What Turning Tables does

Turning Tables is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 by Martin Fernando Jakobsen that empowers socially, economically, and politically marginalized youth through music and film production. The organization operates Turntable Labs — physical music and film production facilities designed to operate on 0% energy — in which international teams of filmmakers, producers, and studio engineers build studios and train local instructors to become long-term caretakers. Active labs currently operate in Jordan, Morocco, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, with country offices established in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Myanmar, Cambodia, Kenya, and Colombia (launched mid-2021). Youth participants use the labs to produce documentaries, music videos, tutorials, and tracks, which are distributed through the organization's products platform.

The organization's core operational methodology pairs capital-intensive lab build-outs with a trainer-to-caretaker handoff model designed to ensure continuity in communities that include refugees, street children, and youth in conflict zones. Programming includes DJ workshops, photography platforms (e.g., Zarqa Film Academy in Jordan), documentary storytelling, and event-based engagement such as the Voice of the Youth Tour and rap/hip-hop festivals for activist rappers across Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Denmark. Content outputs are aligned with the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

Turning Tables generates no revenue from beneficiaries; services are provided free of charge. The operating budget is funded entirely through donations and grants across four streams: foundation and NGO support, private-company partnerships (Saint-Gobain, 3 Danish telecom, Zentropa Entertainments), institutional funding (UNDP, UNICEF, European Union, bilateral aid agencies), and individual donations. Strategic partnerships with major humanitarian organizations — including Save the Children, CARE International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Danish Refugee Council — provide field access and co-programming opportunities. The organization is governed by a board chaired by Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, with senior creative-industry and human-rights expertise among directors.

Name

Turning Tables

Legal name

Turning Tables

Website

https://turningtables.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Turning Tables is a non-profit founded in 2009 that empowers marginalized youth globally through Turntable Labs — 0% energy music and film production facilities — operating across 10 countries with funding from foundations, UN agencies, the EU, and private donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education Programs

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (51224), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Recording Studios (Commercial, Project, Mobile) (MPAIAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Production & Composition (Songwriting, Recording, DJing) (EDAMAAAF), Music Producers & Production Teams (MPAIAHAB), Remote Recording & Online Session Services (MPAIAHAL)

Keywords

• Youth empowerment
• Music production
• Film production
• Arts education
• Non-profit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn, New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation and NGO Support: Receiving grants and support from foundations and non-governmental organizations to fund youth empowerment programs and lab operations.
2. Private Company Partnerships: Partnerships and support from private companies including Saint-Gobain, 3 (Danish company), and Zentropa Entertainments.
3. Institutional Funding: Support from international organizations including UNDP, UNICEF, European Union, and bilateral aid agencies.
4. Individual Donations: Public donations from individuals supporting marginalized youth worldwide.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Turning Tables operates Turntable Labs — music and film production facilities located within marginalized communities — where international filmmakers, music producers, and studio engineers build studios, install professional equipment, and train local instructors. The organization delivers free music and film production programs, workshops, and festivals for socially, economically, and politically marginalized youth across multiple countries.

Product overview

Turning Tables is a non-profit organization that operates the Turntable Lab as its core product offering — a music and film 0% energy production facility concept. The organization establishes labs in different countries where equipment and studios are built, and local instructors are trained. Youth participants produce various content outputs including Documentaries, Music Videos, Tutorials, and Tracks through these programs. Currently operational labs exist in Jordan, Morocco, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. The Turntable Lab serves as both a production facility and creative safe-space for marginalized youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Turntable Lab: A music and film 0% energy production facility where an experienced team builds a studio and trains local instructors to become caretakers. Labs operate in Jordan, Morocco, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany.

Products and services

• Turntable Lab
• Youth Music and Film Training Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 years of successful programming
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor UN development agency partner supporting sustainable development initiatives. Turning Tables integrates with Global Goals for Sustainable Development in programming.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal children's rights organization supporting youth empowerment programs worldwide.
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading humanitarian organization working with refugees and displaced persons, aligning with Turning Tables' work in refugee communities.
• Save the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal organization dedicated to children's rights and welfare, supporting vulnerable youth programs.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian organization providing protection and assistance to victims of armed conflict.
• CARE InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal humanitarian organization fighting poverty with focus on women and girls.
• Saint-GobainminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate company providing corporate social responsibility support and funding.
• 3 (Danish telecommunications company)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDanish telecom company supporting local operations and programs.
• Zentropa EntertainmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish film production company supporting film education and documentary production programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Beats Rhymes & Life: Oakland-based nonprofit using hip-hop culture as a vehicle for therapy, leadership, and creative expression for system-impacted youth. Comparable community-led, music/arts-based empowerment approach with strong overlap in marginalization thesis.
• Ghetto Film School: Bronx-based nonprofit that trains underrepresented youth in filmmaking through professional mentorship, production labs, and screenings. Closest direct peer — same youth-filmmaking-lab model, similar marginalized-youth mission, and overlapping music-video/documentary output.
• Reel Works Teen Filmmaking: Brooklyn-based nonprofit providing filmmaking mentorship, equipment access, and production labs to NYC youth. Direct peer to Turning Tables' lab-based youth filmmaking model with similar curriculum of documentaries, music videos, and short films.
• Musicians Without Borders: International nonprofit that uses music education and ensemble work as a peacebuilding tool in conflict-affected regions. Directly comparable to Turning Tables' MENA/Southeast Asia footprint and music-as-empowerment thesis, though it focuses on group music-making rather than studio production.
• Playing for Change Foundation: Global nonprofit that connects musicians across cultures to produce recorded songs and music videos for social impact. Comparable in mission (music + youth + global reach) and in producing youth/collaborator-generated content, though not studio-based.

Others

• Drawn & Quarterly / Free the Children / War Child: War Child is a global NGO delivering creative-arts programming (music, drama, digital media) to children affected by conflict. Adjacent comparable — not a production-studio operator, but shares the conflict-affected-youth + creative-arts therapy thesis and several overlapping funder relationships (EU, Save the Children ecosystem).
• Zentropa Entertainments (Realer than Reality): Danish film production company listed as a Turning Tables partner; comparable in producing professional-grade documentary and feature content. Adjacent ecosystem player rather than a peer — but its partnership signals overlap in Nordic film ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Berklee City Music: Berklee College of Music's network of nonprofit music education programs serving under-resourced youth across multiple U.S. cities. Larger, more institutionally backed program offering a broader music-education curriculum versus Turning Tables' production-facility focus.
• Little Kids Rock: National nonprofit providing free music instruction and instruments to under-sourced public schools across the U.S. Broader music-education incumbent — comparable youth-music empowerment mission but classroom-delivered rather than studio-based.

Regional players

• Notes Ineggs / Notes for Education: Spain-anchored nonprofit delivering music and arts education programs to vulnerable youth in Morocco and other North/West African contexts. Regional peer with adjacent geographic overlap (Morocco is a Turning Tables country) and similar at-risk-youth music mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/turning-tables

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Turning Tables