Coast Film & Music Festival

What Coast Film & Music Festival does

Coast Film & Music Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (legally Coast Film Foundation, tax-ID 88-2009740) that produces an annual adventure and documentary film festival in Laguna Beach, California, with a thematic focus on environmental conservation and the human spirit. Founded in 2019 by Enich Harris and Ben Warner, the organization has expanded its programming beyond the flagship October event into a year-round portfolio that includes the Coast Summit thought leadership symposium, the Do Good Village community engagement space, year-round film screenings at the Rivian South Coast Theater, the Follow The Light surf photography grant, Emerging Filmmaker educational programs, and a Film Grant/Fiscal Sponsorship program supporting external documentary projects. The 8th Annual Festival is scheduled for October 16-25, 2026.

The festival operates an event-driven business model funded through four revenue streams: ticket sales for in-person festival screenings and events; transaction-based film submission fees (including a $25 fee for the Emerging Filmmakers Contest) collected via the FilmFreeway platform; corporate sponsorships (notably Rivian and A New Earth Project); and tax-deductible donations processed through Givebutter. Its technology stack is thin and undifferentiated — Squarespace for the public-facing website, FilmFreeway as the channel partner for global filmmaker submissions, Givebutter for donation processing, and Vimeo and YouTube for video hosting. No proprietary software, AI capabilities, patents, or mobile applications are documented.

The organization serves four primary segments: film enthusiasts and adventure seekers (the core audience for ticket sales), aspiring and emerging filmmakers (submitters and grant recipients), environmental advocates and changemakers (engaged through Coast Summit and Do Good Village), and outdoor athletes and adventurers (featured in films and panels). Geographic reach is currently US-based with a single annual venue in Laguna Beach, while film submissions are accepted globally via FilmFreeway. The festival employs 11-50 people, has no institutional investment or parent company, and is governed by an independent board of directors.

Name

Coast Film & Music Festival

Legal name

Coast Film Foundation

Website

https://coastfilmfestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coast Film & Music Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit producing an annual adventure and documentary film festival in Laguna Beach, CA, with year-round programming including film grants, educational initiatives, and a photography award.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival Events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Adventure film festival
• Documentary film festival
• Outdoor film festival
• Environmental film festival
• Film festival events

Headquarters

HQ city

Canada

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Festival tickets sold to attendees for film screenings, events, and workshops
2. Film Submission Fees: Filmmakers pay submission fees through FilmFreeway platform to enter films for festival consideration
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support festival events, panels, and programs (e.g., A New Earth Project presenting Coast Summit, Rivian partnership)
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to Coast Film Foundation (501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-ID 88-2009740) supporting film grants and scholarships

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Coast Film & Music Festival is an annual showcase of adventure and documentary films and stories from the mountains to the sea, curated to entertain, inform, and inspire audiences in Laguna Beach, California. Operated by the Coast Film Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, it offers festival ticket sales, filmmaker submission fees, corporate sponsorships, and donations to fund year-round programming including the Coast Summit environmental symposium, Do Good Village community engagement space, film grants, emerging filmmaker programs, and the Follow The Light photography award.

Product overview

Coast Film & Music Festival is a single annual event platform (Coast Film & Music Festival) that serves as the anchor for a broader nonprofit ecosystem managed by Coast Film Foundation. The portfolio includes the flagship festival (core product), the environmental symposium (Coast Summit), community programming (Do Good Village, Community Movie Nights), filmmaker development (Emerging Filmmaker Programs, Film Grants), photography awards (Follow The Light), and the annual film awards program. The Coast Film Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with tax-ID 88-2009740, was established in 2022 to expand year-round programming beyond the annual festival.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coast Film Foundation: The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization arm of the festival that runs programs, grants, and scholarships.
• Coast Summit
• Do Good Village
• Emerging Filmmaker Programs
• Follow the Light

