Building EPP into a sustainable media company with real impact.
A working vision for how Extraordinary People Project could grow, make money, remain charitable, protect its founders, and create a structure built to last.
No final percentages, salaries, retainers, or production rates are proposed here. Those should be defined together after alignment on roles, scope, and expectations.
EPP is more than a documentary.
The strongest version of EPP is a mission-driven media brand built around meaningful stories, trusted relationships, community, and experiences that move people to act.
A media company with a charitable engine.
Not simply a production company, and not simply a nonprofit. EPP can operate as a commercial media platform while directing part of its resources, partnerships, and visibility toward measurable social impact.
Storytelling
Documentaries, photography, short-form video, podcasts, and written profiles.
Community
Private dinners, screenings, membership, intimate conversations, and live gatherings.
Platform
Speaking, books, educational programs, digital channels, and thought leadership.
Impact
Grants, scholarships, subsidized films, direct support, and charitable campaigns.
How EPP can make money.
Early revenue should come from relationships and premium partnerships—not from hoping platform advertising alone will fund high-quality storytelling.
Annual or campaign-based partnerships aligned with EPP's mission.
Keynotes, moderated conversations, conferences, and leadership events.
Ticketed experiences, sponsor-supported gatherings, screenings, and salons.
Presenting sponsors, series sponsorships, and aligned advertisers.
Private access, early screenings, events, conversations, and supporter tiers.
Curriculum, books, educational products, footage licensing, and distribution.
Paid projects for aligned foundations, institutions, and organizations.
How the model reinforces itself.
The media builds trust. Trust attracts sponsors, members, donors, and partners. Their support funds stronger stories and greater impact.
Doing good without relying on free labor.
The charitable mission should be designed into the business model. It should never depend on filmmakers, editors, crew, or founders quietly donating unlimited professional services.
Commercial Company
- Owns and operates the media brand
- Produces documentaries, podcasts, events, and content
- Signs sponsors and commercial partnerships
- Pays staff, founders, vendors, and production costs
- Creates long-term intellectual property
Charitable Arm or Partner
- Accepts charitable gifts through the proper structure
- Funds grants, scholarships, and community programs
- Supports stories that cannot otherwise be funded
- Creates measurable impact tied to featured subjects
- Can begin through a fiscal sponsor before forming a nonprofit
Two complementary leadership lanes.
A healthy partnership works best when vision, creative authority, production responsibility, and shared decisions are clearly defined.
Natalia
- Vision, mission, and overall brand direction
- Creative direction and visual identity
- Photography and selected visual storytelling
- Public-facing leadership, speaking, and hosting
- Relationships, partnerships, and sponsor cultivation
- Community, events, and program development
Brandon
- Documentary, podcast, and production leadership
- Directing, cinematography, and photography when appropriate
- Production systems, budgets, schedules, and standards
- Story development and execution across media
- Crew, editor, and post-production oversight
- Scaling the production operation through Soundspired and trusted collaborators
Equity, leadership, and production are not the same thing.
Separating these layers prevents confusion and protects the relationship as the workload grows.
Founder Ownership
Equity recognizes long-term value creation, responsibility, and shared upside. It should be documented and may vest over time.
Ongoing Leadership
Recurring strategy, meetings, systems, creative oversight, and management belong in a defined monthly role or future salary structure.
Project Production
Each documentary, podcast, event, or photo assignment receives a separate project budget for crew, gear, travel, post, and delivery.
The production company remains independent.
Soundspired can serve as EPP's preferred production partner while continuing to work with other clients and support Brandon's independent creative career.
What Soundspired Provides
- Production management
- Crew and vendor coordination
- Camera, lighting, and equipment
- Insurance and production infrastructure
- Editing, post-production, and delivery
- Scalable project execution
When Brandon Works on a Shoot
- DP, director, photographer, or operator fees are included in the project budget
- Equipment and production-company services may be itemized separately
- Other crew and vendors are paid from the same approved budget
- The structure works whether Brandon shoots personally or hires another DP
Who works “for free”?
Founders will naturally contribute judgment, ideas, introductions, and occasional extra time. Repeated operational work should not become invisible labor.
- High-level vision conversations
- Occasional introductions
- Informal brainstorming
- Big strategic decisions
- Shared advocacy for the company
- Weekly leadership meetings
- Production planning and scheduling
- Managing editors or freelancers
- Reviewing recurring deliverables
- Shooting, editing, photography, or travel
- Building ongoing systems and workflows
Equity should be real, defined, and earned fairly.
“Ownership earned over time” should mean a documented equity grant with a vesting schedule—not a vague promise that ownership may be discussed later.
Grant
The agreed ownership percentage is formally documented.
Vesting
Ownership becomes fully earned over a defined period as the founder continues contributing.
Prior Contribution
Work already completed may be acknowledged through immediate vesting, compensation, or another agreed mechanism.
A possible starting structure for discussion.
This is not a final proposal. It is a collaborative framework for defining how shared ownership, creative leadership, production responsibility, and compensation could work together.
Protections that preserve the partnership—and Brandon's career.
These are structural boundaries, not signs of distrust.
Independent Creative Career
Brandon remains free to direct documentaries, shoot photography, and pursue commercial and personal projects outside EPP.
Soundspired Remains Independent
EPP does not own Soundspired. Soundspired may serve EPP and continue working with outside clients.
No Broad Non-Compete
Reasonable confidentiality and conflict rules are acceptable. A restriction on Brandon's wider career is not.
Production Is Separately Budgeted
Every shoot has an approved budget. DP, photography, crew, equipment, travel, and post are not assumed to be included in equity.
Operational Work Has a Compensation Path
Ongoing leadership must have a defined monthly, salary, or milestone-based compensation model as scope becomes clear.
Clear IP and Credit
Ownership of EPP work, pre-existing portfolios, personal work, raw footage, licensing rights, and creative credit must be addressed in writing.
Defined Authority
Creative, production, financial, and hiring decisions should have clear owners and approval thresholds.
Clear Exit Terms
The agreement should explain what happens to equity, projects, IP, and responsibilities if either founder leaves.
The next conversation should answer these.
Alignment comes before percentages.
Vision
In five years, what is EPP primarily known for—and where does most of its revenue come from?
Time
What weekly commitment is expected from each founder during the next stage?
Ownership
Is the proposal a defined equity grant with vesting, or a future decision based on contribution?
Compensation
What work is founder contribution, recurring leadership, and separately budgeted production?
Authority
Who has final decision-making power in creative, financial, hiring, and brand matters?
Impact
How will EPP define, fund, and measure its charitable commitments?
Start with a defined first stage.
The partnership does not need to solve the next ten years immediately. It does need enough clarity to protect both people during the next phase.
Align
Agree on vision, roles, decision rights, and time expectations.
Document
Create a written founder framework and short-term operating agreement.
Pilot
Run the structure through a defined period or set of projects.
Refine
Set compensation and ownership details using real scope, revenue, and workload data.