What started as a simple movie night quickly revealed something bigger for Jason Wiseman — a chance to turn shared cinematic experiences into meaningful community impact. Through the Mystery Movie Mini-thon and the Reel House Foundation, he has created a model where curiosity, connection, and conversation fuel both entertainment and purpose. By bringing audiences together around the unknown and reinvesting that energy into free, accessible programming for underserved youth, Jason is proving that film isn’t just something we watch — it’s something that can unite, inspire, and give back year-round.
Jason, the Mystery Movie Mini-thon started as a simple movie night. At what point did you realize it had the potential to grow into a full nonprofit?
When we started the event, we knew we would need to charge for tickets to cover costs. We made sure to let people know that any money over expenses would be donated to charity. For the first few years, we supported Child’s Play, a gaming charity out of Seattle. After three years of successfully pulling off the event, we decided to look locally for a cause to support. That’s when the idea was floated to start The Reel House Foundation. We realized we could do more than write a check once a year. We could build something that served our own community year-round.
The “mystery” element is such a unique concept. What makes that experience so exciting for audiences compared to a traditional screening?
The easiest thing to do when canceling plans is to find an excuse to stay home. Not knowing what the movie is creates a fear of missing out that we hope adds an extra incentive to make the event a “can’t miss” evening. We try to program films that have been forgotten or underseen, so when you walk out of the theater, you have a new favorite film or at least leave with a smile on your face. There’s also something special about ~100 people discovering a film together for the first time. You can’t get that experience streaming at home.
Reel House Foundation serves both youth and adult communities. How do these two sides of your mission complement each other?
Our larger effort is to show the communal power of film. Every one of our screenings is followed by a post-film discussion. We want people to engage with what they’ve just seen, not just passively consume it. That’s true whether we’re screening a classic for kids at a community center or an art house film for adults at The Modern.
The adult programming helps fund and bring attention to the youth programming, but it’s more than just a financial relationship. The adults in our community are modeling what it looks like to take film seriously, to show up for cinema, to talk about it afterward. And when we work with kids, we’re not just giving them something to watch. We’re teaching them to look at art with a critical eye, to ask questions, and hopefully encouraging them to tell their own stories someday.
Both sides are about the same thing: building a community that values film as something worth gathering around.
This year’s Mini-thon features visiting filmmakers and a film with festival buzz. What makes the 9th annual event especially meaningful or different from past years?
Beyond connecting audiences with new films and raising money for our programming, providing an environment where filmmakers can really engage and interact with the audience is the next evolution of the event. We don’t expect to be able to do this every year, but we do want to create an environment where film lovers can celebrate the medium alongside the people who make the films. By removing the barrier of a screen, a stage, and even a Q&A moderator, we hope to connect artists with art lovers in an intimate setting.
You’ve created a model where entertainment directly supports impact. How do events like this help sustain your free programming for underserved youth throughout the year?
We want all of our events to be accessible, and we never want cost to be a determining factor for attendance. By hosting our flagship fundraiser once a year, we’re able to fund a large portion of our programming for the rest of the year while also taking time to celebrate everything our community has accomplished. This funding ensures that the majority of our screenings are free or pay-what-you-can and open to the public. That means a kid from Girls Inc. or Big Brothers Big Sisters can have the same experience as anyone else in the theater.
Link:
- Website: Reel House Foundation
