Screen

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.

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

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

• Trade publication media
• Film industry news
• Television industry coverage
• Advertising industry news
• Digital magazine publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorships: Trade publication generating revenue through advertising placements, sponsored content, and brand partnerships with film, television, and advertising industry companies.
2. Subscriptions: Paid subscription model for magazine content access including newsletter and archive services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Manual CinemaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManual 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 2minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpress 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 ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm production company mentioned in coverage of Kesari Chapter 2 at World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit.
• Spirit MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpirit Media released the Marathi film Sabar Bonda (previously Grand Jury Prize at Sundance) in Indian cinemas following SCREEN Film Club screening.
• Schafer Condon CarterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago-based independent agency featured in coverage, named agency partner for Navy Pier and involved in campaigns including Tootsie Roll commercials.
• Very Merry EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago-based production company featured in coverage for holiday films including Christmas on the Ranch, Christmas with Felicity, and Reporting for Christmas.
• Nicely EntertainmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEntertainment company handling worldwide distribution of holiday films featured in coverage, arranging premieres on Hulu and AMC+.
• Alternating Currents Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuad Cities film festival featured in coverage for announcing 2026 official selections including 28 independent films.
• Athenaeum Center for Thought and CultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago non-profit hosting Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition featured in coverage, supporting film screenings and cultural events.
• Kartemquin FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago 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

Emerging 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

• Xx.com/screenmag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtsncajHCfd-jjEU6wAJ1Gg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ScreenMagazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/screenmag

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 Screen