Terms and Conditions

1. Definitions and applicability

1.1 Narrative Nest: the contractor identified in the introductory section.

1.2 Client: the natural or legal person acting in the course of a profession or business who enters into an agreement with Narrative Nest.

1.3 Assignment: any agreement for strategic, creative, editorial, organisational, advisory or practical work relating to content, communications and marketing, including strategy, ideation, concept development, production, photography, videography, copywriting, ghostwriting, planning, publication, process design, consultancy and training. An Assignment may take the form of a one-off project, campaign, retainer, advisory engagement, implementation project or training programme.

1.4 Work: all concepts, texts, photographs, videos, designs, plans, files and other deliverables developed as part of an Assignment.

1.5 These Terms and Conditions apply to all quotations, Assignments and follow-up Assignments of Narrative Nest. Any deviation applies only if agreed in writing.

1.6 In the event of a conflict, the following order of precedence applies: the written Assignment confirmation or quotation, any special agreements, and then these Terms and Conditions. The Client’s terms and conditions are expressly rejected.

2. Quotations, formation and scope

2.1 A quotation is non-binding and remains valid for the period stated in it. If no period is stated, the quotation expires thirty days after its date of issue.

2.2 An Assignment is formed when the Client accepts the quotation in writing or electronically, Narrative Nest confirms the Assignment in writing, or Narrative Nest begins performance with the Client’s consent.

2.3 The price, services, deliverables, usage rights, schedule, feedback rounds and any external costs are specified for each Assignment. Narrative Nest does not apply a general hourly rate automatically to every Assignment.

2.4 Services or deliverables that are not expressly included fall outside the scope. An estimate or schedule is based on the information available when it was prepared.

2.5 Obvious errors, typographical errors and calculation errors in quotations do not bind Narrative Nest.

3. Performance and creative discretion

3.1 Narrative Nest performs the Assignment with due care and in accordance with its professional judgement. Unless a specific result has been expressly guaranteed, Narrative Nest undertakes to use reasonable efforts rather than to achieve a particular result.

3.2 Narrative Nest determines the creative, editorial and technical execution within the agreed brief. References, mood boards and sample materials provide direction but do not guarantee an identical outcome.

3.3 Narrative Nest may perform the work in stages and deliver or invoice individual parts separately.

3.4 Narrative Nest does not guarantee reach, revenue, publicity, conversions, algorithmic performance or other commercial results from content.

3.5 Where Narrative Nest acts as an end-to-end content partner, this includes only the elements listed in the quotation. The term “end-to-end” does not mean that every possible strategy, production, management or publication service is automatically included.

4. Client cooperation and responsibilities

4.1 The Client provides all information, materials, access, contacts, decisions and approvals needed for performance in good time. The Client warrants that these are accurate, complete and lawful.

4.2 The Client arranges access to locations, functioning facilities, required permits and permissions from venue owners, organisers, speakers, performers and others involved, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

4.3 Before publication, the Client checks all factual claims, prices, dates, names, brand information and legally required disclosures. The Client’s approval confirms that the content may be published as regards its substance.

4.4 Delays or additional work caused by late, incomplete or changed input from the Client may result in changes to the schedule and price. Narrative Nest is not liable for the resulting consequences.

5. Scheduling, delivery and urgent requests

5.1 Deadlines are target dates unless expressly designated as binding deadlines in writing. A period begins only after all required input has been received and any advance payment has been made.

5.2 A request for delivery within 24 hours, on the same day, outside regular working hours or ahead of the existing schedule is an urgent request. Narrative Nest determines whether it can accommodate the request.

5.3 Urgent work is performed only after written acceptance and at the rush fee or additional price agreed for that request. Without such acceptance, the original schedule applies.

5.4 Narrative Nest is not responsible for delays caused by platforms, online galleries, hosting services, telecommunications providers or other systems outside its reasonable control.

6. Changes, feedback and acceptance

6.1 The number of feedback rounds and versions is set out in the quotation. If none is specified, one consolidated feedback round per conceptual deliverable is included.

6.2 One designated contact person provides complete, clear and consolidated feedback within five working days. Conflicting feedback or feedback provided in stages may be treated as additional work.

6.3 Substantial changes to the brief, concept, schedule, shoot day, location, formats, language, channel or previously approved Work constitute a change to the Assignment and may be quoted separately.

