1. About these terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are an agreement between you and ALM MEDIA LLC (“ALM Media”, “we”, “us”, “our”), a company registered in the Sharjah Media City (SHAMS) free zone, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. They apply when you use our website almano.media and when you book or receive any of our services.

They work together with our Booking & Cancellation Policy, Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. If a proposal, quote or contract signed or accepted by both of us says something different, that document wins for that job.

You must be 18 or over to use our website or book our services. If you book for a company, you confirm you may bind that company to these Terms.

2. Our services

These Terms cover our creative and brand strategy, photo and video production (including event coverage), editing and post-production, AI content, managed casting, consulting, permits and locations, monthly content retainers, and workshops and courses. Studio bookings follow the terms in their proposal.

Managed casting, where we run the casting for you, is covered by these Terms. The talent directory, client passes and talent bookings made in Talent OS (talent.almano.media) also follow the Talent OS terms. The CutFast plugin has its own terms, privacy and refund policies. All are listed in Our policies at a glance.

We often work with trusted freelancers and production partners, such as crew, editors and drone pilots. We stay responsible to you for the work they do on your project.

3. Quotes and how a job is booked

We usually send a written quote or proposal that sets out the scope, price and dates. Each quote states how long it is valid. A job is accepted when you do any of the following: sign the proposal in our client portal, pay the deposit, or confirm in writing (by email or WhatsApp) that you want to go ahead.

If we agree a job in a call or chat without a written quote, these Terms and our Booking & Cancellation Policy apply, together with whatever we confirmed in writing.

4. Prices and payment

• Currency: we charge in UAE dirhams (AED) or US dollars (USD), as stated in your quote.
• VAT: ALM Media is not currently registered for VAT, so our prices do not include VAT. If we register in the future, VAT will be added where the law requires it.
• Deposit: a 50% deposit is due to book your job, unless your quote says otherwise. Deposits are non-refundable, except as set out in our Booking & Cancellation Policy.
• Balance: the rest is due as stated in your quote.
• Invoices: due on receipt, unless the invoice states another date.
• How to pay: bank transfer, or card through our client portal or a payment link we send you.
• Fees: you pay any bank or card transfer fees. We must receive the full invoiced amount.
• Outside costs (such as permits, venues, travel, props and equipment hire) are billed as stated in your quote.
• Late payment: if a payment is late, we may pause work and hold back files until it is paid, and we may add a late fee of 2% per month on the overdue amount.

5. Monthly retainers

Monthly content retainers renew automatically every month until cancelled. Either of us can cancel with 30 days’ written notice. Fees for the notice period remain payable. What each month includes is set out in your proposal.

6. Cancellations and changes

Cancellations, date changes, events beyond anyone’s control, projects stopped halfway and changes to the agreed scope are covered by our Booking & Cancellation Policy. Any change to the agreed scope is always quoted and approved by you before we do it.

7. Your responsibilities

• Give us the information, approvals, access and feedback we need, on time. Late input can move dates and add costs.
• Your materials: you confirm you own or have permission to use any logos, footage, photos, music, text or other material you give us. You will cover ALM Media for any claim or cost if you do not.
• Your locations and events: you are responsible for the safety of locations you provide, and for getting permission from the people who appear in shot at your events, venues and public places you choose. In the UAE, filming or photographing people without their consent can be against the law.
• Follow the law and venue rules during any production.

8. Delivery, feedback and revisions

• Dates: delivery dates are estimates unless your proposal guarantees a date. Delays caused by late feedback, materials or payments move the dates.
• Revisions: two rounds of revisions are included, unless your quote says otherwise. Extra revisions are quoted each time.
• Feedback: please send feedback within 5 working days of each version. If we hear nothing, that version counts as approved.
• Final files are released only after full payment. Previews may carry a watermark.
• Storage: we keep project files for 30 days after delivery. Please download and back up your files straight away.
• Raw footage and project files (such as editing projects) are not included. You can buy them for a fee while we still keep them.

