distribution: local press release — bilingual benefits checker launch (The Union, YubaNet, KNCO)

[jphein]

Draft a local press release: Grass Valley 501(c)(3) launches a free, bilingual, anonymous benefits checker — every number verified against primary sources, built from the research behind the "Wait, I Qualify?!" Nevada County Media series. Angle: $60B/yr unclaimed nationally; a family of four here earning $66k can still qualify (verified Ep1 claims).

Includes: headline + subhead, 3 quotes (JP as founder; invite NCM for one), boilerplate, screenshot, contact. EN + ES versions.
Outlets: The Union, YubaNet, KNCO, NCM newsletter.
Flow: Claude drafts → JP edits/approves → JP sends (outward-facing, founder's voice). Timing consideration: coordinate with the Ep1 YouTube publish so the article has a video to embed.

[jphein]

Gating (per JP, Jul 3): the press release waits until all three are true —

1. ☐ Candela published on the Play Store
2. ☐ ForageForAll published on the Play Store
3. ☐ Ep1 of the show published (YouTube + embedded at techempower.org/show)

This upgrades the story from "nonprofit launches a benefits checker" to the full ecosystem piece: a Grass Valley 501(c)(3) ships a fact-checked TV series, a verified bilingual benefits screener, and two free Android apps in one season — one launch story, one article, maximum weight with local outlets. Draft can be prepared ahead of the gate so it fires the day the third box checks.

[jphein]

Gate recon (Jul 3): Candela — Play submission-readiness audit already closed (candela#1269); one open play-store item: closed-beta program (candela#1456). ForageForAll — repo live at techempower-org/forageforall (Expo + InstantDB + Google Maps, AGPLv3; web app already public) but no Play Store presence yet: needs an EAS/production Android build, listing assets, and data-safety form — that's the long pole of this gate. Ep1 — upload file + publish package turnkey, waiting on JP. Suggested order: submit ForageForAll first (longest review pipeline for a new app), Ep1 anytime, press release fires when all three land.

[jphein]

Drafts are DONE and in-repo (16db35d): show/assets/outreach/press-release.md + .es.md — ready-to-fire with gate placeholders ([DATE], [VIDEO-URL], both [PLAY-LINK]s, NCM quote slot). Media contact list at media-list.md (every contact provenance-stamped; The Union + YubaNet verified, KNCO is form/phone-only).

New pre-fire checklist items:

• Confirm info@techempower.org actually exists as a mailbox — it's the release's contact line but appears nowhere in the repo. (JP: one-minute check; if it doesn't exist, create the alias or swap the contact.)
• Jeff to edit/own the two draft quotes in his voice.
• Fill the NCM quote slot (ask during Monday's Ep2 shoot — they're in the building).

[jphein]

🏁 Pre-press-release prep: COMPLETE (Jul 3 evening push)

Everything not requiring JP's accounts is done. The full remaining path, owner-tagged:

⏰ START FIRST — the 30-day clock

• JP: Google Play Console ORG account ($25; org accounts need D-U-N-S verification — up to 30 days; one account covers BOTH apps; org type also skips the 12-tester/14-day production rule). This is the launch's long pole — everything else fits inside its window.

Candela → Play (JP, ~35 min once the account exists)

• Tag a fresh release (repo at 1.9.0) → CI builds the signed AAB
• Console: create app · Play App Signing · content rating · paste docs/play-store/listing/ · feature graphic (generator in repo) + screenshots · privacy URL: https://techempower.org/candela/privacy (LIVE ✓) · internal track → release
• Then ./gradlew :app:publishReleaseBundle automates every future upload (runbook in repo)

ForageForAll → Play (JP, per docs/play-store/SUBMISSION-RUNBOOK.md — merged as PR #5)

• First eas build (keystore prompt, owner account) — smoke-test the targetSdk-35 build on Android 15 (the one technical risk; fallback = Expo SDK upgrade)
• Maps API key SHA-1 restrictions (upload + Play-signing keys)
• Device screenshots (capture list written)
• Console: paste listing.md · data-safety.md answers (code-cited) · IARC sheet · privacy: https://techempower.org/forageforall/privacy (LIVE ✓) · in-app deletion path shipped ✓ (hosted page LIVE ✓)
• ⚠️ Submit before ~Aug 31 (Play's target-API bar likely moves to 36)

Ep1 → YouTube (JP, ~20 min, anytime)

• Upload ~/Videos/ep1-final-youtube.mp4 · paste show/ep1/youtube-publish.md · send Claude the URL (the /show embed + Ep2 end-card flip are automated from there)

Release-fire checklist (when all three boxes check)

• Confirm info@techempower.org mailbox exists · [ ] Jeff's voice-pass on the two quotes · [ ] NCM quote (ask at Monday's shoot) · [ ] Fill [DATE]/[VIDEO-URL]/[PLAY-LINK]s · [ ] Send per media-list.md (EN+ES) · [ ] Fire launch-posts.md set · [ ] Print + distribute posters (PDFs awaiting JP's print approval)

Prepared and live as of tonight: press release EN/ES + media list + launch posts (16db35d) · poster pack w/ machine-verified QR (7b26ab0) · both apps' privacy URLs on the publisher domain (19ad615) · ForageForAll's full submission kit incl. Play-required deletion path (forageforall#5, merged) · Candela's corrected gate state (candela#1456).

[jphein]

Update (Jul 3): the Play Console account already EXISTS and is APPROVED — the D-U-N-S long pole is gone. New critical path, in order:

1. Candela submit (~35 min): tag v1.9.0 → CI builds the AAB → Console session per docs/play-store/RUNBOOK.md → internal track → release. Google review for a new app: typically 1–7 days.
2. ForageForAll submit: first eas build + Android-15 smoke test (the targetSdk-35 check) → screenshots → Console session per the merged runbook → review.
3. Ep1 upload (~20 min, anytime, independent).

One account-type nuance to check during the first Console session: personal accounts created after Nov 2023 require a 14-day / 12-tester closed test before production access for new apps; org accounts (and older personal accounts) don't. If the testing requirement appears, plan both apps' closed tests in parallel and the timeline gains ~2 weeks — still fully inside July.

Realistic release-fire window: mid-July (or ~end of July if the closed-test rule applies). All assets hold ready.