Independent Media Arts Alliance

What Independent Media Arts Alliance does

The Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA), founded in 1983 and headquartered at 4580 avenue de Lorimier in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal, is a member-driven non-profit national organization that advocates for and builds capacity within Canada's independent film, video, audio, and new media production, distribution, and exhibition sector. It represents over 100 member organizations serving more than 21,000 independent media artists and cultural workers across all parts of Canada. Its core offerings are advocacy, professional standards, and community programs rather than software: the IMAA Fee Schedule functions as the national remuneration standard for the sector; IMAASource is a searchable sector-specific resource library covering governance, HR, funding, preservation, and equity (currently in inactive status as of 2026); the Resource Access Network (RAN, rebranded from RAAMI in February 2025) provides cross-organizational access to facilities and expertise; and biennial National Media Arts Gatherings (2022 Ottawa, 2024 Halifax, 2026 Montreal) convene arts administrators and cultural workers for sector organizing.

IMAA's revenue model is non-commercial and consists of three streams: recurring membership fees from ~100+ organizational members, core and project grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada, and donations processed through CanadaHelps. Go-to-market is community-led rather than sales-led: IMAA recruits and retains members through annual campaigns, an annual member survey, the member directory, advocacy campaigns, national conferences, fee-schedule workshops, advocacy toolkits, the Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y) program, Discord community chats, and a bilingual monthly newsletter distributed via Yapla. Technology infrastructure is intentionally light: Yapla for membership and event registration, Zeffy for conference payments, Google Analytics for web measurement, Discord for community engagement, and a WordPress-based IMAASource resource library. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors with annual general meetings and operates under a 2024-2028 Strategic Plan adopted in 2024, with a refreshed visual identity launched in January 2025.

Name

Independent Media Arts Alliance

Legal name

Independent Media Arts Alliance

Website

https://imaa.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Independent Media Arts Alliance is a Montreal-based member-driven non-profit that represents over 100 Canadian independent film, video, audio, and new media organizations serving 21,000+ artists, providing advocacy, the national IMAA Fee Schedule, the IMAASource resource library, the Resource Access Network, and biennial National Media Arts Gatherings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: IMAA generates revenue through membership fees from independent film, video, audio, and new media production, distribution, and exhibition organizations across Canada. Membership fees support the alliance's operations and programs.
2. Government Funding: IMAA receives core funding from public bodies. The organization is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada, which provide operational and project support.
3. Donations: IMAA accepts donations through CanadaHelps, supporting the organization's work in advancing and strengthening the media arts community in Canada.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) is a member-driven non-profit national organization that advocates for and strengthens Canada's independent media arts community. It sells and delivers annual memberships to over 100 independent film, video, audio, and new media production, distribution, and exhibition organizations; maintains the national IMAA Fee Schedule as the recognized standard for fair artist remuneration; curates the IMAASource searchable resource database; operates the Resource Access Network (RAN) for member-to-member resource sharing; runs the Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y) digital training program; and convenes biennial National Media Arts Gatherings.

Product overview

The Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) is a member-driven non-profit national organization that does not offer a software product in the traditional sense. Its core offerings are advocacy resources, professional standards, and community programs for Canada's independent media arts sector. The primary digital resource is IMAASource — a searchable library of organizational tools and documents for media arts practitioners covering Governance, HR, Funding, Presentation, Preservation, Space/Facilities, Equity, and Digital topics — currently in inactive status. Complementary programs include interConnect (a concluded 2022–2024 collective intelligence initiative on digital practices), the Resource Access Network (RAN, formerly RAAMI — a member resource-sharing network), the IMAA Fee Schedule (the national remuneration standard for independent media arts), the Media Arts Advocacy Toolkit, the Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y) program, and Living Wage resources. IMAA also organizes the biennial National Media Arts Gathering conferences and conducts an Annual Member Survey. All programs collectively serve over 100 member organizations and 21,000+ independent media artists and cultural workers across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IMAASource: A searchable database of useful tools, documents, and information for media arts organizations, gathered by the IMAA team, launched in 2012.
• interConnect
• Resource Access Network (RAN)
• Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y)