6.4 The Client reports specific defects within five working days after delivery. If no report is made, the Work is deemed accepted. Use or publication also constitutes acceptance, except in respect of defects that could not reasonably have been noticed immediately.

6.5 Narrative Nest is given a reasonable opportunity to remedy a defect for which it is responsible. Differences in taste or departures from non-binding references are not defects.

7. Selection, files and retention

7.1 Narrative Nest and the creator involved make the professional selection of visual material to be delivered. Unselected footage or images, test shots, project files, raw files and RAW files are not included in the delivery unless otherwise agreed in writing.

7.2 Deliverables are provided in the agreed formats and resolutions. Editable source files are provided only if expressly included and may be subject to additional terms and costs.

7.3 Narrative Nest retains project and source files for up to three months after the final delivery, unless a different retention period is agreed in writing. The Client is responsible for downloading, storing and backing up delivered files in good time.

8. Specialists and third parties

8.1 Narrative Nest may engage carefully selected freelance specialists and other third parties to perform the Assignment and, where the Assignment requires it, assemble the production team.

8.2 Narrative Nest remains the point of contact for the Assignment. Work by external creators may be subject to their copyright and moral rights. Narrative Nest ensures that the usage rights agreed with the Client can be granted under contract.

8.3 Where the Client specifies or contracts directly with a third party, Narrative Nest is not responsible for that party’s actions, schedule, rates, availability or grant of rights.

8.4 The licences and terms of platforms, music libraries, stock suppliers, font suppliers and other rights holders continue to apply. Relevant costs or restrictions are stated in the quotation where applicable.

9. Prices, external costs and payment

9.1 All amounts exclude VAT and other taxes or charges unless stated otherwise. Travel, parking, venue, material, rental, licence and other external costs are included only if stated in the quotation.

9.2 Invoicing takes place as set out in the quotation. If no payment schedule is stated, Narrative Nest invoices 50% of a project fee when the Assignment is placed and 50% upon final delivery. Retainers are invoiced in advance for each agreed period.

9.3 Invoices are payable within fourteen days of the invoice date, without set-off, suspension or withholding.

9.4 If payment is late, the Client owes statutory commercial interest and reasonable extrajudicial collection costs without any further notice of default being required. Narrative Nest may suspend work, delivery and publication while payment remains outstanding.

9.5 A complaint about an invoice must be substantiated and submitted within seven days of the invoice date. It does not suspend the payment obligation.

10. Retainers

10.1 A retainer includes only the capacity, services and deliverables agreed for each period. Unused capacity or deliverables expire at the end of that period and do not carry over unless otherwise agreed in writing.

10.2 A retainer runs for the term stated in the quotation. If no term is stated, the retainer continues for an indefinite period and may be terminated in writing after the first three months, subject to one calendar month’s notice.

10.3 Work outside the retainer is agreed in advance and quoted separately. A change in volume, frequency or channel mix may lead to a revised price and schedule.

10.4 During the retainer, the Client ensures that decision-makers, spokespersons, employees and other subject-matter experts are sufficiently available. Missing input, interviews or approvals may extend the schedule and do not entitle the Client to a refund or a carry-over of reserved capacity.

11. Cancellation, rescheduling and failure to attend

11.1 Cancellation or rescheduling must be made in writing. Work already performed, commitments already made and non-refundable costs remain payable in all cases.

11.2 For reserved production or shoot days, the following additional charges apply to the fee reserved for that day: 25% if cancelled or rescheduled 30 to 15 calendar days in advance; 50% if 14 to 8 days in advance; 75% if between 7 days and 48 hours in advance; and 100% if less than 48 hours in advance or in the event of a failure to attend.

11.3 Rescheduling is subject to availability and is treated under the contract as a cancellation and a new booking. At its discretion, Narrative Nest may credit all or part of cancellation charges already paid if a replacement date takes place within three months.

11.4 Cancellation of a retainer does not affect periods already elapsed or the applicable notice period.

12. Intellectual property and usage rights

12.1 Copyright and other intellectual property rights in the Work remain with Narrative Nest or the relevant creator unless expressly transferred in writing.

12.2 After full payment, the Client receives a non-exclusive, worldwide and perpetual right to use the final delivered content for its own online and offline communications and marketing purposes, unless the quotation provides for a different or broader licence.

12.3 The usage right includes publication on the Client’s own website, social media channels, newsletters, presentations, advertisements, press materials and promotional materials. Sale, sublicensing, transfer to third parties, use in products or templates for third parties, and use to train generative AI models are prohibited without written permission.