9. Ownership and use of the work

• What you get: your quote or package says whether you receive a licence to use the final work or full ownership of it.
• If the quote does not say: once you have paid in full, you receive a licence to use the final deliverables worldwide, in any media, for your own brand and business, for 3 years from delivery. ALM Media keeps the copyright.
• Always ours: raw footage, project files, our tools and methods, and concepts, scripts or designs you did not choose. We may reuse unused ideas.
• Reselling: you may not resell or license our work to anyone else without our written OK.
• Longer or wider use (beyond the licence period, TV, outdoor advertising and similar) needs an extra fee agreed in writing.
• Editing: you may edit or cut the deliverables yourself at your own risk. We are not responsible for your edits, and our name may not be used on edited versions without our OK.
• Strategy and consulting work (decks, audits, reports) is for use inside your business only. You may not resell or publish it as your own product.
• Music is licensed per project, and its cost is added to your quote. Licensed music, stock footage and fonts follow their own licence terms.
• Our portfolio: we may show the work in our portfolio, showreel, website and social media, unless you ask us in writing to keep it private. We wait until you publish it first, for up to 90 days after delivery.

10. People on camera

Everyone we cast or film for you signs a written release. Unless your quote says otherwise, the use of talent in the work is licensed for 3 years from delivery. Longer or wider use needs an extra fee agreed in writing, for both our work and the talent. Children under 18 take part only with the written consent of a parent or guardian, who stays on set.

11. Artificial intelligence (AI)

We may use AI tools in your project. To opt out, tell us in writing before work starts.

• ALM Media may use AI tools, AI-generated images, video and voices, AI talents and other AI solutions in any part of the work, as we see fit, without telling you each time.
• If you do not want AI used, or want to limit it, tell us in writing before work starts and be specific about what is and is not allowed. This may change the price or the schedule.
• Files you send us may be processed with AI tools.
• If you ask us to create an AI version of a real person’s face or voice, you are responsible for getting that person’s written consent before we start. You will cover ALM Media for any claim if you do not.
• AI-made parts of the work follow the same licence as the rest of the job, but they are provided “as is”: in many countries AI output may not be protected by copyright, and it may resemble other content. We cannot promise it is unique.
• When you publish AI content, labelling it (for example “made with AI”) under each platform’s rules and the law is your responsibility.

12. Permits and locations

When we apply for filming permits or location access for you, the decision is made by the authorities and venues, not by us. We cannot guarantee approval or timing. Their fees are outside costs. If a permit is refused, the work we have already done remains payable.

13. Workshops and courses

Online courses and workshops are paid through Stripe. You can ask for a full refund within 14 days of purchase, no questions asked. Course access is for you alone and may not be shared, and course materials are for your own use or use inside your business.

14. No guaranteed results

We do our best work for every client, but we never guarantee results such as views, reach, followers, leads, sales or permit approvals.

15. Confidentiality

Each of us will keep the other’s non-public information confidential and use it only for the job, unless the law requires disclosure.

16. Working with our crew and freelancers

For 12 months after your last job with us, you agree not to hire or book directly the crew members and freelancers you met through ALM Media, without our written OK. Talent booked through Talent OS follows the Talent OS terms.

17. Our liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, our total liability for any job is limited to the fees you paid us for that job, and never more than AED 30,000. We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost profits, revenue, data or opportunities. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, or any rights you have as a consumer that cannot be removed.

18. Events beyond our control

Neither of us is responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as extreme weather, government orders, illness, accidents or outages. What happens to a booking in that case is set out in our Booking & Cancellation Policy.

19. Using our website

The content of this website is for general information. We try to keep it accurate but do not promise it is complete or always up to date. You may not copy or reuse our content, images or videos without our written OK.

Some links on our website go to other companies’ websites, which have their own rules. Some links are referral links (for example to Gearbox for camera rental): we may earn a reward if you use them, at no extra cost to you.

The reviews and testimonials on our website are real words from our clients, shown with their permission.

20. Privacy and emails

How we use personal data is explained in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

As our client, you receive service emails about your projects, quotes and invoices. You will also receive our news and offers about ALM Media’s own services. You can opt out when you book, or at any time with the unsubscribe link in every email. Opting out does not affect your project.

21. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. The date at the top shows the latest version. The version in force when you accept a job applies to that job. For important changes we will tell our clients by email.

22. Law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates. If a dispute arises, we will both first try in good faith to settle it within 30 days. If that does not work, the courts of Dubai, UAE, will decide it.

23. General

These Terms are written in English. If they are ever translated, the English version wins. If any part of these Terms cannot be enforced, the rest still applies. If we do not enforce a right straight away, we can still enforce it later. These Terms, together with your proposal or quote, are the whole agreement between us for the job.

24. Contact

ALM MEDIA LLC, Sharjah Media City (SHAMS), Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Email: legal@almano.media