Products and services

• Coast Film & Music Festival Annual showcase of adventure and documentary films and stories from the mountains to the sea, held in Laguna Beach, California in October, curated to entertain, inform, and inspire audiences to be better stewards of the planet.
• Coast Summit Environmental symposium featuring speaker panels, workshops, and networking opportunities with leading filmmakers, professional athletes, and sustainability experts to spark conversation on environmental resilience and action.
• Do Good Village

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• A New Earth ProjectcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 November 2024Presented Coast Summit '24, the thought leadership event within the festival. Founded by Wes Carter, President of Atlantic Packaging, A New Earth Project is a movement raising awareness of plastic pollution in waterways, bringing together ocean advocacy groups and supply chain organizations.
• RiviancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for twice-weekly film screenings and monthly speaker panels at the Rivian South Coast Theater. Also provided venue for Coast Summit '24 and album launch events. Complimentary shows unite community and support filmmakers.
• The Ecology CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for farm-to-table lunch at Coast Summit '24. Featured films during Summer Film Series 2024 including Common Ground.
• FilmFreewaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline submission platform for filmmakers to submit work to Coast Film Festival and Emerging Filmmakers Contest. Enables global filmmaker access to festival.
• Surfrider FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Coast Summit with CEO Chad Nelsen participating in panels on Marine Protected Areas.
• Do Good Village NonprofitsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCurated space during festival featuring local environmental nonprofits to educate community and amplify voices. Includes organizations like Laguna Canyon Foundation, Protect Our Winters, SeaTrees, and others.
• Local SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool partnerships for educational programs during festival including classroom presentations with athletes and filmmakers, Environmental Stewardship Day field trips, and student scholarships.
• Honk (Surf Rock Band)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLegendary surf rock band from Laguna Beach performed at 2024 festival events. Sold out three nights at Rivian South Coast Theater with Five Summer Stories film screenings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Film Festival: Premier U.S. independent film festival with strong documentary programming and nonprofit operating structure (Sundance Institute). Represents the benchmark for nonprofit film festival scale and brand; competes for premium documentary premieres.
• Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): One of the world's largest and most prestigious film festivals. While much broader in scope, TIFF represents the upper bound of scale for documentary film exhibition and competes for filmmaker attention, sponsor dollars, and prestige in the same general film festival category.
• Tribeca Festival: Major generalist film festival in New York with strong documentary and purpose-driven programming. Represents broader competition for documentary filmmakers, sponsor dollars, and audience attention in the U.S. festival landscape.

Direct peers

• Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital (DC Environmental Film Festival): Largest environmental film festival in the United States, focused on documentary films about the environment. Shares Coast Film's environmental storytelling mission and nonprofit operating model.
• Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival: Iconic mountain and adventure film festival held annually in Banff, Canada, with a global touring program. Directly comparable in editorial focus (adventure/outdoor films) and in operating a traveling screening network similar to Coast Film's Rivian year-round screenings.
• Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival: Biannual festival and competition focused on nature and wildlife filmmaking. Comparable in its emphasis on environmental/nature documentaries, filmmaker awards programs, and conservation-themed storytelling.
• Mountainfilm (Telluride): Annual adventure and environmental documentary film festival held in Telluride, Colorado. Closest direct peer to Coast Film & Music Festival — shares the adventure-documentary niche, environmental mission, programming of speaker panels, and grant/fellowship programs for filmmakers.

Others

• Surfrider Foundation: Coastal environmental nonprofit already partnering with Coast Film on panels. Adjacent ecosystem player — not a festival, but a comparable nonprofit mission organization with overlapping audience, sponsor base, and conservation advocacy.

Regional players

• Newport Beach Film Festival: Annual Southern California coastal film festival with a comparable lifestyle and documentary programming mix. Operates in the same regional market (Orange County / coastal SoCal) as Coast Film & Music Festival and targets overlapping affluent, outdoor-oriented audiences.
• San Diego Film Festival: Regional Southern California film festival with independent and documentary programming. Comparable as a geographically proximate festival competing for Southern California audiences, sponsors, and filmmakers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CoastFilmFest
• Facebookfacebook.com/Coastfilmfest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coast-film-festival

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Coast Film & Music Festival