12.4 The Client may make technical adjustments to the delivered Work for format, cropping, length, subtitling or channel use, provided that the content, context, quality and reputation of the creator and Narrative Nest are not harmed. Substantial editorial changes require prior permission.

12.5 Credit to Narrative Nest or the creator is not required unless the quotation states otherwise. The creator’s moral rights must continue to be respected.

12.6 Concepts, pitches, proposals that were not selected and unpaid Work may not be used, shared or implemented.

12.7 Narrative Nest’s existing and general methods, frameworks, formats, prompts, templates, checklists, training materials and working practices remain its property. Custom work for the Client results in a transfer of rights or exclusivity only if expressly agreed in writing.

13. Portfolio and promotional use

13.1 After the Client’s first lawful public release, Narrative Nest may use the final delivered Work and business-related project information in its own portfolio, website, social media, pitches, presentations, award submissions and trade publications, unless otherwise agreed in writing beforehand.

13.2 Narrative Nest may allow freelance creators involved in the Assignment to show only their own contributions for comparable portfolio and promotional purposes, subject to the same restrictions as Narrative Nest.

13.3 Portfolio use does not take place before an agreed publication date or during an embargo and does not include confidential information. An agreed written confidentiality obligation or specific restriction always takes precedence.

13.4 Narrative Nest and the creators involved will remove or restrict portfolio materials within a reasonable period if a person depicted raises a justified objection based on privacy or portrait rights. Printed materials already produced and award entries already submitted need not be recalled where doing so is not reasonably possible.

14. People depicted, portrait rights and privacy

14.1 The Client clearly informs participants, guests, employees and others present in advance that photographs and videos will be taken and how they are intended to be used, including use for the Client’s communications and marketing and the portfolio use by Narrative Nest and the creators involved described in Article 13.

14.2 Where consent or another legal basis is required, the Client arranges a valid and demonstrable basis and any necessary model releases in good time. The Client provides a practical way for people to object or indicate in advance that they do not wish to be recognisably depicted, and informs Narrative Nest of this in good time.

14.3 Before recording or publication, the Client alerts Narrative Nest to minors, vulnerable people, private situations and people subject to special restrictions. Without such information, Narrative Nest may rely on the production arrangements confirmed by the Client.

14.4 Narrative Nest remains responsible for its own obligations under applicable privacy law. The parties will reasonably cooperate in handling requests, objections and complaints from people depicted.

14.5 The Client indemnifies Narrative Nest and the creators involved against claims arising directly from the Client’s failure to meet its obligations under this Article, except to the extent that a claim was caused by Narrative Nest’s or the creator’s own attributable breach.

15. Materials and third-party rights

15.1 The Client warrants that all texts, logos, brand identities, music, images, personal data and other materials it provides may lawfully be processed, edited and published for the Assignment.

15.2 The Client indemnifies Narrative Nest against third-party claims arising from materials, instructions or claims supplied by the Client, except to the extent that Narrative Nest knew or reasonably should have known that their use was unlawful.

15.3 Stock materials, music, fonts and software are used in accordance with the applicable licences. The Client may not extract these elements from the Work or reuse them outside the agreed context.

16. Executive ghostwriting and thought leadership

16.1 For ghostwriting, executive content and other content published under the name of a director, employee, spokesperson or other person, the Client remains responsible for substantive accuracy, personal views, factual claims and final publication.

16.2 Narrative Nest may rely on information, experiences, views and examples provided by or on behalf of that person. The Client ensures that the person is sufficiently available for interviews, input and approval.

16.3 Before publication, content must be approved by the designated contact person or the executive concerned, unless it has been agreed in writing that Narrative Nest may publish independently. Approval confirms agreement with the tone, content, facts and publication on that person’s behalf.

16.4 A change in opinion, position, role or internal circumstances after approval does not constitute a defect. Narrative Nest is not liable for reputational effects arising from approved content, except in cases of its own intentional misconduct or conscious recklessness.

16.5 Unless expressly included in the Assignment, executive ghostwriting does not include managing comments, private messages, communities, crisis communications or spokesperson duties.

17. Content operating systems, advice and training

17.1 In advisory, implementation and training engagements, including the development of a content operating system, Narrative Nest provides only the processes, workflows, governance arrangements, templates, documentation, configuration and training described in the quotation.

