✦ Content Creation & Business Retreat · Media on the Rise ✦
The Golden
Edit.
Where your brand finds its golden hour.
Three days of content creation, brand strategy, and business clarity under Joshua Tree's open skies. Leave with a full content library, a sharper brand voice, and the momentum to actually execute — all filmed and directed on-site by the MOTR team.
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Joshua Tree, CA
Nov 6–8, 2026
This is your brand's
golden hour.
Joshua Tree is not a backdrop. It's a mirror. Out here, stripped of the scroll, the noise, and the algorithm — what's real in you rises to the surface. And that's exactly where your best content comes from.
The Golden Edit is a three-day creative retreat for entrepreneurs, creatives, and personal brands who are ready to stop performing for the camera and start creating from something real. You'll leave with a full library of professional content, a clearer brand story, and the momentum that only comes from working in a space like this.
"I literally already feel a shift."— Retreat Alumni
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Luxury. Stillness. Creation.
From the moment you arrive to the morning you leave, every detail is handled. All you have to bring is yourself.
Desert Accommodation
Two nights in a beautifully appointed Joshua Tree property. Private rooms and shared options available. Waking up to the desert does something to you that no hotel can replicate.
All Meals & Nourishment
Buffet-style breakfasts, delicious lunches, and dinners prepared by a local chef and catering team. We honor all dietary preferences and restrictions — don't be shy, just let us know! Saturday night we dine at the legendary Pappy & Harriet's — tap into your inner cowboy with a burger, some ribs, or an ice cold beer. No judgment here. We're going to have so much fun.
Professional Photo & Video
Maddie's team films and photographs you on-location throughout the retreat. Golden-hour desert light, boulder fields, open sky — this is content that can't be faked.
"Like Like You've Never Liked Before"
Maddie's signature social media engagement workshop. Learn the real strategy behind building a community that actually shows up — not just scrolls past.
Social Media Trends & Trials with Lizz
MOTR's Lizz breaks down what's actually working right now — trends, formats, and experiments worth trying. Stay ahead without burning out.
Cacao Ceremony Led by Maddie
A sacred heart-opening ritual to ground the group, set intentions, and drop into the creative energy of the retreat. The kind of beginning that shifts everything.
How to Make More Time in Your Day
Led by Maddie. A practical, real-talk session on reclaiming your schedule, batching content, and running your business without running yourself into the ground.
Stargazing & Community
Joshua Tree has some of the darkest skies in Southern California. Evenings are for gathering, sharing, and looking up at a sky that reminds you how big it all is.
Leave with a full
content library.
Maddie and the MOTR team film, direct, and edit everything on-site. You don't just experience the retreat — you walk away with polished, professional content ready to publish, a full content album loaded on your phone and personal devices, and the real-life skills to keep creating with confidence long after you leave.
Photo & Video Content Package
A curated, personalized set for each attendee — high-resolution lifestyle photos, a brand video, and edited Reels shot in golden-hour desert light. Delivered to your phone and personal devices within two weeks. You leave with a full content album ready to post.
The Confidence to Create on the Spot
You won't just watch professionals work — you'll work alongside them. By the time you leave, you'll know how to frame a shot, capture a moment, and show up on camera with confidence. No more blank screen, no more second-guessing.
Content Strategy Document
A personalized content roadmap built from your workshop sessions — your pillars, your voice, your 90-day plan. So you know exactly what to create when you get home.
"Like Like You've Never Liked Before"
Maddie's signature engagement workshop — the real strategy behind growing a community that actually shows up for you.
Social Media Trends & Trials with Lizz
What's actually working right now — trends, formats, and experiments worth trying, straight from MOTR's own Lizz.
Cacao Ceremony Led by Maddie
A sacred heart-opening ritual to ground the group and set the tone. The kind of experience you don't forget.
How to Make More Time in Your Day
Maddie's real-talk session on reclaiming your schedule, batching content, and building a business that doesn't cost you your life.
Meet Alisha Mowry.
Brand photography that actually feels like you.
I love helping women entrepreneurs step in front of the camera and create brand imagery that actually feels like them. My approach to branding photography is fun, relaxed, and intentional — I'll guide you through the entire process so you can stop worrying about what to do with your hands and focus on showing up confidently as the face of your business.
