Launch a Cineminn market.
Keep 50% of the revenue.
Cineminn picks operators first, markets second. If you're a former real estate agent or an established real estate photographer who wants to run a marketing studio without building one from scratch — this is the path. The market follows the right operator, not the other way around.
Cineminn is not a franchise.
You're not buying a license, paying ongoing royalties, or being told what to charge. The partner-operator model is a true revenue-share partnership: you operate the local market under the Cineminn brand using our systems, our training, our lead-gen, and our QC standards. After expenses, 50% of net is yours.
You bring the local boots-on-the-ground execution. We bring everything else.
What HQ provides
Brand + website + booking system + training program + ops bibles + photo editing pipeline (our editing partner) + customer success scripts + lead-gen funnels + paid ads playbook + QC standards + brand voice rules + ongoing operator coaching with Julian (1:1 monthly).
What you provide
Local market knowledge + photographer-of-record (you OR a contractor you hire) + customer-facing communication in your market + local agent + brokerage relationships + on-the-ground problem solving + 9 AM SLA enforcement.
The 50/50 split
Revenue minus expenses (photographer pay, editor cost, ad spend, software fees) = net. Net split 50/50 between you and HQ. Transparent reporting through HubSpot + monthly P&L. No hidden fees, no markups buried in the math.
Operator first. Market second.
Most expansion playbooks pick a city ("Phoenix is hot — let's open Phoenix") and then hunt for someone to run it. That's how franchises sell territory and lose money. We do the opposite. We find a great operator. Their market becomes our market.
The result: our 2026 priority cities are Charlotte and Nashville (where strong applicants already exist), plus any city where an A-player applies. We're equally interested in counter-cyclical, premium markets — Boulder, Park City, Naples, Charleston, Asheville — that conventional real estate analyses skip but where Cineminn's premium positioning actually fits better.
If you're a strong applicant in a market not on our radar — apply. The market follows you, not the other way around.
A great fit if you are...
- A former real estate agent (3+ years closed transactions)
- An established real estate photographer wanting to upgrade to a marketing studio
- A real-estate-adjacent operator (broker, transaction coordinator, marketing director)
- Located in or actively connected to one of our 5 launch markets
- Comfortable running a 7-day-a-week operation in your first 90 days
- Willing to be customer-facing (this is not a passive investment)
- Brand-disciplined — you'll uphold Cineminn standards, not freelance them
Not a fit if you are...
- Looking for a passive franchise / licensing opportunity
- Currently active as a real estate agent (conflict of interest with our agent customers)
- Trying to use Cineminn brand to launch a different service
- Not in or connected to one of our 5 launch markets
- Unwilling to follow the bibles + brand voice rules
- Looking for a 9-to-5 (this is operator work)
From application to first paying customer in 30 days.
Once approved, here's the timeline. Julian personally trains every operator — no delegating to a "field rep."
Onboarding kickoff
Read the 9 bibles. Set up your local domain path, HubSpot access, booking flow.
Live shadow + practice
Shadow 3 Cineminn shoots remotely. Run 5 mock customer calls with Julian.
Local launch prep
Build your photographer + editor pipeline in-market. Test the full delivery loop.
First paid shoot
HQ gives you the first 5 leads from existing Cineminn pipeline routing to your market.
Independent operation
You run the local market. HQ stays in monthly 1:1 coaching cadence with Julian.
What an operator actually earns.
Real numbers. Year-1 projection based on the Twin Cities flagship's actual ramp curve. Your numbers will vary by market size, your existing network, and how aggressively you execute.
| Quarter | Shoots/mo | Gross revenue | Operator share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (months 1-3) | ~6 | ~$3K/mo | ~$1.2K/mo |
| Q2 (months 4-6) | ~14 | ~$7K/mo | ~$2.8K/mo |
| Q3 (months 7-9) | ~24 | ~$12K/mo | ~$4.8K/mo |
| Q4 (months 10-12) | ~32 | ~$16K/mo | ~$6.4K/mo |
Numbers are projections, not guarantees. Years 2 and 3 typically see 1.5-2x growth as the local network compounds. The Twin Cities flagship hit ~80 shoots/mo by year 4. Your ceiling depends on market dynamics + your execution — not on Cineminn HQ.
What people ask before applying.
Is this a franchise?
No. Franchise = upfront fee + ongoing royalty + heavy regulatory framework + restrictive operations contract. Cineminn partner-operator = $0 franchise fee, no royalty, transparent revenue share, 30-day no-fault termination clause. You can leave whenever; we can ask you to leave whenever. Both sides invest in making it work.
Do I need photography skills?
Not necessarily. You either need to BE a photographer at Cineminn quality standards, OR you need to hire a photographer-of-record in your market who is. Many operators do the latter and focus on operations + sales + customer success. The shoot itself is fungible; the customer relationship and market execution is not.
What's the upfront cost?
$0 to Cineminn. Your real costs: gear (if you don't have it — ~$5-15K for camera + lenses + drone + computer), local LLC setup (~$300), insurance ($800-1,500/yr), and your time. We're not extracting cash from operators upfront. The 50/50 split aligns interests instead.
What if my market isn't on the list?
Apply anyway. Cineminn picks operators first, markets second — a great applicant in a non-priority market beats a mediocre one in Charlotte every time. If you're an A-player, your market becomes a priority by virtue of you being there. Charlotte and Nashville are listed because we have inbound demand there, not because they're the only markets we'll consider.
How does Cineminn decide which markets to open?
We're not chasing the highest-volume Sunbelt cities. Most of those are saturated with $99-photo competitors who'd undercut us before we get traction. We prefer markets where (a) a strong operator already lives, (b) buyers are pickier than the average, and (c) competitor density is medium or lower. Counter-cyclical markets — Boulder, Park City, Naples, Charleston, Asheville — often outperform the obvious "growth city" picks for premium real estate media.
Can I be a current real estate agent and an operator at the same time?
No. The conflict of interest is too direct — Cineminn customers are real estate agents. You can be someone who closed their book years ago, or simultaneously hold a license without actively transacting. You cannot run an active book of listings while also operating Cineminn in that market.
What's the non-compete?
12 months in your market, narrowly scoped to real estate marketing studio activity. You can do general commercial photography, agent training, course sales, etc. — anything that's not a direct competitor to Cineminn's specific category in the same metro.
How long until I'm profitable?
Most operators net-positive by month 4-6 if they execute the playbook. The first 90 days is build-pipeline-and-deliver-flawlessly mode. By month 6, most operators are at $2-5K/mo in operator share. By year 1, $6-8K/mo is realistic in a top-10-metro market. Your effort and your market dictate the ceiling.
Apply to launch a market.
5-min application. Julian personally reviews every submission within 5 business days. If we want to move forward, you'll get a Calendly link for a 30-min intro call.
Got it. Julian reads every one personally.
You'll hear back from julian@cineminn.com within 5 business days — either a Calendly link for a 30-min intro call, or a clear "not the right fit right now" with the reasoning. We don't ghost.
While you wait, the Operator Bible (the playbook every Cineminn partner follows) is here:
Read the Operator Bible →