What checklist should I ask for before signing?

Before you sign, ask who does the work, which pieces exist in the first month, who owns the accounts and files, and how you leave. If an answer does not fit in the contract, it is not promised. Read the draft with that list beside it, not in the meeting. Mark the lock-in and the ad spend, which is often outside the fee. You sign out of liking them and leave ownership for “later”. Later is the day you want to go and cannot. The studio puts those four answers in the scope message, so you can set them against the paper. The first month does not start with a clause that contradicts them.