L.A. Zine Fest

What L.A. Zine Fest does

L.A. Zine Fest is a Los Angeles-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that operates as the centralized hub for zine culture and DIY publishing in Southern California. Founded in 2012, it produces an annual flagship zine festival and a portfolio of community workshops hosted at partner venues across Los Angeles, Pasadena, Long Beach, Eagle Rock, and Whittier. The organization serves two primary customer segments: individual zine makers and independent publishers seeking exhibition and community connection opportunities, and educational and cultural institutions that contract L.A. Zine Fest to facilitate zine-making programming and host traveling zine library installations. Marquee institutional clients include UCLA, USC, UC Irvine, CUNY, the Hammer Museum, the Getty, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Los Angeles Public Library, Craft Contemporary, Rock Camp For Girls Los Angeles, and the Coachella Music Festival.

The organization's product portfolio spans three tiers: a Zine-Making Host service (basic event facilitation with supplies and light instruction), a Zine Workshop service (60-minute instructional sessions including zine history and step-by-step creation), and an optional Traveling Zine Library add-on. It also distributes free bilingual educational resources, including an 8-page zine template and tutorial in English and Spanish, through its website. Pricing is micro-ticket and pay-as-you-go, with workshops priced from $5 (suggested donation) to $55 (Letterpress Zine Collab), and some community events offered free with optional donations. The organization runs on no proprietary technology platform; its core assets are its 14+ year event archive, its traveling zine library, its organizer community, and its earned-media brand recognition in outlets such as the LA Times, LA Weekly, KCRW, and LA Taco.

Revenue is generated through three streams: fee-based workshop and hosting services for institutions, vendor booth and participation fees at the annual festival and community events, and donations collected via the website. Distribution is exclusively regional and delivered through direct in-person engagement, with no app, API, or digital product surface. The organization is led by a six-member volunteer organizing team (Noah Orozco, Ziba, Julie Fiveash, Dayana, Sean Lundy, Vi Hoang-Creton) that succeeded the original 2012 founders, and operates with approximately 11 total personnel including part-time and volunteer staff.

Name

L.A. Zine Fest

Website

https://lazinefest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

L.A. Zine Fest is a Los Angeles-based non-profit 501(c)(3) that operates an annual zine festival, community workshops, and institutional zine-making programming serving SoCal zinesters, universities, museums, and cultural organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Workshop Services: Fee-based zine-making workshops and hosting services provided to educational institutions, museums, and cultural organizations. Fees support L.A. Zine Fest operations as it is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
2. Event Participation Fees: Revenue from vendor booth fees at annual zine fest events and workshop participation fees for community events.
3. Donations: Donations collected through the website to support the organization's mission of promoting DIY publishing and zine culture.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

L.A. Zine Fest operates the annual L.A. Zine Fest festival showcasing independent publishers and offers tiered zine-making workshop services to educational institutions, museums, libraries, festivals, and community groups. The organization provides Zine-Making Host (drop-in supplies and light instruction), Zine Workshop (60-minute structured curriculum with zine history and step-by-step 8-page zine creation), and optional Traveling Zine Library add-ons.

Product overview

L.A. Zine Fest is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that operates as a single-program service provider centered around zine-making education, community events, and resource distribution. The organization offers three main service tiers: Zine-Making Host (basic event hosting with supplies and instruction), Zine Workshop (detailed instructional workshops including zine history and step-by-step creation), and add-on Traveling Zine Library access for both tiers. The organization also provides free educational resources including an 8-page zine template and tutorial materials. The primary offering is the annual L.A. Zine Fest event, which serves as a gathering space for zine creators and enthusiasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• L.A. Zine Fest Annual Event

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 85 exhibitors at inaugural event (2012)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nova Community ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNova Community Arts collaborates with L.A. Zine Fest to host zine-related events including the Letterpress Zine Collab workshop using their letterpress equipment and space at 3421 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles.
• Heavy Manners LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeavy Manners Library hosts the Ritual Zine Studio event at 1200 N Alvarado St, Los Angeles, providing space and support for collaborative zine-making sessions.
• Angel City Derby WarehousecoreOthersThe Angel City Derby Warehouse at 785 E. 14th Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90021 serves as the primary venue for the annual L.A. Zine Fest events.
• Los Angeles Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAPL houses L.A. Zine Fest zines in their zine library and provides access to past exhibitor maps and guides, making zine culture accessible to the broader community.
• Able ARTS WorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAble ARTS Work opens their gallery space for Zines & Drawing Club events at 3626 CA-1, Long Beach, CA 90804, providing a communal creative environment.
• Center for the Arts Eagle RockminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for the Arts Eagle Rock hosts monthly Zine Club meetings at 2225 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041, providing space and basic supplies for community zine-making.
• North Figueroa BookshopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Figueroa Bookshop hosts Zine Party workshops at 6040 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042, providing space and copy services for participants to create and swap zines.
• Midnight BooksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidnight Books at 7201 Greenleaf Avenue, Whittier, California 90602 hosts Music Mini Zine Workshop events with Blancis the Creative.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Long Beach Zine Fest: A Southern California zine festival operating the same annual vendor/workshop format in the same regional market. One of L.A. Zine Fest's current organizers previously ran this event, making the two organizations the closest direct counterparts.
• San Francisco Zine Fest: An annual zine festival in San Francisco using the same vendor booth, panel, and workshop model as L.A. Zine Fest, though serving the Bay Area zine community. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and programming format.
• Chicago Zine Fest: One of the longest-running annual zine festivals in the U.S., operating a similar free, volunteer-run, vendor-and-workshop format. Comparable in programming philosophy and DIY ethos to L.A. Zine Fest.
• New York City Zine Fest: A New York-based annual zine festival that combines vendor tables, panels, and workshops in a similar community-driven model. Scaled to the East Coast zine scene but directly comparable in operating format.
• Toronto Zine Fest: An annual zine festival and archive project in Toronto with vendor booths, workshops, and educational programming. Closely mirrors L.A. Zine Fest's structure and accessibility mission, though based in Canada.

Broad incumbents

• Renegade Craft Fair: A long-running, multi-city craft/art fair circuit serving independent makers with vendor booths and workshops. While broader in category (not zine-specific) and more commercially oriented, it shares the event-driven, vendor-table business model and accessibility-conscious mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/l-a-zine-fest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 L.A. Zine Fest