OUR COLLABORATION GUIDELINES And ETHICS
In a Nutshell
Hook and Chance for us is all about connecting with creative DM’s and players and fueling that creativity and skill with storytelling. We are doing our best to build credibility and trust in our content with the community. So that means regardless of the product, tool, supplement, Kickstarter, etc we are beholden to our community first, not products or companies. For us, we are happy to keep our day jobs and not treat this labor of love as a revenue stream if it means we can maintain the standards we have tried to uphold. That being said, if it is genuinely helpful to the listener/viewer and within our scope and space, we want to feature it and are enthusiastic to collaborate.
Focused on Values – We are not perfect, but we will do our best to make space for people, companies, products that align with our values. We will do our best to research. If we choose not to work with you based on what we find, sorry.
Still Focused on Values – Ultimately, we will put the value of our community members and listeners above all else.
Products or services
When it comes to products or services to feature, we will never take a “sponsored content” approach. If we choose to work with a company, it will always be because we actually use the product or want to bring it to the listener's attention because we see its potential. More importantly, we will always make it abundantly clear that such content is sponsored. If we are sent a product for free, we will clearly state this in our content. Offering a product doesn’t mean we’ll feature it. We want to maintain being very selective about the products and services we feature.
It’s Gotta Be Relevant – We are generally only interested in talking about TTRPG related projects or products. Sorry ZipRecruiter.
We Control Our Content Calendar – This means we can’t be persuaded to publish content on your schedule. If you have a launch date for a project, let’s get a real early start so we can do our best to align it.
Your Best Foot Forward – We appreciate potential talking points or features of your project, but we will retain ultimate control over what we think is relevant to our listeners.
We Don’t Do It For Freebies – We do not make content in exchange for products or services. If we ask for access or a sample, it is strictly to ensure it is the right fit for our community and content.
No Revisions – We’ll always try to produce positive content regarding your project where we can, but won’t submit content to entities that work with us for approval or revisions.
Our Content is Ours – It’s a reflection of what we are interested in and excited about at any given time.
Creators and guests
When it comes to creators and guests; a lot of podcasts and content creators do a lot of talking. Our aim is to never be one of them. We want to talk to experts, teachers, explorers, innovators with a focused topic or unique specifics to share that should be able to immediately improve the very next game. That being said, we also believe anyone can be an expert. It’s with this in mind that we prioritize the listener and not the guest, so we are open to working with anyone that has a message that is clear, concentrated, immediately applicable, and helpful. If you want to work with us to hone a message or product, we are super open to that provided we have the time.
It’s All About Story and Systems – If you’re familiar with our content then you may have noticed it is story and systems-focused. We really couldn't care too much about the mechanics of RPGs unless it works to increase the drama and storytelling potential of a game. Try not to get bogged down in the numbers.
We Don’t Publish Content We Aren’t Happy With – If it’s not working it’s not working and we’ll need to do it again or scrap it.
Tangible Takeaways – Our content doesn’t need guests. It wants guests with specific points. We’ll happily work with you to refine.
PUBLISHING AND COLLABORATION
Publishing content under Hook and Chance is a new area for us we are actively branching out in. You might have an idea for a supplement, adventure, etc, and want to bring it to life, but perhaps you lack some of the resources to do so. We get it; a lot of work goes into top-tier content and you can’t be a master of everything. Inadvertently, this community that has grown up around a podcast has incredible talent within it. We can put together groups to round out the roles needed to bring a project together, in addition; the brothers will put forth as much time as they can towards promotion, editing, design, and layout, etc. We will never take any monetary compensation from the finished product, growing Hook and Chance is it’s own reward.
Fairness – Until we find a good reason otherwise, we want to ensure that sweat equity on content is rewarded commensurately. This is a direct stance against the unfair compensation practices rife in this industry. This means compensation will be divided among those that worked on the project only and evenly. No exceptions.
Equality – Ideas and innovation are prioritized. We love you for who you are and you should be treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices, or preferences. We believe in meritocracy. This is how we can build awesome stuff.
Diversity and Inclusion
We value equity, diversity, and inclusion because it should always go without saying that every person has a right to equal treatment. However, this does not simply mean “we welcome everyone to the table”. Exposure to diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences not only improves us as people it also helps us become better DM’s and players by giving us broader and richer experiences to draw upon. Building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive space is collaborative and requires those in positions of privilege to be allies to those who are marginalized. We will always aim for this ideal and will call it out when we see injustice—both in our community and the gaming community as a whole. Silent and passive are not traits of an ally, they are traits of those not willing to change the status quo. We expect the same of guests, participants in the discord community, and collaborators.
SUMMARY
We hope this is received well and does not appear difficult. We want to work with you, we want to grow with you, we want to celebrate you and all the creativity and innovation you bring to the roleplay world provided there is a fit and you want to see the community genuinely flourish as much as we do.
If you have read the above and want to collaborate, click the button below.