What Vidiots Foundation does

Vidiots Foundation is a women-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates an integrated cinema and video store venue in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles. Originally founded in 1985 as an alternative video store in Santa Monica, the organization relaunched in June 2023 at the historic Eagle Theatre, now occupying a nearly 11,000 square foot facility at 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd. The venue combines a 271-seat main auditorium (Eagle Theatre) with 35mm and digital projection, a 36-seat MUBI Microcinema with 4K Christie projection and 5.1 surround sound, and a physical video store housing 60,000-70,000 titles on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K Ultra-HD, plus a 10,000+ title VHS archive undergoing digitization.

The organization serves film enthusiasts, teens and tweens, local schools (LAUSD field trips), independent filmmakers, and private event clients through daily repertory screenings, a curated rental library, community programs (Movie Den, Rough Cuts, Teen Tix), and educational field trips. Revenue is generated across eight streams: annual memberships, ticket sales ($11-$13 GA), video store rentals, tax-deductible donations and Founding Member contributions ($5,000+), sponsorship programs (Express Your Shelf at $300/2yr, Come Sit With Us seat naming), private event rentals for both venues, on-site beer and wine bar/concessions, and limited-edition merchandise via Wylde Co. Operations are supported by Filmbot (ticketing), Libib (rental catalog), and Neon CRM (donations and memberships), with no disclosed technology platform or AI capabilities.

Strategic partnerships anchor programming and funding: MUBI for the microcinema, Golden Globe Foundation for Movie Den, Teen Tix for youth access, and media co-presenters including KCRW, Sony Picture Classics, Searchlight Pictures, Luaka Bop, and GYOPO. Marketing runs through Instagram, Facebook, Letterboxd, email newsletters (including an All-Ages variant), and earned media coverage in LA Times, Variety, IndieWire, and Deadline.

Name

Vidiots Foundation

Legal name

Vidiots Foundation

Website

https://vidiotsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vidiots Foundation is a women-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 271-seat cinema, 36-seat microcinema, and 70,000-title video store in Northeast Los Angeles. It serves film enthusiasts, teens, schools, and independent filmmakers through daily screenings, memberships, and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema & Film Exhibition

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Video Tape and Disc Rental (532282), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Video Tape Rental (7841)

akta.pro primary industry

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ), Private Screenings & Venue Rentals (Corporate, Parties) (MPADAKAJ), Campus & Educational Screenings (Universities, Schools) (MPADAKAI), Media Center & Audiovisual Lending Operations (Equipment Checkout, Production Support) (EDAEAGAG)

Keywords

• Repertory cinema
• Video rental library
• Film exhibition venue
• Nonprofit arts programming
• Community film screenings

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Annual Memberships: Tax-deductible annual membership program offering benefits including discounted movie tickets, free popcorn, and access to exclusive programming. Membership tiers include Individual and Dual plans.
2. Ticket Sales: Revenue from daily film screenings and special events across the 271-seat Eagle Theatre and 36-seat MUBI Microcinema. Various pricing tiers for general admission, seniors, students, military, and accessible seating.
3. Video Store Rentals: Rental library of DVDs, Blu-Rays, and 4K Ultra-HD titles from the 60,000+ title collection (previously stated as 70,000).
4. Donations and Sponsorships: Tax-deductible donations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Founding Members support at $5,000+ with lobby recognition. Corporate sponsorship opportunities available.
5. Sponsorship Programs: 'Express Your Shelf' allows sponsors to name sections of the video store collection for $300 (tax-deductible, two years). 'Come Sit With Us' allows naming seats in the Eagle Theatre or MUBI Microcinema.
6. Private Event Rentals: Both the Eagle Theatre (271 seats) and Micro-Cinema (36 seats) available for private events including corporate screenings, birthday parties, and tastemaker events.
7. Food and Beverage: On-site beer and wine bar generates ancillary revenue. Concessions including popcorn, candy, and drinks available at screenings.
8. Merchandise Sales: Limited-edition merchandise available online via Wylde Co (vidiotsmerch.org), and in-person including signature Ts, totes, socks, stickers, lapel pins, and books from North Figueroa Bookshop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vidiots Foundation operates a combined repertory cinema, microcinema, and physical media video store at its 11,000-square-foot venue in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles. Its core offerings are daily film screenings across the 271-seat Eagle Theatre and 36-seat MUBI Microcinema, rentals from a 70,000+ title DVD/Blu-Ray/4K UHD library, and supporting membership and community programs. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by ticket revenue, memberships, and tax-deductible donations.

