supporters. The organization explicitly states donations fund artist fees, year-round programming, and operations.
3. Festival Tickets and Passes: Revenue from 3-day festival passes and individual screening tickets for MIX FEST events held at venues like Quad Cinema.
4. Film Submissions: Submission fees collected through FilmFreeway for filmmakers submitting work to the annual festival, with tiered rates based on submission timing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

MIX NYC is a nonprofit organization that produces the annual New York Queer Experimental Film Festival (MIX FEST) and year-round curated screening events such as the One-Night Stand monthly series. Founded in 1987, it provides a curated exhibition platform for LGBTQIA2S+ experimental filmmakers, paying artist fees and travel stipends to selected creators while serving queer and experimental cinema audiences primarily in New York City.

Product overview

MIX NYC is a nonprofit organization that operates the annual MIX FEST queer experimental film festival (established 1987), along with year-round programming including One-Night Stand screenings. The organization also maintains the ACT UP Oral History Project and offers membership/donation programs. The festival showcases LGBTQIA2S+ experimental films through curated screening programs at various NYC venues, with associated events such as afterparties and collaborations with partner organizations. No distinct software products, digital platforms, or technology modules were identified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MIX FEST (New York Queer Experimental Film Festival)
• One-Night Stand
• Membership Program

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• e-fluxminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2025e-flux Screening Room is hosting the Experiment as Method, Care as Practice program in collaboration with The Film-Makers' Cooperative, Visual Aids, and MIX NYC.
• FilmshopminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2025MIX NYC co-presented the Into the Archives event with Filmshop on Governor's Island, featuring continuous film screenings, oral history recording booth, and archive management presentation.
• Spectacle TheaterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 July 2025Spectacle Theater hosts MIX events including the anti-4th of July programming and Friends of the Devil: Queer Occult Depravity screening series.
• Museum of Modern ArtflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2025MoMA is collaborating with MIX NYC on the Spring 2025 Exhibition: MUSEUM OF MIX, presenting a selection of films as part of a four-floor event featuring music, installations, and dark rooms. This major institutional partnership represents MIX's highest-profile collaboration.
• Visual AidscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2025Visual Aids co-sponsored the Please Hold premiere screening in March 2025, an event featuring Alexandra Juhasz's experimental documentary about HIV/AIDS and community memory. The partnership also includes co-presentation of the Experiment as Method shorts program in June 2026.
• Quad CinemacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Quad Cinema is the primary venue for MIX FEST 2024 and MIX FEST 2025, hosting three nights of screenings each November. The venue is wheelchair accessible with select screenings offering English subtitles.
• Anthology Film ArchivescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Anthology Film Archives serves as a venue for MIX events and was the host of the abbreviated 2019 festival organized by the Board of Directors. Historic venue partner dating to early MIX history.
• The KitchencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025The Kitchen is listed as a venue partner for MIX FEST 2025, continuing a historic relationship that dates to the 1990s when Shari Frilot moved MIX programming there.
• ShureminorOthers · 1 January 2025Shure is a contributing sponsor for MIX FEST 2025, providing audio equipment support for the festival.
• AdobeminorOthers · 1 January 2025Adobe is a contributing sponsor for MIX FEST 2025, supporting the festival's creative technology needs.
• Sherpa FilmsminorOthers · 1 January 2025Sherpa Films is a contributing sponsor for MIX FEST 2025, supporting independent queer filmmaking.
• SpunkminorOthers · 1 January 2025Spunk is a contributing sponsor for MIX FEST 2025.
• Narrow RoomsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2024Co-presented the screening of Jules Rosskam's DESIRE LINES at Anthology Film Archives. Narrow Rooms is NYC's only trans-masc-centered sex party, and this partnership helped reach new audiences for MIX FEST 2024.
• The Bronx Filmmakers CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2024MIX NYC and The Bronx Filmmakers Collective co-presented an avant-garde cinema program featuring works by cutting edge filmmakers from the Bronx at Millennium Film Workshop, promoting diverse voices within the queer experimental film community.
• Goethe-Institut New YorkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 15 July 2024Goethe-Institut New York served as venue for the Dispatches from Berlin's Queer Utopia/Dystopia screening, exploring queer Berlin cinema.
• Film-Makers' CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2024The Film-Makers' Cooperative hosted the first One-Night Stand screening marking the return of MIX NYC in May 2024. The Coop features works from their collection that premiered or played at past MIX festivals, and serves as an ongoing venue partner for monthly screenings.
• Millennium Film WorkshopcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2024The original venue of MIX's first festival in 1987, Millennium Film Workshop continues to host MIX events including Legacy Screenings and MIX x Bronx Filmmakers Collective programming.
• NewFestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987MIX NYC has partnered with NewFest for multiple events including co-presenting shorts programs and the world premiere of Jason and Shirley Revisited by Stephen Winter. NewFest is NYC's major LGBTQ+ film organization, and this partnership strengthens both organizations' reach within the queer film community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NewFest: New York City's primary LGBTQ+ film organization running the annual NewFest LGBTQ+ Film Festival and year-round programming. Direct peer to MIX NYC given shared LGBTQ+ film festival mission and active partnership on shorts programs and feature premieres.
• Frameline: San Francisco-based LGBTQ+ film organization and presenter of the Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the world. Operates an analogous nonprofit film festival model with year-round exhibition to MIX NYC.
• Outfest: Los Angeles-based LGBTQ+ media arts organization operating the Outfest Fusion LGBTQ+ Film Festival and Outfest Los Angeles. Comparable to MIX NYC as a major multi-program LGBTQ+ film nonprofit with year-round programming, archival initiatives, and filmmaker support.
• BFI Flare: London-based BFI LGBTQIA+ Film Festival presented by the British Film Institute. Closely comparable to MIX NYC as a curated queer film festival inside a larger cultural institution, focused on adventurous programming.
• Inside Out Toronto: Toronto-based 2SLGBTQ+ film organization presenting the annual Inside Out festival and year-round programming. Analogous to MIX NYC as a Canadian counterpart in queer film festival nonprofit operations.
• ImageOut: The Rochester LGBT Film Festival: Nonprofit organization running one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ film festivals in the US based in Rochester, NY. Comparable to MIX NYC as a nonprofit festival operator with year-round programming and membership support.

Others

• FilmFreeway: Global film submission platform used by MIX NYC for film submissions. An ecosystem enabler/infrastructure provider rather than a direct competitor; comparable technology platform for festival operations.

Broad incumbents

• Anthology Film Archives: New York-based independent nonprofit film archive and exhibitor dedicated to experimental and avant-garde cinema. Venue partner to MIX NYC since early festival history, broader in scope but comparable in serving the experimental-film exhibition community.
• Film-Makers' Cooperative: NYC-based artist-run nonprofit founded in 1962 that distributes and exhibits independent and experimental film. Direct venue partner to MIX NYC and a foundational experimental-film institution serving overlapping creator/audience communities.

Emerging players

• Wicked Queer Boston: Boston-based LGBTQ+ film festival operating as a smaller, more regional counterpart to MIX NYC's NYC-based operations. Comparable festival model but narrower geographic and programming scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mixnyc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mixnyc
• Facebookfacebook.com/mixnyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/mix_nyc
• TikToktiktok.com/@mix_nyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mix-nyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 MIX NYC