What a retainer is, and who it suits
A retainer is an ongoing arrangement in which we plan, shoot and edit your content every month against an agreed scope. Instead of briefing a new project each time, you have a team that knows your brand, your products and your standards, and a calendar that tells you exactly what arrives and when.
It suits brands that publish constantly and cannot afford inconsistency: fashion and beauty labels with regular drops, hotels and restaurants with seasonal stories, and companies running paid social that needs new creative every month. If you are deciding between a retainer and one-off projects, our guide to retainer or project weighs both honestly.
How a retainer month works
Each month follows the same rhythm, so your team always knows when to give input and when to expect delivery.
The rhythm is fixed; the content changes with your calendar and launches.
Planning is the part that makes a retainer valuable. We meet once a month to review what ran, what is coming, and what the next shoot must cover. Launches, seasons and campaigns are mapped months ahead, so the content is ready before the moment rather than after it.
One shoot, a month of content
The economics of a retainer rest on planning. A single well-organised day on set, with several sets, looks and scripts prepared in advance, can produce around forty pieces of content. Our guide to batch content production explains how.
Several sets, looks and scripts prepared in advance.
- Short-form video
Reels, TikTok and Shorts for the month's calendar.
- Ad creative
Variations of the strongest pieces for paid testing.
- Product stills
Consistent images for the site and marketplaces.
- Lifestyle photography
Images for feed, email and press.
- Talking pieces
Founder or expert clips, if your plan includes them.
- Website loops
Silent footage for product and landing pages.
What is included
- A monthly planning session and a written content calendar.
- A fixed number of shoot days and deliverables each month, agreed in the scope.
- Creative development, scripting and shot lists for every piece.
- Casting, styling, props and locations as the calendar requires.
- Editing, colour grading, captions and music, delivered in every ratio you use.
- One review link for all feedback, and replies within one business day.
- Usage rights and talent releases managed for everything we produce.
A retainer can include any of our services: short-form video, ad creative, photography, creator content, founder content or a podcast. The mix can change from month to month within the agreed scope.
Why brands choose a retainer
- Consistency. The same team, lighting logic and edit style month after month, so your feed looks like one brand.
- Speed where it counts. Because pre-production and brand knowledge are already in place, reactive pieces move faster.
- Better use of each shoot. Planning across months means every shoot day covers more.
- Predictability. A fixed monthly scope and delivery calendar makes planning and budgeting simpler for your team.
Your side of the arrangement
A retainer runs best with one named person on your side who can approve plans and gather feedback. We ask for product samples ahead of each shoot, access to upcoming launch information and a short monthly planning conversation. In return you receive a written calendar, a single review link and a team that already knows which colour your packaging should be and which angles your founder dislikes.
Every quarter we step back from the monthly rhythm to review the whole programme with you: which formats earned their place, which should be retired, and what the next season needs. It keeps the retainer shaped around your brand as it changes, rather than repeating the same plan out of habit.
What shapes the retainer
The scope is built from the number of pieces per month, the number of shoot days, how varied the content is (one product range or many, one look or several), whether talent and locations change each month, how much travel is involved, and the rights you need. We quote each retainer against a written scope and review it with you as your needs change. Our content calendar guide helps you estimate your own volume.
How to start
Send us the channels you publish on, how often you post and run ads, the launches in the next six months, and examples of content you want to be proud of. We usually start with a first month that sets the visual system and planning rhythm, then settle into the regular calendar. Retainers suit restaurants and hospitality brands and fashion labels particularly well, as both publish year round.