Product overview

Vidiots Foundation operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization offering a unified cinema and video rental experience. The core offering combines the Eagle Theatre (a 271-seat main auditorium) and the MUBI Microcinema (an intimate 35-36 seat microcinema) for film screenings, alongside a physical video store with a 70,000-title rental library spanning DVDs, Blu-Rays, and 4K Ultra-HD formats. Additional services include membership programs, event rentals, community initiatives, and a beer/wine bar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eagle Theatre Screenings Daily film screenings in the 271-seat state-of-the-art main auditorium with 35mm and digital projection, presenting curated repertory, classic, indie, documentary, anime, and international films to film enthusiasts in Los Angeles.
• MUBI Microcinema Screenings Intimate film screenings in a 36-seat microcinema featuring 4K Christie projection and 5.1 surround sound, hosting specialized programming and indie films in partnership with MUBI.
• Video Store Rental Library Walk-in physical media rental library of 70,000+ titles on DVDs, Blu-Rays, and 4K Ultra-HD formats with no late fees, catalogued online via Libib. Targets film enthusiasts seeking rare and hard-to-find titles.
• Annual Membership Program Tax-deductible annual membership offering discounted daily screenings, free popcorn, no-late-fee video store access, and priority access to special events. Available as Individual and Dual plans for film enthusiasts supporting the nonprofit mission.
• Private Event Rentals Private rental of the 271-seat Eagle Theatre and 36-seat Microcinema for corporate events, tastemaker screenings, birthday parties, and other private gatherings, available with advance booking.
• Movie Den Matinee Series Curated tween and teen matinee repertory series in the Microcinema featuring coming-of-age stories and classic titles, offered at $2-3 tickets with free popcorn to lower cost barriers for younger audiences.
• TeenTix LA Partnership Partnership program with TeenTix nonprofit providing teens aged 13-19 access to Vidiots screenings for $5 per ticket with a free TeenTix Pass, breaking down cost barriers to arts access.
• Rough Cuts Filmmaker Screenings Monthly first-come-first-served rough cut screening program providing independent filmmakers no-cost access to the 36-seat Microcinema for rough cut, QC, and feedback screenings, available to Annual and Founding Members.
• VHS Preservation Initiative Ongoing digitization project preserving over 10,000 culturally significant and rare VHS titles from the Vidiots archive dating back to the mid-1980s in Santa Monica.
• Founding Membership Program Major donor program starting at $5,000 supporting the nonprofit mission, with recognition on the Founding Member wall in the Eagle Theatre lobby and special benefits including Annual Membership depending on donor level.
• Express Your Shelf Sponsorship Donor program allowing supporters to sponsor a section of the 70,000+ title video store collection for a $300 tax-deductible donation over two years, with naming recognition.
• Come Sit With Us Seat Naming Donor program allowing supporters to name a seat in the historic Eagle Theatre or MUBI Microcinema as a tax-deductible donation-based initiative supporting the nonprofit.
• Online Merchandise Store Limited-edition merchandise including signature Ts, totes, socks, stickers, lapel pins, and curated books available online via vidiotsmerch.org (Wylde Co partnership) and in-person at the venue.
• On-Site Beer and Wine Bar Beer and wine bar service at the Eagle Theatre venue generating ancillary revenue, with popcorn, candy, and drink concessions available at screenings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 40 years of continuous operation since 1985
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MUBIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMUBI partners with Vidiots for the MUBI Microcinema (36-seat venue) and supports Movie Den programming. Executive streaming service for independent and arthouse films.
• Wylde CominorGTM or Marketing PartnerWylde Co produces and manages Vidiots' limited-edition online merchandise store (vidiotsmerch.org).
• LUCCA MARTminorOthersLUCCA MART supplies signature Ts and totes for in-person purchase at Vidiots.
• North Figueroa BookshopminorOthersNorth Figueroa Bookshop provides specially curated books available for in-person purchase at Vidiots.
• Teen TixcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTeen Tix is a nonprofit partner breaking down barriers to teen arts access. Vidiots offers $5 tickets to teens with FREE TeenTix Pass.
• KCRWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKCRW co-presents special advance screenings with Vidiots, including Sony Picture Classics films.
• Sony Picture ClassicsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSony Picture Classics partners with KCRW and Vidiots for special advance screenings of films.
• Searchlight PicturesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSearchlight Pictures co-presents special anniversary screenings with Vidiots, such as the 20th Anniversary Little Miss Sunshine screening.
• Luaka BopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLuaka Bop (record label founded by David Byrne) co-presents screenings with Vidiots, including The Wailing with composer Jang Young-gyu.
• GYOPOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGYOPO co-presents screenings with Vidiots, including The Wailing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• MUBI: Global streaming and theatrical distribution platform for arthouse and independent film. Direct strategic partner to Vidiots (anchor of the MUBI Microcinema) and adjacent in serving the same cinephile audience, but does not operate physical venues at scale.

Broad incumbents

• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: National dine-in cinema chain with curated repertory programming. Comparable on theater + bar + community programming experience, but operates as a large multi-site for-profit with broader genre and event-based content.
• Laemmle Theatres: Family-owned independent art-house cinema chain in the Los Angeles area. Competes for the same art-house and curated film audience as Vidiots but operates as a multi-location for-profit chain with broader programming.

Direct peers

• Metrograph: New York City repertory cinema combining a theater, restaurant/bar, and film retail. Direct analog to Vidiots' integrated cinema + bar + curated retail format in a major metro, though operated as a for-profit commercial venture.
• Film Forum: Long-established NYC nonprofit repertory cinema with curated independent, foreign, and classic programming. Closest peer on nonprofit governance, mission-driven operating model, and repertory cinema audience development.
• AFI Silver Theatre: Nonprofit repertory cinema operated by the American Film Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland. Strong peer on nonprofit operations, repertory programming, and educational/community programming model.
• Scarecrow Video: Seattle-based nonprofit video store with a 120,000+ title physical media collection. The closest nonprofit analog to Vidiots' video store and VHS preservation mission, sharing the model of an oversized curated catalog held in a mission-driven structure.
• New Beverly Cinema: Los Angeles repertory cinema operated as a curated, format-driven 35mm/16mm venue. Closely comparable to Vidiots' Eagle Theatre as a single-site, repertory-focused LA cinema that pairs screenings with a film-collector ethos, though operated as a for-profit venue.
• The Frida Cinema: Southern California-based nonprofit art-house cinema operating the historic Frida (formerly the Frida...) in Santa Ana. Closest nonprofit repertory cinema peer in the region, sharing Vidiots' community-driven, mission-led operating model.
• American Cinematheque: Los Angeles-based nonprofit operator of repertory cinemas (Aero Theatre, Egyptian Theatre). Direct peer in mission, nonprofit structure, and LA repertory programming, though at greater scale and with longer operating history.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vidiotsvideo
• Instagraminstagram.com/vidiots
• Xx.com/vidiots
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vidiots-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Vidiots Foundation