Products and services

• IMAASource A searchable online collection of resources and tools for media artists, arts administrators, and media arts organizations across Canada, organized by topic including Governance, Human Resources, Funding, Presentation, Preservation, Space/Facilities/Equipment, Equity/Anti-oppression/Pluralism, Reconciliation, and Digital topics.
• Resource Access Network (RAN) A member resource-sharing network (formerly RAAMI) providing IMAA members with access to shared resources, facilities, and expertise across member organizations in all parts of Canada, including a searchable directory of member organizations.
• IMAA Fee Schedule The national standard for remuneration in Canada's independent media arts sector, providing guiding principles and fee rates for duration-based screenings, audio presentations, media arts exhibitions, artist talks, online presentations, and professional services.
• Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y) A program providing digital skills development opportunities for youth in the media arts sector, supporting emerging cultural workers in building digital competencies needed for independent media arts careers.
• Media Arts Advocacy Toolkit A toolkit providing resources, templates, and guidance for sector advocacy efforts on behalf of the independent media arts community, including fee schedule workshops, advocacy webinars, and direct outreach to media arts programs.
• National Media Arts Gatherings Biennial national conferences (in-person and hybrid) bringing together arts administrators and cultural workers from media arts organizations across Canada for professional development, sector solidarity, and organizing. Recent and upcoming editions include Tuning In (2026, Montreal), Temporal Anchorings (2024, Halifax), and Through the Storm (2022, Ottawa).
• interConnect A collective intelligence initiative that brought together artists, arts professionals, and organizations to share and build knowledge about digital projects and practices through co-learning groups and facilitated online workshops (2022-2024).
• Living Wage by City Resource An advocacy resource providing living wage data by city to help arts organizations advocate for funding increases that meet living wage standards, including template paragraphs for use in grant applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 member organizations served across Canada
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• OBOROmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026OBORO is hosting the main conference hub (4001 Berri building) for the 2026 National Media Arts Gathering 'Tuning In' in Montreal. Marianne Breton and Belén Pedrocca from OBORO are part of the organizing team for the gathering.
• VidéographecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Alexandra Boilard-Lefebvre from Vidéographe is part of the organizing team for the 2026 National Media Arts Gathering 'Tuning In' in Montreal, contributing to event planning and coordination.
• Quickdraw Animation SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Erin Saunders from Quickdraw Animation Society is part of the organizing team for the 2026 National Media Arts Gathering 'Tuning In' in Montreal, contributing to event planning and coordination.
• PAVED ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Rachel Broussard from PAVED Arts is part of the organizing team for the 2026 National Media Arts Gathering 'Tuning In' in Montreal, contributing to event planning and coordination.
• Reel Asian Film FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2025IMAA co-organized a mini-conference (Minicon) with the Reel Asian Film Festival at its 29th edition in Toronto (November 11-13, 2025). The partnership includes industry accreditation for IMAA delegates, Reel Ideas professional development programming, and joint advocacy and fee schedule workshops. The festival provided free industry badges to registered IMAA delegates.
• NIMAC (National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2024NIMAC is a key partner of IMAA in co-producing national media arts gatherings and advocacy initiatives. NIMAC-IMAA jointly organized the 2018 National Indigenous Media Arts Gathering in Saskatoon and collaborated on the 2022 'Through the Storm' national gathering.
• Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2024CFAT served as the local host venue and partner for the 2024 National Media Arts Gathering 'Temporal Anchorings' in Halifax (Kjipuktuk), which brought together over 70 cultural workers from across Canada.
• MANO (Media Arts Network of Ontario)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 August 2022MANO co-produced the 2022 national media arts gathering 'Through the Storm' in Ottawa with IMAA, NIMAC, and DARC, in collaboration with the Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival.
• DARC (Digital Arts Resource Centre)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 August 2022DARC co-produced the 2022 national media arts gathering 'Through the Storm' in Ottawa with IMAA, NIMAC, and MANO, in collaboration with the Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival.
• DiscordminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIMAA maintains an active Discord server as a community engagement and discussion platform for its members and the broader media arts community, hosting regular monthly chats on topics including climate justice, advocacy, and sector caucuses.
• CQAM (Conseil québécois en arts médiatiques)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCQAM contributed resources to IMAASource including contract templates for artists, best practice guides for artist residencies, employee performance review templates, media arts fee schedules, and funding bulletins.
• VtapeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVtape contributed preservation resources to IMAASource, including best practices guides for caring for video art, condition assessment forms for open reel, cassette, and DVD formats, and a video art inventory form.
• MANO (Media Arts Network of Ontario)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMANO contributed governance and HR resources to IMAASource, including better practice guides for media arts organizations in Ontario, conflict resolution guides, and best practices on equity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Digital Arts Resource Centre (DARC): Ottawa-based digital arts organization that co-produced the 2022 'Through the Storm' gathering with IMAA. Comparable as a member-driven organization focused on digital and media arts production/distribution/exhibition, with overlapping member base and a similar advocacy and resource-sharing mandate.
• Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers (AIVF): US-based membership organization advocating for independent video and filmmakers with services analogous to IMAA's (advocacy, resource sharing, professional development, fee/standards guidance). Comparable in mission and member-services orientation but focused on the US independent film/video sector rather than Canadian media arts broadly.
• Performing Arts Alliance: US national advocacy organization that convenes performing arts service organizations to advance federal policy. Functionally analogous to IMAA in acting as an umbrella advocacy body for a coalition of independent arts organizations, with a comparable focus on convening members around shared policy and funding priorities.
• Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA): National trade association representing the Canadian independent music sector, providing advocacy, professional development, and export support. Closely analogous to IMAA in operating model (membership-driven national alliance, sector advocacy, events, fee/standards leadership) but applied to the independent music industry.
• National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition (NIMAC): National Indigenous media arts coalition in Canada that co-produces national gatherings with IMAA and aligns on advocacy for Indigenous media arts organizations. Comparable in mission (sector advocacy, gatherings, fee schedule alignment) and member base, with the differentiating factor of being Indigenous-led and -focused.
• Canadian Artists' Representation / Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC): National Canadian artists' rights and fee schedule organization for visual artists. Closest functional analogue to IMAA at the national level — it sets national fee/rate standards for visual artists, advocates for fair remuneration, and operates as a membership-based advocacy body, just for a different artistic discipline.

Broad incumbents

• Americans for the Arts: US national arts advocacy organization with a broader portfolio than IMAA (covering all arts disciplines, advocacy, research, and public policy). Comparable in its role as a national sector advocate and convening body, but operates at much larger scale and across all artistic disciplines rather than media arts specifically.
• Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC): National Canadian council focused on the cultural workforce across all artistic disciplines. Operates as a broader-incumbent counterpart to IMAA, addressing HR, training, and labor issues across the entire arts sector rather than specializing in independent media arts.

Regional players

• Conseil québécois en arts médiatiques (CQAM): Quebec-focused media arts council that contributes resources to IMAASource and shares advocacy priorities with IMAA. Operates the same kind of member-services and resource-aggregation function as IMAA but at the provincial rather than national level, primarily serving Quebec-based media arts organizations.
• Media Arts Network of Ontario (MANO): Ontario regional media arts network that has co-produced national gatherings with IMAA and contributes governance/HR resources to IMAASource. Functions as a provincial chapter-like counterpart to IMAA, with comparable offerings (advocacy, resource library contributions, professional development) scoped to Ontario.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AAMI.IMAA
• Instagraminstagram.com/imaa_aami
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-media-arts-alliance

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

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Frequently asked questions about Independent Media Arts Alliance