Date: 2026-10-05 10:30 AM EDT Granola: https://notes.granola.ai/d/2c54bb7f-dbbb-4529-b285-c85f0fb17224 Note: Blake Stewart also captured this call separately (granola_id: 457d4fd1-0e7e-44ff-a57a-674cf2712a12). This file is the canonical record.
Attendees
- Michael Houck (Rye Valley / JOLT co-founder)
- Tatem Lindner (JOLT co-founder / editor)
- Blake Stewart (account management, JOLT)
- Matt James (CEO / founder, Gem Studio - PROSPECT)
Summary
First sales call with Matt James, founder and CEO of Gem Studio (jewelry-making workshops, ~10 years, Orem/Utah Valley). Matt is expanding rapidly via a new investment partnership and wants to build a founder-led personal brand now that operations are off his plate. He’s a clear, self-aware buyer who has shopped this category before but never signed because the IRL filming gap wasn’t solved. The call closed with mutual interest pending a full proposal.
Key Context on Matt
- Gem Studio: jewelry-making workshops, ~10 years, rapid national expansion via new investment partnership
- Goals: founder-led content, build personal brand ahead of eventual exit; wants identity that transfers to future ventures
- Wife is Gem Studio co-founder; also interested in managed content (mom/lifestyle angle); will be a critical eye on quality
- Two kids; lives in Orem, Utah (Utah Valley)
- Past attempts failed: inconsistent output, cookie-cutter edits, ChatGPT-sounding scripts
- Reference point: Sawyer (Crumbl Cookies) - doing it but missing “that last 15% of authenticity”
- Brought a videographer to Africa once; willing to fly the right person on work trips for big moments
Content Vision
- Lifestyle-forward, B-roll heavy, vlog-adjacent with voiceover and fourth-wall breaks
- NOT talking-head CEO clips or podcast-clip farms
- Hook quality is his top priority - explicitly flagged agencies underinvesting here
- Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts (LinkedIn/X as reposts)
- Cadence: up to 1-3 videos/day; open to aggressive volume to train algorithm
The Missing Piece: Local Utah Videographer
- Matt explicitly said he won’t sign without an in-person filming partner in Provo/Orem
- Not a traditional videographer: gig/part-time mindset, 1-3 hrs/week or biweekly, no editing required
- Must be easygoing, charismatic, able to coach on camera and spot opportunities
- Open to flying the right person on trips (grand openings, all-hands)
- Pricing: add-on above base $6K/month rate (TBD)
Pricing Discussed
- Base: $6K/month, 3-month minimum
- Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts
- IRL filming: add-on TBD once talent is sourced
- Wife’s account: bundled deal, roughly 75/25 split of effort, not full $12K; feasible since shared filming sessions
Decisions Made
- JOLT will source a local Utah Valley videographer and bake it into the proposal as an add-on
- Proposal will cover: Matt’s account + wife’s account bundle + IRL filming add-on pricing with options (weekly vs. biweekly shoots)
- Matt will send example accounts/videos that match his target vibe within a day
- JOLT will send past work examples (including Hulk Hogan’s Great American Beer: zero to $1M+ revenue, $100M+ valuation at launch)
Action Items
| Owner | Action |
|---|---|
| Michael | Source local Utah Valley videographer via personal connections and influencer search; present options before sending proposal |
| Michael | Draft full proposal: Matt’s account + wife’s bundle + IRL add-on pricing; target later this week |
| Tatem | Pull together past client account examples to include in proposal |
| Matt | Send example accounts/videos matching target vibe within a day |
Notable Transcript Excerpts
On why he’s never signed before: “I won’t do this unless I have that person [local videographer]… if I get an email and it’s like, okay, here’s a shot list and here’s a script, it’s like now I have work that I have to go do.”
On authenticity vs. Sawyer/Crumbl: “His content… it’s just lacking that extra like 15% of authenticity where you’re kind of like, why am I watching this really freaking rich guy live a fun life.”
On the videographer role: “Someone who can hang out… they’re off camera and I am doing a selfie video, but they’re the ones who are like, okay, this is what needs to be said a little bit differently.”
On hooks: “That’s kind of like the most important thing because if no one’s watching your video, then it’s like, why are we working so hard?”
On wife’s account: “75% of the work is on mine, but then like 25% of the work is like with her to still get her consistent posting a couple times a week.”
On personal brand as a long-term asset: “At some point my company will sell… I’ll need to have a foundational personality that I’m able to leverage to be involved in other brands or start a second company.”
Full transcript in Granola: https://notes.granola.ai/d/2c54bb7f-dbbb-4529-b285-c85f0fb17224