Last updated: September 22, 2026. These terms govern 1st Episode: our local community shows, the stories we publish, and the local sponsorships that make those stories possible.
1st Episode is a local media brand. We give people making a difference in their community — business owners, nonprofit leaders, volunteers, educators, and everyday neighbors — a place to tell their story. Each local show publishes one new story every week, four every month, and is supported by a small group of local businesses.
Our production team uses an internal platform to record, produce, edit, and publish episodes. Sponsors and story participants do not need an account to take part.
By using this website, sponsoring a show, or taking part in a story, you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. If you sponsor a show or use the Service on behalf of a business or organization, you represent that you are authorized to accept these terms for it.
A sponsorship means supporting and being recognized behind the stories of your community. It is not advertising, it does not give you editorial control, review, or approval of any episode, and it does not guarantee any particular business result.
The businesses that help launch a new market may be recognized as Founding Sponsors. Founding Sponsor is a status, not a separate tier — founding sponsors pay the same $500 per month.
Sponsors who want greater visibility may separately purchase optional add-ons, such as premium intro recognition (“This episode of 1st Episode is brought to you by [Sponsor]”) or commercial spots within an episode. Add-ons are offered by individual agreement, are not included in the base $500/month sponsorship, and are governed by that agreement in addition to these terms.
We decide the subjects, guests, format, and publication of every episode. Sponsor recognition appears as described on the Sponsor page. Episodes are distributed on our public pages and on platforms such as YouTube, and may be clipped or excerpted to promote the show.
Guests appear on our shows by invitation. The person scheduling a recording is responsible for informing every participant that the session is being recorded and for obtaining any consent required by the laws that apply to them. Do not record anyone who has not agreed to be recorded.
A guest may ask us to remove their story at any time by contacting us; we will honor reasonable requests, understanding that already-distributed copies may not be recoverable.
Our team and invited collaborators may hold accounts on the production platform used to make the shows. If you hold an account: keep your credentials safe and tell us promptly about any unauthorized use; content you upload remains yours, and you grant 1st Episode a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, process, transcode, edit, display, transmit, and publish it solely to produce and provide the shows; you are responsible for having the rights to everything you include, including appearances, music, logos, and third-party material. The person running a recording session is responsible for participant consent, as described in section 7.
You may not use the Service to upload, generate, or distribute illegal, infringing, defamatory, hateful, sexually exploitative, deceptive, or harmful content; to impersonate others or create misleading synthetic media of real people without consent; to interfere with, overload, scrape, or reverse-engineer the Service; or to send unsolicited communications. We may limit, suspend, or terminate access that violates these rules.
The Service relies on third parties for payments (Stripe), cloud hosting and media storage and delivery, AI-assisted production tools such as transcription and editing, and video platforms such as YouTube. Their availability and terms can affect the Service, and we are not liable for their acts or outages.
You may end your participation at any time: sponsors may cancel their sponsorship under section 4, and guests may request removal of their story under section 7. We may suspend or terminate access for violations of these terms, non-payment, suspected fraud, or legal requirements, with notice where practical.
The Service is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind. To the maximum extent permitted by law, 1st Episode is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or for lost profits or lost data, and our total liability is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim.
You agree to indemnify and hold 1st Episode harmless from claims arising out of content you provide, your use of the Service, and your breach of these terms or of any law.
These terms are between you and 1st Episode, LLC. They are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which 1st Episode, LLC is established, and disputes will be brought in the courts of that jurisdiction. [Operator: confirm governing law, venue, and registered business address.]
We may update these terms as the shows and the Service evolve. We will notify sponsors of material changes, and continued participation after they take effect means you accept them.
1st Episode, LLC · privacy@dagenmedia.com
These terms describe current product behavior and are not legal advice. Registered business address and governing law should be confirmed by counsel before you rely on this page.