17.2 The functioning and results of a content operating system also depend on proper implementation, internal capacity, decision-making, staff availability, technical systems and the Client’s compliance with the agreed processes. Narrative Nest does not guarantee specific time savings, production speed, publication frequency, quality improvements or other business results.

17.3 After full payment, the Client may use the specifically delivered documentation, templates and training materials internally within its own organisation. Use by group companies, external agencies or other third parties, resale, sublicensing, public disclosure and commercial exploitation require written permission.

17.4 After the engagement ends, the Client remains responsible for internal rollout, management, access, security, compliance and the actions of trained employees.

17.5 Training sessions and workshops are based on the agreed number of participants, level and format. Additional sessions, repeat sessions for absent participants, recordings, train-the-trainer rights and adaptations for other teams or entities are included only if expressly stated.

18. Publication and accounts

18.1 Where Narrative Nest schedules or publishes content, the Client remains responsible for timely approval, appropriate account permissions, platform policies, industry rules and the substantive legality of the publication.

18.2 Narrative Nest may rely on approvals from the designated contact person. Urgent publication or publication without prior approval takes place only on the Client’s express written instruction.

18.3 Narrative Nest is not liable for account suspensions, removed content, loss of reach, platform changes, outages, hacks or loss of data outside its reasonable control. Login credentials are shared only through a reasonably secure method.

19. Confidentiality

19.1 The parties keep confidential any non-public information identified as confidential or whose confidential nature is reasonably apparent. This includes non-public personal information and draft positions shared for executive ghostwriting.

19.2 Narrative Nest may share confidential information with engaged specialists to the extent necessary to perform the Assignment and imposes an appropriate confidentiality obligation on them.

19.3 The confidentiality obligation does not apply to information that was already public, was lawfully obtained from a third party, or must be disclosed under the law or a government order.

20. Force majeure and unavailability

20.1 Neither party is liable for a failure caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including illness or unavailability of essential creators, extreme weather, location restrictions, power or internet outages, system failures, strikes, epidemics and government measures.

20.2 If a person becomes unavailable, Narrative Nest may engage an equivalent replacement, adjust the schedule or cancel the affected part. If performance becomes permanently impossible, unperformed parts will be credited, less work already completed and non-refundable costs.

20.3 Weather conditions or insufficient light, sound, space, access or cooperation on location may affect the quality or scope of the result and do not constitute a defect if Narrative Nest could not reasonably have prevented them.

21. Liability

21.1 Narrative Nest is liable only for direct loss that is a foreseeable consequence of an attributable failure to perform.

21.2 Liability for indirect loss, consequential loss, lost revenue or profit, reputational damage, lost savings, loss of data and damage arising from claims by the Client’s customers is excluded.

21.3 Narrative Nest’s total liability per Assignment is limited to the amount the Client paid for the part that caused the loss during the six months before the event, capped at the amount paid out by its liability insurer in the specific case plus the applicable deductible. If no insurance payment is made, the maximum is the amount paid as described above.

21.4 These limitations do not apply in cases of intentional misconduct or conscious recklessness by Narrative Nest’s management, or where exclusion is prohibited by law.

21.5 A claim expires if it is not reported in writing, with reasons, within twelve months after the loss was discovered, unless mandatory law provides otherwise.

22. Suspension, termination and consequences

22.1 Narrative Nest may suspend performance in the event of overdue payment, lack of cooperation, unsafe conditions, unlawful instructions or reasonable concern that the Client will fail to meet its obligations.

22.2 Either party may terminate the Assignment if the other party continues to commit a material breach after written notice of default and a reasonable period to remedy it. No remedy period is required if performance has become permanently impossible.

22.3 Narrative Nest may terminate immediately in the event of bankruptcy, a suspension of payments, cessation of business, threats, intimidation, discrimination or an unsafe working environment.

22.4 On termination, payment for work performed, reserved capacity, commitments made and cancellation charges becomes immediately due. Use of the Work remains conditional on full payment.

23. Final provisions

23.1 Narrative Nest may amend these Terms and Conditions. New terms apply to new Assignments and to retainer periods beginning at least thirty days after notice of the changes.

23.2 If a provision is invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. The parties will replace it with a valid provision that reflects its purpose and intent as closely as possible.

23.3 The legal relationship is governed by Dutch law. Disputes will be submitted to the Dutch court with jurisdiction under the law, after the parties have first made reasonable efforts to resolve the dispute between themselves.