About PrePost
PrePost predicts how an average viewer's brain responds to a short video, second by second, and explains it in plain English. It runs Meta's TRIBE v2 brain-encoding model on the video file alone, so a creator or the person approving their draft can see what lands before it posts.
We're a six-person team that started in WSU's ENTRP 490 in fall 2026.
Our mission
Turn “post and pray” into “look before you leap,” and never claim more than we can show.
Short videos are won or lost in seconds, and feedback on a draft is usually gut feel. We give creators and reviewers a second-by-second read they can point at. We also publish our own evidence, including a first pilot that didn't prove the link to engagement (r = 0.25, p = 0.24, 24 videos), and we call PrePost a diagnostic until a pre-registered test shows it predicts more.
Honest
We state the evidence, including the nulls. Every read is labeled a prediction, because that is what it is.
Curious
Every clip is a question worth asking: which second holds a viewer, and why?
Plain-spoken
Neuroscience in the words a creator uses on set. If a term needs a gloss, it gets one.
Rigorous
Pre-registered tests, published methods and real model output only. No made-up demo numbers.
The team
The six people building PrePost.
Ryan Arnold
Outreach
Ryan leads our outreach to creative strategists at brands and agencies, the people we want as early users. Ryan has run CRM-driven outreach campaigns before.
Lucas Blais
Edit lead
Lucas runs the edit for our study clips and checks every shooter's first take before the rest get filmed. Lucas also makes real-estate social content, so the creator's side of the problem is familiar.
Audrey Kreick
Agency partnerships
Audrey connects PrePost with the people who approve creator content at brands and agencies. Audrey has interned in social media and business development at a marketing agency.
Ben Rippere
Founder and research lead
Ben started PrePost and leads the team. Ben runs the scoring pipeline, the pre-registered study and the write-up.
Cole Watterson
Creator partnerships
Cole leads our outreach to student creators, with a focus on college athletes who do brand deals. Cole spent four years in college sports.
Julie Weninger
UI and mobile app
Julie works on how PrePost looks and feels, from the interface to the mobile app. The goal is a brain read a creator can take in at a glance.