Brand USA · America the Beautiful · Fall 2026 · Odyssey Studios
Open Door
Producers' brief
A working reference for producing the fall spot: who decides what, the crew, the house rules, how the Drive is organized, how receipts are filed, and the logistics we know so far. It will change. Team posts updates from the top bar; they go live immediately. The edition stamp is the last published version of the body text; What changed lists both.
Key dates
Oct 13
4:30 pm ET
Client call
Mark + Jen
Mark + Jen. Client chose Route 1, the Ozarks.
Oct
Dates TBD
Scout
Set after the route decision.
Oct
Date TBD
Rental cutoff
Date from Jen. Nothing is booked until she confirms.
Nov 3
Travel day
Travel out
Half day at half rate.
Nov 4–9
Six shoot days
Shoot
Wednesday through Monday, 12-hour days.
Nov 10
Travel day
Return
Half day at half rate.
Mid-Jan
Delivery
Fall spot delivered
Four rounds of editorial, two of color.
Quick reference
Who we areOn this job we operate as part of Odyssey Studios. If anyone asks, that is the answer.
Money and logisticsJen confirms every budget and logistics question. Mark is creative only.
MedicalAnything medical on set goes to Jen first.
ClientAnything for Brand USA goes through Claire Wingate at Odyssey.
ReceiptsYYYY-MM-DD_Vendor Name_$00.00_NoteFiled same day to Expense Receipts.
Google Drive1. Production · Fall – Open Door
ShootRoute 1, the Ozarks · travel out Nov 3 · shoot Nov 4–9, six 12-hour days · return Nov 10.
Confidential
ReferencesThe treatment · Prior spots on Frame.io · password BU26
02 — UpdatesWhat changed
02 — Updates
What changed
- 13 Oct 2026Edition 2. The client chose Route 1, the Ozarks. Route 2 is off the table. Town and city picks go to the client next.
- 13 Oct 2026Shoot dates set: travel out Nov 3, shoot Nov 4–9, return Nov 10.
- 13 Oct 2026Edition 1. First issue of the brief, ahead of the Oct 13 client call. Route, town and city are still open.
03 — The jobThe job
03 — The job
The job
A :30 fall spot for Brand USA's America the Beautiful campaign, shot November 4–9 on a Midwest road trip. Odyssey Studios is the production company of record; we direct and produce under them. The client has chosen Route 1, the Ozarks: Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas, flying in and out of Kansas City.
| Client chain | Brand USA → Miles Partnership (Claire Wingate, Head of Production) → Odyssey Studios → us. Claire owns the client and all client management; anything for Brand USA goes through her. On client calls we are one unit with Claire. |
| Who we are | On this job we operate as part of Odyssey Studios, on set, with the client, with vendors and with locations. If anyone asks who we are, the answer is Odyssey Studios. Lone Spruce is not mentioned to the client or on anything client-facing. |
| Shoot | Travel out November 3. Six shoot days at 12 hours, November 4–9 (Wednesday through Monday). Return November 10. Travel days are half days at half rate. All crew contracted on 12-hour days. |
| Capture | Video, 6–8K, 16:9, with a 35mm film effect in post. Full DIT is a client requirement. |
| Deliverables | 1x :30, 1x :15, 1x :06 (16:9); four rounds of editorial, two of color; fall spot delivered mid-January. Stills: 15 retouched heroes and 25 outtakes per shoot day. Social: 10 selects and 20 outtakes, 3x :15 and :06 lifts per day in 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1. |
| Talent | Two main talent, cast through Odyssey, all rights in perpetuity. Everyone else is a real local cast where we film, no travel. The 60-extras figure in the original bid was a carry-over, not a requirement. |
| Odyssey covers | Production insurance. Licensed music and library music for social. Drives for social content. Odyssey and client travel and hotels. Breakfast and dinner for the Brand USA client team. |
| We cover | Crew, gear, vehicles, locations, local casting, on-set lunch for everyone including the five client-side people, the stills and social teams and their travel. |
| Budget notes | Camera and lenses are estimated at $4,800 for six days; nothing is booked until Jen confirms. Stabilization and support sit outside those lines. Lighting and the director and client monitors are G&E's. Weather days are excluded at Odyssey's request. |
| References | ConfidentialThe treatment (atb-treatment.lonespruce.us) · Prior spots on Frame.io · password BU26. The prior campaign spots are client material: do not download, forward, screen-record or share them outside the production team. |
04 — PeopleWho decides what
04 — People
Who decides what
Jen FlemingExecutive Producer
Your primary contact. Every budget and logistics question or request is confirmed by Jen: rentals, crew deals, travel, lodging, vendors, per diems, post schedule. She is also the on-set point for any medical situation.