Together, we'll create authentic, scroll-stopping content that tells your story, connects with your audience, and gives you images you're genuinely excited to share.
Meet Maddie Mackey.
Founder of Media on the Rise.
Maddie has spent the last five years helping over 200 brands find their voice on camera — and she built Media on the Rise from the ground up in 2020 while becoming a mother, navigating a pandemic, and refusing to play small. She knows firsthand what it takes to show up authentically online when life is anything but curated.
As your retreat director and videography lead, Maddie will guide you through every shot, every workshop, and every moment of real-time content creation. Her background as a certified yoga therapist and trauma-informed practitioner means this retreat is as much about unlocking your presence as it is about filling your camera roll.
She doesn't just make content. She helps you figure out what you actually want to say — and then gives you the tools and the footage to say it.
Meet Lizz Pedraza.
Veteran. Content Creator. Social Media Expert.
Lizz brings a rare combination of discipline, creativity, and real-world strategy to everything she touches. As a U.S. military veteran, she knows how to show up — even when it's hard, even when conditions aren't perfect, and even when the algorithm is doing the most. That mentality is exactly what she brings to the brands she works with.
As MOTR's Lead Account Manager and a content creator in her own right, Lizz has an instinctive feel for what performs, what connects, and what trends are actually worth your time. Her Social Media Trends & Trials workshop at The Golden Edit is designed to cut through the noise — no fluff, just what's working right now and how to make it work for your specific brand.
She'll meet you where you are, push you further than you expected, and make the whole thing feel a lot less intimidating than you thought it would be.
Three days of intentional creation.
Each day balances adventure, creation, connection, and rest. You leave full — not depleted.
- 10:00–12:00 — Arrivals & settle in
- 12:00 — Welcome drinks & grounding circle
- Lunch — Co-working lunch: get to know each other & explore business opportunities we'll be diving into
- 4:00 PM — Opening ceremony: yoga & cacao with Maddie
- Evening — Dinner at Pappy & Harriet's 🤠 cowgirl dinner, followed by a relaxed evening for settling in
- 6:00–8:00 AM — Sunrise shoot sessions (scheduled)
- 7:00–9:00 AM — Continental breakfast
- 9:30 AM — "How to Make More Time in Your Day" with Maddie
- 10:30 AM — Social Media Trends & Trials with Lizz
- 12:00 PM — Co-work & lunch
- Afternoon — Downtime + one-on-one video shoot sessions (scheduled)
- Evening — "Like Like You've Never Liked Before" with Maddie
- 7:00 AM — 30-min yoga class
- 7:30–8:30 AM — Breakfast
- 8:30–10:00 AM — Final video shoot sessions
- 10:00 AM — Closing ceremony
- 11:00 AM — Pack up & depart
Real light. Real moments.
Joshua Tree's otherworldly landscapes are a natural studio. Golden hour over the boulders, milky-way nights, vast open desert — this is what your content could look like.
"Maddie is an incredible director. She made creating content on-site feel effortless — I learned more in three days than I had in years."— Creative Calling Alumni
"You just guided me through a trauma I didn't even realize was there. I knew social interactions terrified me, but I never pinpointed what was causing it — the incessant need to leave situations so quickly, that need to be a runner, a way out. This has been truly life-changing, and I can't express the power of your words right now. Thank you for the confirmation."— Retreat Alumni
"I literally already feel a shift."— Retreat Alumni
Choose your space.
Only 2 spots remain — one Private Room and one Full Private Suite. Both include the full retreat experience, all meals, all content deliverables, and every workshop.
Fill out the form below to apply — or text us directly at (619) 261-3592
- Your own private bedroom
- Shared bathroom
- All meals & beverages included
- Full content deliverables package
- All workshops & sessions included
- Edits delivered within 2 weeks
Text Us or Scroll Down to Apply
- Your own private bedroom
- Private en-suite bathroom
- All meals & beverages included
- Full content deliverables package
- All workshops & sessions included
- Priority scheduling on shoot day
- Edits delivered within 2 weeks
Text Us or Scroll Down to Apply
Ready to build your brand
in the desert?
November in Joshua Tree is magic — cool days, crisp desert light, and zero distractions. Come to create, strategize, and leave with content that actually moves your business forward. Spots are limited and they will go fast.