upstream economics
How it works
Headwater isn't a gig board. It's a studio where contributors earn proportional ownership in the games, comics, music, and IP they help create.
The flow
- 1
Pick a project — video game, card game, comic book, or music release — or propose one.
- 2
Contribute scoped work: illustration, writing, design, code, music, whatever the asset needs.
- 3
Your contribution is logged against the project. Ownership share scales with what you delivered.
- 4
When the asset earns — sales, licensing, royalties — distributions follow those proportional stakes.
Shared assets
Contributors can hold stake across any Headwater project they touch.
Video games
Art, narrative, systems — stake in the game as a whole.
Card games
Illustration, rules, layout — stake in the deck and its editions.
Comic books
Panels, covers, scripts — stake in the issue and the series.
Music
Composition, vocals, production, performance — stake in the track, score, or release.
Proportional, not symbolic
Shares are tied to documented contribution — not vibes, not a single flat royalty. The goal is simple: if you built part of it, you own part of it. Terms are spelled out per project before work starts.