Mark FlemingDirector
Creative only: the film, the locations we choose, the people we cast, the camera plan with Ezra, the creative side of the client relationship. Not logistics or budget; those go to Jen.
Claire WingateOdyssey Studios
Owns the client. Anything that has to reach Brand USA goes through Claire. One Odyssey producer travels with us; four client-side people are on set every day.
The producersLead and Associate Producer
Run the day-to-day with Jen: rentals with Ezra, the scout, travel, lodging, vehicles, locations, permits, local casting, catering, the stills and social teams, and the logistics half of the pre-production book. The Lead Producer owns the list; the Associate Producer carries it with them.
05 — PeopleThe crew
05 — People
The crew
Current as of 13 October 2026
| Director | Mark Fleming |
| Executive Producer | Jen Fleming |
| Lead Producer | Matthew O. Henderson |
| Associate Producer | Kara Canole |
| Cinematographer | Ezra Wolfinger Confirmed Owns the camera plan, lensing, stabilization and gear prep; rentals run through the producers and Jen. |
| G&E | Matt Fraser Confirmed supplying lighting and the director and client monitor package. Jake Fay Pending |
| B-cam / drone | TBD We are deciding. |
| Photo | Cait Bourgault Confirmed stills, shooting concurrently. |
| Social team | Pending Separate from Cait: a social stills shooter and a 9:16 shooter supplied through Odyssey, contracted by us. Details pending. |
| Still to hire | Open Two main talent (through Odyssey), HMU and wardrobe, two PAs. |
| Client side on set | One Odyssey producer, one client team member, three Brand USA guests. We feed them lunch; Odyssey handles their travel, hotels, breakfast and dinner. |
06 — On setCrew expectations
06 — On set
Crew expectations
Included in every deal memo and on the first call sheet
The client is on set with us every day. These are the standards for everyone on the crew; producers and department heads are responsible for them.
We are Odyssey Studios on this job. That is how we introduce ourselves to the client, vendors, locations and the public. Lone Spruce is not mentioned on set or in anything client-facing.
No smoking on or near set. Vaping included. Smoking is for breaks, off set and away from the client.
Respectable attire. No rips, no offensive language, no logos that could read as a statement. Comfortable and professional, safe and weather-appropriate; early November in the hills can be cold, wet and muddy.
Medical goes through Jen. Jen is a former emergency room nurse. Any medical scenario on set, large or small, goes to her first.
Phone use is discouraged while the set is live. Especially in view of the client. Unless it is needed for the job at hand, keep it put away.
One beer or wine with crew meals. We cover a single beer or glass of wine with a crew meal. Hard alcohol and mixed drinks are not covered.
Jen is the contact for producers. Budget, logistics, requests, confirmations: Jen. Mark is creative, not logistics or budget.
07 — PaperworkGoogle Drive
07 — Paperwork
Google Drive
Shared with the producers by Jen
The job lives in one Google Drive folder, Brand USA – America the Beautiful (Odyssey Studios) → 1. Production. Both producers have edit access to everything inside it. Mark is building templates for the forms and contracts you will use, and they will land in these folders as they are ready.
