The CineStory Foundation

What The CineStory Foundation does

The CineStory Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization founded in 1995 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with a retreat center in Idyllwild, California. It educates emerging TV writers and screenwriters through an annual portfolio comprising the Feature Retreat & Fellowship Competition, the TV Retreat & Fellowship Competition, and an 8-day Writing Residency Program. Semifinalists, finalists, and winners of the contests earn invitations to 5-day immersive retreats featuring one-on-one mentoring from working Hollywood executives, writers, directors, producers, agents, and managers, plus panel discussions, group writing exercises, and networking events.

Revenue is generated from four streams: retreat participation fees (Feature Retreat $2,800 individual / $4,200 team; Residency $2,975), competition submission fees ($50-$95 across multiple deadline tiers), residency application fees ($30-$50), and donations/grants from the community. The Feature Fellowship grand prize carries a $10,000 cash award plus 12-month mentorship and supplemental mentorship via a Script Pipeline partnership. Multiple scholarship programs ($500-$2,800 tuition coverage) target underrepresented writers across both contests. CineStory operates with 1-10 employees, accepts international writers, and is recognized by Script Reader Pro, Moviebytes, and The Script Lab as a leading screenwriting competition; notable alumni include an Academy Award-nominated writing team (CHILDREN OF MEN) and the creator duo behind THE EXPANSE.

Name

The CineStory Foundation

Legal name

The CineStory Foundation

Website

https://cinestory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The CineStory Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 that educates emerging screenwriters and TV writers through annual writing contests, mentorship retreats, fellowships, and residencies held in Idyllwild, California, serving individual writers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Writing Education and Screenwriting Mentorship

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Writing Craft & Technique Workshops (Voice, Structure, Character, Style) (EDAMAMAH), Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA)

Keywords

• Screenwriting contests
• Writing retreats
• TV writing fellowships
• Writing residencies
• Emerging writer education

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retreat Fees: Fees charged to retreat attendees cover the costs of running the programs. Feature Retreat fee is $2,800 for individuals and $4,200 for teams (2025). Residency fee is $2,975 (2026). These fees cover meals, accommodations, mentor-led sessions, and events.
2. Competition Submission Fees: Writers pay submission fees to enter the Feature and TV writing competitions. Fees range from $50-$95 for Feature Contest and similar tiers for TV Contest, varying by deadline.
3. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, CineStory receives donations from the community and potentially grants. Scholarships are made possible by generous donations from members of the CineStory community. They actively seek sponsorship to reduce fees for writers.
4. Residency Application Fees: Application fees for residency program: Early deadline $30, Regular deadline $50, Final deadline $50.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The CineStory Foundation educates emerging TV writers and screenwriters through annual writing contests (Feature Retreat & Fellowship Competition and TV Retreat & Fellowship Competition), 5-day mentorship retreats in Idyllwild, California, an 8-day Writing Residency Program, and fellowship prizes. Top competition winners receive cash awards and 12-month mentorship programs with working Hollywood professionals, while multiple scholarship programs reduce tuition for underrepresented writers.

