The shape of the work
Before we trade numbers, here's the structure I want us aligned on. There are three layers to how Curative supports Altra — they sit on top of each other, they're priced differently, and they unlock different kinds of value. The proposal that follows this conversation will put rates against each. Today is about the shape.
Monthly Retainer
The ongoing taste, network, and stewardship work I'm already doing. Curating teams. Brokering brand partnerships. Keeping the cultural infrastructure warm — TSP, Pleasures, Love Crew, and the run-culture network we've already built around the brand. This is the layer that makes everything else possible — and the one that currently runs without a contract.
- Team curation & athlete relationships
- Brand-to-brand partnership brokering
- Specialty retail & store relationships
- TSP relationship stewardship
- Cultural intel & taste filter
- Always-on creative direction
Production Markup
When the retainer work produces something — a shoot, an event, an activation, a campaign — production costs pass through with a flat markup. Clean, transparent, no surprises. The same model the best agencies in this space use, just smaller and sharper.
- Welcome events & activations
- Content shoots & editorial production
- Talent & creator coordination
- Event design & on-the-ground ops
- Campaign rollout & post-production
- Pass-through cost transparency
Project Deals
The big plays. Multi-year cultural anchors that sit outside the retainer because their shape, scale, and commitment is different. Each one negotiated as its own structure, with its own multi-year arc. Atacama pinnacle is the first one on the table.
- TSP Atacama pinnacle partnership
- Future TSP-adjacent plays (Chamonix +)
- Major brand-anchor collaborations
- Multi-year cultural property holds
- Owned-IP activations
- Negotiated individually, multi-year
The Atacama pinnacle slot is open
What it is
The Atacama race currently has no pinnacle partner. Hoka holds LALV. Chamonix is spoken for. Atacama is the open chair at the table — and Nils Arend (TSP founder) said on a call this week that he sees Altra as the fit, from a brand perspective.
Why it matters
Pinnacle isn't a one-race deal. The structural reference is New Balance — full access to all TSP moments across the calendar, plus the right to bring teams. A pinnacle hold at Atacama is a multi-year cultural anchor that lifts every other layer of the work.
"If LALV is a house cat, Atacama is a tiger."
Three layers, one relationship
The retainer formalizes work that's already happening. The markup makes production scalable and clean. The anchors give Altra access to plays Curative is uniquely positioned to broker.
Each layer sits on its own budget line. Each one can be approved on its own timeline. The retainer doesn't wait for Atacama; Atacama doesn't depend on the retainer. They compound.
Alignment on shape, not numbers
The proposal lands after this meeting, not in it. Today the ask is simpler:
- Confirm the three-layer shape feels right to you
- Surface where each layer sits in the budget structure on your side
- Validate Atacama as the first anchor we move on together
- Identify what you need to see in the written proposal