Date: 2026-08-24 Time: 10:30 AM EDT Attendees: Michael Houck (Rye Valley), Geo (Megaphone team / Unlimited)
Summary
Michael walked Geo through the Lore Studio platform build and explored what a direct collaboration arrangement could look like as Michael moves away from Unlimited’s full-service fulfillment model toward an AI-powered, Hermes-driven content system. The conversation was candid: Geo confirmed personal enthusiasm for staying involved and keeping the discussion private from Unlimited until a clearer structure is defined.
Lore Studio platform (in development, Jolt as pilot)
- Hermes-powered content platform covering keyword clustering, brand-voice drafting, automated publishing with human review, HeyGen video clones for YouTube, and data-study-driven backlink generation
- Dashboard live but access-restricted (Michael and Ben only for now): sections include performance, strategy, content review queue, technical proposals, link channels, publishing schedule, reports
- Ben’s human review on Jolt articles is minimal: roughly one edit per post
- Target: fully operational on technical and content-gen sides by mid-month payment cycle; backlinks still being worked out
Company architecture shift
- Moved away from multi-agent orchestration (too complex, too expensive in AI credits)
- Hermes is single source of truth across the whole company: decisions logged, full transparency, self-learning
- Past month: cut over $400K in annual expenses
- Megaphone writing team reduced to Blake, handling all clients through the Hermes-powered workflow
Geo’s situation at Unlimited
- Geo sits above the team at Unlimited, focused on margins, team transitions, and high-tier client management
- Unlimited trialed AI employees but found AI credit costs prohibitive
- Current content stack: Koala (koala.sh, Claude-powered, SEO/AI-search focused) for first drafts, with human editing for brand accuracy
- Geo’s candid position: fully on board with the new direction, wants to stay involved, will keep the conversation private from Unlimited until there is a clearer vision
Collaboration model being explored
- Core ongoing need: neither Michael nor Ben has SEO/GEO expertise - Geo fills that gap
- Geo’s value beyond fulfillment: cross-sell and upsell capability, broader marketing/PPC strategy informed by SEO data
- Equity would be part of any formal arrangement
- Two-tier product idea floated: AI-led with light human revision (lower tier) and full strategy sessions (higher tier)
- BizScout cited as example of a client where substantial budget + full strategic involvement drove strong results
Jolt funnel (copy-paste target for Lore)
- Funnel working: lead magnet, landing page, VSL survey, high-fit to premium package, low-fit to ~$200 product
- Ad cost under $5 per lead for Jolt
- Goal: replicate this funnel for Lore and scale before end of year
Decisions
- Direct collaboration with Geo on Lore Studio being pursued (equity-based arrangement); details TBD. Conversation private from Unlimited for now. See Pursue Direct Geo Collaboration on Lore Studio (Equity-Based).
Action items
- Michael: Loop Geo in with Ben on Lore article review (Ben to give TLDR on current status; Geo to flag SEO/GEO gaps)
- Michael: Share Lore Studio platform with Geo when ready (target later this week)
- Michael: Send Geo the new Lore site when it wraps (targeting this week)
- Michael: Introduce Geo to the Reddit contact once broader collaboration structure is clearer
- Geo: Keep collaboration conversation private from Unlimited until clearer vision established
Notable transcript excerpts
“Neither Michael nor Ben has SEO/GEO expertise… that’s the biggest need for us going forward.” — Michael Houck
“I’d have 2 tiers. I’d be transparent about the process and the results they bring. On that lower tier, I’d almost have it like a human revision as the light touchpoint and maybe your strategy sessions.” — Geo
“I’d love to still stay a part of it. I think obviously that would change numbers and things like that, and that’s fine… you’ve got me. I’m having a lot of fun.” — Geo
“My hypothesis is, by the time we hit that mid-month… Lore Studio, like the platform, will be fully operational on the technical side and the content generation side. Backlinks, maybe.” — Michael Houck
Full transcript available in Granola (meeting id: cb6419d2-6a26-42d7-9dec-665ce107187c).