Michigan Film Industry Association

What Michigan Film Industry Association does

Michigan Film Industry Association (MiFIA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 2019 and headquartered at 117 E Kalamazoo St, Lansing, Michigan. Its mission is to advocate for the revival of film, television, and multimedia production incentives in Michigan through legislative lobbying for the Multimedia Jobs Act, member mobilization, and industry events such as the annual Legislative Reception. The organization is governed entirely by a volunteer board of 19 directors representing diverse industry stakeholders — equipment rental (Haddads Inc.), cinematography (Brian Kelly, Peter Klein), theatrical labor (IATSE Local 26 via Lindsey Katerberg), academic film programs (Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University), and independent production (Branch Out Productions, Woodward Original, Gold Star Films, New Money Productions). MiFIA operates with no paid staff.

The association's core "product" is legislative and ecosystem advocacy rather than a commercial technology platform. Its underlying infrastructure consists of a Wild Apricot-powered membership and event management website (mifia.org / mifia.wildapricot.org), a DoGooder petition and advocacy email tool, and grassroots organizing across multiple Michigan cities including Lansing, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Farmington. MiFIA pursues a hybrid go-to-market motion: community-led member recruitment paired with direct legislator engagement to advance tax-credit legislation that would offer a 25–30% transferable base credit, a 30% credit for hiring Michigan residents, and accountability mechanisms including CPA verification and brick-and-mortar vendor requirements.

MiFIA's revenue model is member-dues-driven supplemented by event sponsorship and donations. The 2026 Legislative Reception features five sponsorship tiers ranging from $500 (Film Friends) to $10,000 (Starring Role), each bundling event admission, logo placement, dinner access, and in some cases membership bundles. The only disclosed external funding is a $10,000 donation from Haddads Inc. in 2021. Customer and member segments are primarily individual film professionals (crew, producers, directors, actors, students), supporting businesses, and small local vendors (hotels, catering, lumber, florists, security, transportation) that benefit from production spending.

Name

Michigan Film Industry Association

Legal name

Michigan Film Industry Association

Website

https://mifia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Michigan Film Industry Association (MiFIA) is a 501(c)(6) volunteer-led trade association founded in 2019 that advocates for restoration of film and multimedia tax incentives in Michigan through the Multimedia Jobs Act, serving industry professionals, students, and local vendors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ)

Keywords

• Film industry advocacy
• Trade association services
• Legislative advocacy support
• Multimedia production policy
• Industry networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: The association generates revenue through annual membership fees from industry professionals, crew members, producers, directors, actors, students, and supporting businesses.
2. Event sponsorship: Revenue is generated through sponsorship of the annual Legislative Reception event, with multiple sponsorship tiers ranging from $500 to $10,000, as well as general donations from supporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Michigan Film Industry Association (MiFIA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association that advocates for the revival of film, television, and multimedia production incentives in Michigan. The organization conducts legislative advocacy for the Multimedia Jobs Act, organizes industry networking events such as the annual Legislative Reception, recruits and engages members from across the film and multimedia value chain, and raises funds through memberships, sponsorships, and donations.

Product overview

Michigan Film Industry Association (MiFIA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association that advocates for the revival of film and multimedia production incentives in Michigan. The organization does not offer a commercial software product or technology platform. Instead, MiFIA's primary activities include legislative advocacy for the Multimedia Jobs Act, organizing industry networking events (such as the annual Legislative Reception), facilitating member engagement, and fundraising to support policy efforts to bring film and television production back to Michigan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MiFIA Industry Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Projected $6–8 billion in direct spend during the Act's first 10 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Michigan LegislaturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026MiFIA's core mission is to advocate for the passage of the Multimedia Jobs Act through the Michigan House and Senate. The association works directly with bipartisan legislators including Reps. Jason Hoskins and John Roth (2023-2024 bills), Sens. Adam Hollier and Wayne Schmidt, and other sponsors to develop and advance film incentive legislation.
• Grand Valley State University (Future ED Lab)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGVSU's Future ED Lab provides a backdrop for industry events and educational programming on the Multimedia Jobs Act. The lab teaches students CGI, XR, and AI techniques for careers in multimedia production, aligning with MiFIA's talent retention goals.
• IATSE Local 26 (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMiFIA works with IATSE Local 26, the union representing theatrical stage employees, on advocacy for the Multimedia Jobs Act. Lindsey Katerberg serves as both MiFIA Board member and 1st Vice President of IATSE Local 26.
• Pure MichiganminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPure Michigan is referenced in the proposed Multimedia Jobs Act as one of the logos that must appear in qualifying productions to receive the additional 5% tax credit bonus. Pure Michigan promotion aligns with MiFIA's mission to showcase the state.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FilmLA: FilmLA is the nonprofit film office that permits and supports on-location production across the Los Angeles region — the closest analog to MiFIA as a member-supported organization advocating for and coordinating a state/regional film production ecosystem.
• Film Columbus: Film Columbus is a regional film industry organization in Ohio supporting production, crew, and advocacy — closely analogous to MiFIA in scale, mission, and Midwestern film-economy advocacy role.

Broad incumbents

• California Film Commission: The California Film Commission is the state agency overseeing California's Film & Television Tax Credit Program, representing the mature incumbent version of what MiFIA is trying to build at a smaller scale for Michigan's multimedia sector.
• Louisiana Entertainment: Louisiana Entertainment, a division of Louisiana Economic Development, administers the state's well-established Motion Picture Production Tax Credit — a longstanding state-level incentive competitor referenced in MiFIA's broader national competitive context.
• Georgia Film Office: The Georgia Film Office is the established state agency administering Georgia's 30% film tax credit — the very program that has pulled Michigan productions (e.g., Black Family Mafia, Grosse Pointe Garden Society) south and that MiFIA's bill is explicitly designed to counter.
• Texas Film Commission: The Texas Film Commission promotes Texas as a production destination and administers the state's Moving Image Industry Incentive Program — another large state-level film incentive authority competing for the same U.S. productions MiFIA wants to attract to Michigan.
• Illinois Film Office: The Illinois Film Office administers Illinois's film production tax credit and is one of the Midwestern states MiFIA explicitly cites as having drawn Michigan talent and production away after Michigan's 2015 incentive repeal.
• New York State Film Office: Empire State Development's Film Office administers New York's film production tax credit and is a comparable state-level film incentive authority, competing with Michigan for the same pool of U.S. production work.
• Florida Office of Film & Entertainment: The Florida Office of Film & Entertainment promotes film production in Florida and administers the state's entertainment production incentive — a state-level peer competing with Michigan for productions that could shoot in either state.

Regional players

• Film New Mexico: Film New Mexico is the state film office promoting production incentives and locations in New Mexico — a regional peer offering similar incentive-driven state film office services in a non-Michigan geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michigan-film-industry-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Michigan Film Industry Association