BAVC News

We’re excited to start our 50th year with a number of changes to the BAVC Media team, with leadership changes across a number of departments that promise to take us into 2026 with renewed energy and optimism. Executive Director, Paula Smith Arrigoni: “We are so fortunate at BAVC Media to be led by a dynamic team of new and experienced staff directors. They are piloting and scaling new models and partnerships, and expanding our membership program to include more community connections. This team is all about supporting media makers to thrive as artists, workers, and engaged citizens!” Among the changes [...]

Research & Development Manager, Kailen Sallander, reflects on presenting Mapping the Magnetic Media Landscape at archivist conferences around the world, a fitting culmination of years of research, collaboration, and community knowledge-sharing. Today is Kailen's last day after five years at BAVC Media. We’re honored to have supported this work alongside her and are excited to share her reflections as her time with us comes to a close. Her work has strengthened BAVC Media’s impact and relationships across the media preservation landscape, and we’re excited to see her step into her next role as Grants/Institutional Funding Manager at Women’s Audio Mission (WAM). In the [...]

Since joining BAVC Media this spring, Membership & Programs Assistant Zander Constien has helped reshape how members connect and collaborate. Here’s a look at what changed in 2025 and what’s ahead for our members. I joined BAVC Media as the new Membership and Programs Assistant this March and I couldn’t be more proud of the work the marketing team and I have done in such a short time. This year, our membership program fostered BAVC Media's mission to serve our community of independent artists by bringing people together and sparking creativity in new and exciting ways. Though the discounts to [...]

Co-presented by Drunken Film Fest and Film SF. The Member Montage: Community Screening & Mixer is the first in a new event series for Bay Area filmmakers. Creating a judgment-free space to share and workshop short films, music videos, passion projects, or works in progress with the BAVC Media community. "Some stories transcend time and space, insisting not to be forgotten. Some heartbreak is reversible, with the help of a little dancing. And sometimes, we just need a good laugh. I hope you find all of this and more during our first-ever Member Montage Community Screening." - Zander Constien, programmer [...]

In June 2025, BAVC Media utilized remaining funds from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to subcontract other regional initiatives across the US. A call for proposals was issued to members of the Independent Film & Media Arts Group (IMAG) to redistribute over $20,000 in support of organizations across the national indie media field. A review process was undertaken by the BAVC Media team and eighteen organizations were selected for contracts in support of their work before the end date of the early-terminated agreement with the NEA. “With less than a month to wrap up activities and spend down [...]

*UPDATE (May 15, 2025): total amount updated from $250,000 to $220,000 in impacted funding. This is to reflect our ability to draw down funds originally tied up in early terminations. This is specific to the $30k for our VERSED and IMAG programs outlined below. The remaining $220,000 in funds lost includes a withdrawn award offer for the Preservation Access Program & MediaMaker Fellowship, and an anticipated cooperative agreement for the 2025 IMAG program year that was not renewed.*   SAN FRANCISCO, CA — May 6, 2025 — Along with many of our peer organizations, on Friday, May 2, 2025, we [...]