Brand USA – America the Beautiful (Odyssey Studios)
1. Production producers · edit access
Budget
Pre Pro Book
Call Sheets
Crew Tracker
Crew Agreements
Invoices & W9s
Expense Receipts
COIs
Talent & Location Releases
Gear & EQ
BTS Stills
DIT
December – Make Room the winter spot, same structure
08 — PaperworkWhat goes where
08 — Paperwork
What goes where
Inside 1. Production → Fall – Open Door
| Budget | Jen's working budget and anything you price for her. Nothing here is final until Jen says so. |
| Pre Pro Book | The client-facing book Mark assembles after the scout. Your logistics sections go here: schedule, locations, contacts, travel, vehicles, permits, catering. |
| Call Sheets | One per shoot day, plus the scout. |
| Crew Tracker | Confirmed crew, rates, days, travel and deal memo status. |
| Crew Agreements | Signed deal memos and NDAs. Every crew member, every time. |
| Invoices & W9s | Vendor and crew invoices with a W9 for each payee before they are paid. |
| Expense Receipts | Every receipt from the job as a PDF, named to the receipt protocol. |
| COIs | Certificates of insurance for locations and rental houses; Odyssey carries the production policy. |
| Talent & Location Releases | Signed releases for every person on camera and every location, filed the day they are signed. |
| Gear & EQ | Rental quotes, confirmations, pickup and return paperwork, the camera plan from Ezra. |
| BTS Stills · DIT | Behind-the-scenes stills from set; DIT logs and reports. |
File documents the day they are signed or received, so the folder is complete at wrap.
09 — PaperworkReceipts
09 — Paperwork
Receipts
Naming and filing
Every receipt on this job must be collected and filed. A missed receipt means going back to the vendor for a copy after the fact, which is slow and not always possible. Get the receipt at the point of purchase, photograph or scan it the same day, and file it as a PDF in Expense Receipts using the format below.
The naming protocol
YYYY-MM-DD_Vendor Name_$00.00_Note
Example
2026-11-03_Louisburg Cider Mill_$48.50_Meals and Entertainment – Brand USA Open Door
| Date | The transaction date, not the filing date. Year first, four digits, dashes. |
| Vendor name | The recognizable business name, as it reads on the receipt. Not the parent company, not an abbreviation. |
| Amount | Exact amount including tip, with the dollar sign. Not rounded. |
| Note | The expense category, then a dash and the client project. Categories match our QuickBooks accounts: Fuel, Meals and Entertainment, Lodging, Equipment Rental, Production Supplies, Travel, Parking and Tolls, Location Fees. If you are unsure of the category, ask Jen rather than guess. |
| Format | One PDF per receipt. A phone photo is acceptable if it is straight, legible and converted to PDF. Keep paper receipts as backup. |
| Where | 1. Production → Fall – Open Door → Expense Receipts. Jen moves approved receipts to the company Master Receipts folder; you do not need to. |
| When | Same day as the charge, or by wrap each night at the latest. |
| Crew and vendor invoices | Not receipts. Invoices go to Invoices & W9s with the payee's W9, and are paid only after Jen approves them. |
10 — LogisticsWhat we know now
10 — Logistics
What we know now
Confirmed, pending and open items
| Confirmed | Travel out Nov 3, shoot Nov 4–9, return Nov 10. Six 12-hour shoot days plus half-day travel days. Full DIT. 16:9, 6–8K, film effect in post. Stills and social teams alongside. Five client-side people on set; lunch on us, their breakfast, dinner, travel and hotels on Odyssey. Rights in perpetuity. Fall spot delivered mid-January. |
| Route | Route 1, the Ozarks, KS / MO / AR, chosen by the client on Oct 13. Kansas City → US-69 through Louisburg → Fort Scott → Prairie State Park → Carthage → Bentonville → US-62 to Eureka Springs → AR-21 to the Buffalo River. About 6 hr 25 of base driving. Fly-in Kansas City. |
| Our picks | Eureka Springs, AR (town) and Bentonville, AR (city). We shoot one town, one city and the open country between them; the treatment lists more stops than we will use. |
| Permits to check | Prairie State Park (Missouri State Parks), Buffalo National River (NPS), Crystal Bridges, the towns of Eureka Springs and Bentonville, drone at each. |
| Open | Town and city confirmation from the client. Scout dates. Jake Fay. B-cam and drone. The social team's names and rates. Talent casting (through Odyssey). HMU, wardrobe and PAs. Rental cutoff date from Jen. |
| Promised to the client | Claire has asked us to carry an alternate location inside each market for weather, access or permits. No churches, no ferries, no poultry houses, no festivals or one-off events; every stop is an established place we can call ahead. No promise of peak color. Picking is over; orchards and mills are shot as harvest and cider. |