Product overview

The CineStory Foundation operates as a nonprofit educational organization offering a portfolio of screenwriting and TV writing programs. The core offerings consist of two annual contests—the Feature Retreat & Fellowship Competition and TV Retreat & Fellowship Competition—where writers compete for invitations to 5-day mentorship retreats in Idyllwild, California. Top winners receive fellowships with cash prizes and 12-month mentorship programs. The organization also offers an 8-day Writing Residency Program focused on generative writing and community building. Both retreats and the residency provide access to entertainment industry mentors, panel discussions, and writing exercises. Multiple scholarship programs supplement these offerings, providing tuition reductions for underrepresented voices and other qualifying writers. The portfolio is structured around competitive entry through contests, with rewards ranging from retreat attendance to substantial fellowships with mentorship and cash prizes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Feature Retreat & Fellowship Competition Annual screenwriting competition that awards winners, finalists, and semifinalists invitations to a 5-day retreat in Idyllwild, California, featuring one-on-one mentoring sessions with entertainment industry professionals. Designed for emerging feature screenwriters with a high level of craft.
• TV Retreat & Fellowship Competition Annual TV writing competition across drama, comedy, and sci-fi/fantasy categories that awards division winners and finalists invitations to a retreat featuring mentorship, panel discussions, and mock writing rooms with industry professionals. Designed for emerging TV writers.
• Feature Fellowship Grand prize of the Feature Retreat & Fellowship Competition comprising $10,000 cash, a 12-month mentorship program with 2 Hollywood professionals, free tuition and housing for the Feature Retreat, and supplemental mentorship with Script Pipeline. Awarded to top competition winners.
• TV Fellowship Fellowship prize for TV Retreat & Fellowship Competition winners including mentorship and career development support from industry professionals.
• Writing Residency Program 8-day residency in Idyllwild, California focused on generative writing and community building for feature and TV writers of all levels. Includes private rooms, meals, writing exercises, and story breaking sessions. Maximum 25 spots per year, with 2026 fee of $2,975.
• Feature Contest Scholarships Scholarship offerings of $750-$1,500 tuition reductions for the Feature Retreat, including Asian & South Asian Voices, Black Voices, Semifinalist & Finalist, Underrepresented Voices, Hagan-Hicks Underrepresented Women's Voices, Papa Bear, and Sartor Women's Voices scholarships.
• TV Contest Scholarships Scholarship offerings of $500-$2,800 tuition coverage for the TV Retreat, including TV Comedy, TV Drama, TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Bellem Entertainment, King Bob (free tuition), and Sartor Underrepresented Voices scholarships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple alumni have achieved Academy Award nominations (Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby for CHILDREN OF MEN)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Script PipelineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScript Pipeline provides supplemental mentorship to CineStory Feature Fellowship winners as part of the overall fellowship package. The Feature Fellow receives supplemental mentorship with the team at Script Pipeline in addition to the core mentorship program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Austin Film Festival: Austin Film Festival runs one of the largest U.S. screenwriting competitions and a multi-day writers conference with mentor sessions and panels. Directly comparable to CineStory as a screenwriting contest-plus-retreat hybrid with industry professional involvement.
• PAGE International Screenwriting Awards: The PAGE Awards is a long-running screenwriting competition with cash prizes and industry exposure targeting emerging feature and TV writers. Direct peer competing for the same submission fees and writer pipeline.
• Tracking Board Launch Pad Competitions: Tracking Board runs the Launch Pad screenwriting and TV pilot competitions, which connect emerging writers with managers, agents, and producers. Direct competitor for the same emerging-writer entry point and prize structure (mentorship + industry exposure).
• Film Independent Screenwriting Lab: Film Independent runs a Screenwriting Lab that provides mentorship and project development support to emerging feature screenwriters. Direct peer in the residential mentorship lab category with comparable craft-and-career focus.
• Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab: Sundance's Screenwriters Lab offers immersive mentorship-driven screenwriting development with established advisors over multi-day labs. Direct peer in the residential screenwriting mentorship category and aspirationally comparable in mentor quality and alumni outcomes.
• Final Draft Big Break Contest: Final Draft's Big Break is an annual screenwriting competition with category prizes across feature, TV, and shorts, sponsored by the dominant screenwriting-software vendor. Direct competitor with strong industry visibility and adjacent product ecosystem.
• Script Pipeline: Script Pipeline runs screenwriting and TV writing competitions plus development opportunities, and is already an explicit partner of CineStory (providing supplemental mentorship to Feature Fellows). Closely aligned business model — contest-as-gateway-to-mentorship — and direct competitor for emerging-writer mind share.
• Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting: Run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Nicholl Fellowship is the most prestigious U.S. screenwriting fellowship, awarding up to five $35,000 fellowships annually to emerging screenwriters. Direct peer on the fellowship/competition axis, though its scale and prize size exceed CineStory's.

Emerging players

• The Black List (formerly The Black List): The Black List hosts paid script hosting and discovery services for screenwriters, plus the annual Black List of best unproduced scripts. Partial overlap: serves the same emerging-writer demographic but with a different mechanism (script hosting/industry visibility) rather than mentorship retreats.
• Writers Guild of America - Writers Access Project / Showtime Programs: The WGA runs writer-access programs (Writers Access Project, Veterans Writing Project, Showtime programs) supporting emerging and underrepresented TV/film writers with mentorship and industry introductions. Comparable in mission and target demographic, but run by a labor union rather than as a standalone nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CineStory
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpn2PExhJgCkvxxtR-qx4zQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/CineStoryorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/cinestoryfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cinestory-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The CineStory Foundation