Screen
Screen Magazine is a privately held Chicago-based digital trade publication covering film, television, and advertising industries for Midwest creative professionals, generating revenue through advertising and newsletter subscriptions and operating hosted film screening event series.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Screen does
Screen Magazine is a privately held, Chicago-based digital trade publication covering the film, television, and advertising industries, with primary editorial concentration on the Midwest region and additional US national coverage. The publication produces industry news, filmmaker interviews, production company profiles, film festival coverage, and advertising industry updates, distributed through the screenmag.com website, a weekly email subscription, and social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Its core product is the Screen Magazine digital publication, organized into editorial sections (Headlines, Columns including Five Questions with SCREEN, The Call Sheet, AD Community, One Chicago), Events coverage, an Archive, and video Reels content. The company also operates hosted film screening event series, specifically Express Film Club by SCREEN and SCREEN Film Club, which feature post-screening discussions with filmmakers and have hosted screenings including Village Rockstars 2 in Delhi and Sabar Bonda in Indian cinemas.
The business operates a dual revenue model combining advertising and sponsorships from film, television, and advertising industry companies with paid subscriptions and newsletter services. The go-to-market motion is event-driven, leveraging editorial coverage of regional film festivals (Chicago International Film Festival, Sundance, Alternating Currents Film Festival) and industry events. The company is independently operated with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or venture backing; leadership consists of Editor-in-chief Andrew Schneider. The underlying technology is a standard digital publishing platform with video content integration, with no proprietary features, APIs, or AI capabilities disclosed in source materials. Operating geography is primarily the US Midwest with national US reach, and the publication maintains an established regional brand with multi-decade continuous operation evidenced by archived content spanning from at least 2015 through 2026.
Screen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Screen
- Legal name
- Screen Magazine
- Website
- https://screenmag.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Screen Magazine is a privately held Chicago-based digital trade publication covering film, television, and advertising industries for Midwest creative professionals, generating revenue through advertising and newsletter subscriptions and operating hosted film screening event series.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Screen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Media Publication
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Entertainment & Celebrity Magazines (MPAJAEAK)
Keywords
Where Screen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Screen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
Revenue model
- Advertising and Sponsorships: Trade publication generating revenue through advertising placements, sponsored content, and brand partnerships with film, television, and advertising industry companies.
- Subscriptions: Paid subscription model for magazine content access including newsletter and archive services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Screen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Screen Magazine is a Chicago-based digital trade publication covering the film, television, and advertising industries in the Midwest and broader US market. It publishes editorial content including industry news, filmmaker and agency interviews, event coverage, and feature columns, generating revenue through advertising, sponsorships, and email newsletter subscriptions.
Product overview
Screen Magazine is a digital publication covering the film, television, and advertising industries. The publication offers a unified platform delivering industry news through its Headlines section, editorial features through Columns (including interviews like 'Five Questions with SCREEN' and filmmaker profiles), event coverage including film screenings (Express Film Club, SCREEN Film Club), an Archive of past content, a Subscribe newsletter service, and Reels video content. The publication primarily serves the Chicago-area creative community while covering broader industry trends and events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Screen
Customer profileSegments3 records
Screen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Screen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Manual CinemaminorManual Cinema collaborated on coverage of their A Christmas Carol production, featuring interviews with co-founder Sarah Fornace about their visually inventive performance using shadow puppets, paper cut-outs, and projection.
- Rima Das / Village Rockstars 2minorExpress Film Club by SCREEN hosted a screening of Rima Das's Village Rockstars 2 at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi, with audience members and critics praising the sequel.
- Dharma ProductionsminorFilm production company mentioned in coverage of Kesari Chapter 2 at World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit.
- Spirit MediaminorSpirit Media released the Marathi film Sabar Bonda (previously Grand Jury Prize at Sundance) in Indian cinemas following SCREEN Film Club screening.
- Schafer Condon CarterminorChicago-based independent agency featured in coverage, named agency partner for Navy Pier and involved in campaigns including Tootsie Roll commercials.
- Very Merry EntertainmentminorChicago-based production company featured in coverage for holiday films including Christmas on the Ranch, Christmas with Felicity, and Reporting for Christmas.
- Nicely EntertainmentminorEntertainment company handling worldwide distribution of holiday films featured in coverage, arranging premieres on Hulu and AMC+.
- Alternating Currents Film FestivalminorQuad Cities film festival featured in coverage for announcing 2026 official selections including 28 independent films.
- Athenaeum Center for Thought and CultureminorChicago non-profit hosting Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition featured in coverage, supporting film screenings and cultural events.
- Kartemquin FilmsminorChicago documentary production company featured in coverage for documentary projects including A Mystery to Me and The Dilemma of Desire.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
Screen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Animation Magazine: Trade publication focused specifically on the animation industry, with overlap into Screen's coverage of animation studios such as Calabash Animation. Comparable vertical trade publication model but with narrower animation focus.
Broad incumbents
- Backstage: Trade publication and casting platform serving actors and performers, including casting directors — a core Screen Magazine audience segment. Comparable editorial mission around film/TV industry visibility but with broader national reach and an integrated casting marketplace.
- Variety: Long-established global entertainment trade publication covering film, television, and digital media. Competes with Screen for ad budgets and audience attention but operates at significantly greater scale and broader geographic reach.
- IndieWire: Digital publication covering independent film, television, and digital content creation. Overlaps with Screen's coverage of independent filmmakers and Chicago-area indie productions, though at a much larger scale.
- Adweek: Leading trade publication covering advertising, media, and the agency world. Direct competitor to Screen's advertising/community coverage at the national level, with significantly greater resources and audience reach.
- The Hollywood Reporter: Major entertainment industry trade publication covering film, TV, and entertainment business. Competes indirectly with Screen for entertainment industry readership and sponsorship dollars, though at a national scale.
Others
- AICP (American Association of Advertising Production Companies): Industry association and member directory for commercial production companies, frequently referenced on Screen's homepage as an advertising community resource. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but overlapping audience.
Direct peers
- Reels and Deals: Regional Midwest-focused film production publication and news source covering commercials, film, and TV production in Chicago and surrounding markets. Highly comparable to Screen Magazine in mission, audience, and geographic focus.
- SHOOT Magazine: Trade publication covering the film, television, advertising, and commercial production industries with news on agencies, production companies, and creative talent. Closely comparable in editorial scope and audience to Screen Magazine, though with broader national reach.
- Reel Chicago: Chicago-based trade publication covering the local film, television, and advertising production industries. Direct competitor to Screen Magazine with overlapping Midwest regional focus and similar audience of creative professionals and agencies.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Screen social profiles
Digital presenceScreen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Screen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Screen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Screen 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 Screen
What does Screen do?
Screen Magazine is a Chicago-based digital trade publication covering the film, television, and advertising industries in the Midwest and broader US market. It publishes editorial content including industry news, filmmaker and agency interviews, event coverage, and feature columns, generating revenue through advertising, sponsorships, and email newsletter subscriptions.
Is Screen a public or private company?
Screen is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Screen founded?
Screen was founded in -1.
Where is Screen based?
Screen is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Screen make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising and Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are subscriptions.
Who are Screen's main competitors?
Animation Magazine is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Backstage, Variety, IndieWire, Adweek and The Hollywood Reporter. AICP (American Association of Advertising Production Companies) is listed as an others. Direct peers are Reels and Deals, SHOOT Magazine and Reel Chicago.
Does Screen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Screen.
What industry is Screen in?
Screen's product category is Trade Media Publication. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAM, Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAK, Entertainment & Celebrity Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.