What Rideback Rise does

Rideback RISE is a 501c3 nonprofit accelerator founded in 2022 by Dan Lin (founder of the Rideback production company) and headquartered at Rideback Ranch in Los Angeles's Historic Filipinotown. The organization addresses documented underrepresentation of directors of color in mainstream Hollywood (6% Black, 5.6% AAPI, 4.6% Hispanic/Latino per 2025 USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative) by running a year-long fellowship for mid-career POC film and television creators, supported by a living stipend, development fund, weekly master classes, mentorship, and 24/7 Creative Campus access. Cohort members retain full ownership of their projects while gaining access to industry financiers, producers, and executives through an annual PitchFest.

The core product is the RISE Fellowship, supplemented by two sub-programs: Highways Lab (four advanced filmmakers annually receiving $50K grants plus Sundance Festival travel, created by producer Olga Segura with Adobe support) and the Gloria Schoemann Program (a two-week master class for bilingual intermediate editors with $15K grants, in partnership with Adobe using Adobe Premiere Pro). Adjunct offerings include the RISE Circle invitation-only network and a community programming calendar of master classes, industry panels, salon dinners, and the RISE For Comedy showcase. The underlying technology stack is minimal: applications are processed through the third-party Scrybe platform, and there is no proprietary software product.

The business model is grant-funded nonprofit operations. RISE receives institutional grants from Adobe, California Community Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, Eva Longoria Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, NBC Universal, Panda Express, and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), plus individual donations via Every.org. Programs are delivered at no cost to participants. Impact to date includes $1.8M in direct grants distributed to fellows, 50% of Fellow Projects set up or sold, and 393 cohort creatives in the community.

Name

Rideback Rise

Legal name

Rideback RISE

Website

https://ridebackrise.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rideback RISE is a 501c3 nonprofit accelerator founded in 2022 that runs a year-long fellowship for mid-career POC film and television creators, plus Highways Lab and Gloria Schoemann editor programs, funded by major foundations and corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Filmmaker Accelerator Programs

akta.pro primary industry

Writing Critique Groups & Peer Workshops (EDAMAMAJ)

Keywords

• Nonprofit film accelerator
• POC filmmaker fellowship
• Creator talent development
• Entertainment diversity program
• Screenwriter director incubator

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Rideback Rise operates as a 501c3 nonprofit organization funded primarily through grants from foundations and corporate sponsors. Major funders include Adobe, California Community Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, Eva Longoria Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, NBC Universal, and others.
2. Donations: Individual donations from mission-aligned supporters. The organization accepts donations through Every.org platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rideback RISE is a 501c3 nonprofit accelerator running a year-long professional fellowship for mid-career POC film and television writers, directors, and editors. The program delivers structured master classes, mentorship, a development fund for IP optioning and proof-of-concept creation, and 24/7 access to a Creative Campus at Rideback Ranch in Los Angeles, with graduates pitching projects to financiers, producers, and executives at an annual PitchFest.

Product overview

Rideback RISE operates as a unified accelerator platform offering a year-long fellowship program for mid-career POC film and television creators. The core offering is the RISE Fellowship, which provides a living stipend, guest speakers & mentors, market-ready spec script & pitch development, and access to a Creative Campus. Supplementary programs include Highways Lab (for advanced filmmakers with $50k grants), the Gloria Schoemann Program (editor training with $15k grants), and the Development Fund for IP optioning and proof-of-concept creation. Community programming encompasses Master Classes, Industry Panels, PitchFest, and the RISE Circle network. All programs are headquartered at Rideback Ranch in LA's Historic Filipinotown.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Highways Lab: Filmmakers program created by Producer Olga Segura in collaboration with Rideback RISE with major support from Adobe, supporting advanced filmmakers with $50k grants, mentorship, and Sundance Film Festival access
• Gloria Schoemann Program
• RISE Fellowship
• RISE Circle

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of RISE Fellow Projects set up or sold
• +2 more outcomes

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Olga SeguracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreator of Highways Lab program in collaboration with Rideback RISE. Producer supporting advanced filmmakers developing their next feature film.
• PanavisionminorOthersBrand partner providing production resources and support to RISE community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP / reFocus): 501c3 supporting independent filmmakers through labs, fiscal sponsorship, Filmmaker magazine, and the Gotham Awards. Directly comparable as a nonprofit serving independent and diverse filmmakers with structured development programs.
• Blackhouse Foundation: Nonprofit advancing Black creators in entertainment, with co-founder Brickson Diamond also serving on RISE's board. Directly comparable in mission to diversify the entertainment pipeline and engage creators through festivals and accelerator programs.
• Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE): Nonprofit supporting Asian Pacific creators in entertainment through fellowships, awards, and industry programs. Directly comparable as a community-based diversity accelerator focused on a specific underrepresented demographic.
• Film Independent: 501c3 that supports independent filmmakers through Filmmaker Labs, producing tracks, and the Spirit Awards. Closely comparable as a nonprofit accelerator with structured labs, mentorship, and industry access for emerging filmmakers.
• Ghetto Film School: Nonprofit that supports underrepresented filmmakers through education, mentoring, and production programs (BRIC, GFS Los Angeles). Directly comparable to RISE in mission focus on diverse filmmakers, cohort program structure, and LA presence.
• National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP): 501c3 dedicated to promoting Latino content and diverse representation in media through professional development, programs, and advocacy. Direct peer to RISE with parallel mission for an underrepresented demographic.
• Latino Film Institute: Nonprofit producing the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and the LFI Film Academy to develop Latino filmmakers. Direct peer to RISE in mission, demographic focus, and LA-based accelerator-style programming.

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Institute: Largest nonprofit film/TV artist development organization, operating the Feature Film Lab, Screenwriters/Directors Labs, and Episodic Lab. Broad incumbent in the same space as RISE with significantly larger programming scope and global footprint.
• American Film Institute (AFI): Major film education institution with the AFI Conservatory MFA program and AFI DWW+ diversity initiative. Broad incumbent in film education comparable to RISE's instruction and mentor components, though at the graduate-school level.
• Tribeca Film Institute: Nonprofit supporting filmmakers through grants, fellowships, and industry programs tied to the Tribeca Festival. Broad incumbent with comparable accelerator/fellowship offerings and industry access at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ridebackrise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rideback-rise

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Rideback Rise