The week you see at Burning Man is roughly 7% of the work. The other 93% is ten months of planning, prep, build, and strike — and a leadership structure designed so no single person has to carry it.

A camp run in layers

Nobo House runs on distributed leadership. Different people own different time-grains, so the camp keeps moving even when any one person needs to rest.

• Co-Organizers hold the mission, approve the budget, and liaise with Burning Man Org.
• Team Leads run the ~9–11 work areas: build, infrastructure, power, water, kitchen, logistics, design, communications, culture, and more.
• Pods — small, named crews of 6–8 (Trailblazers, Structure Smiths, Power Rangers, Aura Architects, Artisans, Special Ops, Nourishers) own chunks of build and strike.
• Mayor of the Day owns daily operations, wears the sash, and hands it off at dinner. That handoff is the camp’s operating system in miniature.
• Governor holds a two-day window for conflict mediation, weather calls, and the things that can’t wait.

The shape of a year

Recruiting and planning run from winter through summer. Reno prep and early build come before the gates open. Burn week is the visible part. Then strike — sacred, and everyone’s job — followed by post-burn closeout. Each year, members write down what failed and what worked. The next year’s leads start from that record, not from zero. The work compounds.

Everyone runs camp

Dues fund shared systems; they don’t buy a staffed experience. Every camper takes at least one real operating commitment — build, burn-week service, strike, or a season role. Leads pay the same dues as everyone else. We teach leadership like a craft: observe, assist, co-lead, own.

We’ll see you in the dust.