Application Deadline: January 29, 2023
Start Date: February 2023 in Edmonton, Alberta
Term: Seasonal contract – 4 emerging producers
Salary: $3750
Report to: The Nextfest Festival Director and Festival Producer as well as the administrators of partnering organizations.

The Nextfest Arts Company

Nextfest marks the beginning of a long creative journey for a huge array of artists. Our circle continues to grow and evolve with our artists and staff as they grow and evolve, too. We are a platform for emerging artists, a meeting ground for community, a springboard for creative invention. Mentorship, inclusion, learning, creative risk, and vulnerability are at the core of everything we stand for.

As such, we will be ensuring that mentorship, training, development, and learning opportunities are included in our hiring of Emerging Assistant Producer. We will focus on raising up a future producer, not based on past experience but focussed on their dedication to the artists, connection to the community, and excitement to grow into this role. We encourage those who are interested to apply: we are looking for your enthusiasm to be greater than the length of your resume.

THE EMERGING ASSISTANT PRODUCER PROGRAM

Nextfest is prepared to offer training, support, and mentorship to support the individual to grow into this role. The role is part of the Emerging Assistant Producer program, which aims to give hands-on experience to emerging IBPOC women, trans, and/or non-binary arts administrators.

The Nextfest Arts Company would like to place four emerging IBPOC women, trans, and/or non-binary producers with Edmonton arts organizations. Producers will work with the Nextfest Arts Company or similar event-driven arts organizations such as Fringe Theatre, and Common Ground Arts Society/Found Fest.

Nextfest will work with the arts organizations to find roles for the emerging producer where they could oversee a project, hold significant responsibilities, and receive hands-on experience running events. While these types of roles could be offered as internships through the Emerging Assistant Producers Program, the role will be a paid position at no cost to the organization hosting the emerging producer.

The program will take place in two phases:

1. “Producing 101” Nextfest provides one-on-one mentorship with producers on the basics of producing, including grant writing, budgeting, event planning, and leadership (February 2023- March 2023). This part of the contract is valued at $750.

2. The placements with partnering organizations will be for a period of up to 3 months or time equivalent to the pay grade (Within April 2023-September 2023). This portion of the contract would be valued at $3000, and the contractor would be paid through our payroll or our partners’ funds allocated to this project and including tax remittances.

TIMELINES PER PARTNERING ORGANIZATION

• Nextfest Arts Company: April 2023- June 2023
• Common Ground Arts Society: May 2023- July 2023
• Fringe Theatre Adventures: June 2023- August 2023

Job Description

EMERGING ASSISTANT PRODUCER – The Nextfest Arts Company

The Emerging Assistant Producer is responsible for supporting the producing and administrative elements of The Nextfest Arts Company and its partnering organizations. Working closely with the Festival Director and the Festival Producer to learn about arts management in a hands-on capacity through their respective placement. The Emerging Assistant Producer works collaboratively with the Nextfest administrative staff and the staff facilitating the placement in other organizations.

Below is a breakdown of the responsibilities of the Emerging Assistant Producer that currently formulates the position’s role within the organization.

Responsibilities:

• To attend to group mentorship classes with the Nextfest administrative staff;
• To help develop a public-facing showcase event;
• Commitment to a placement with either Nextfest or a partnering organization to get a hands-on experience in arts management; and
• The cultivation of mutually beneficial partnerships and general relationship building with other organizations, artists, individuals, staff, board, and volunteers from a wide variety of communities.

Qualifications:

• The program is only open to Black, Indigenous, and people of colour who identify as women, trans and/or non-binary;
• Enthusiasm for organizing in an arts context;
• Identify as an emerging producer (a producer within the first 10 years of their practice);
• Interest in the diverse emerging artist communities in Edmonton, Alberta, and Canada;
• Ability and interest in building mutually beneficial and genuine relationships with a wide variety of artistic communities; and
• Ability to think and solve problems creatively with care.

How to Apply:

Nextfest strongly encourages those who identify as members of communities that are currently underrepresented in our artistic landscape to apply. If any applicants require accommodations during any part of the application process, please reach out as Nextfest is eager to provide this support and provide accessible and inclusive employment.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter outlining your interest in the position with the subject headline “ATTN: Emerging Assistant Producer Applications” to ellen@nextfest.ca

Please email or mail in your application to be considered no later than January 29, 2023 to:

E-MAIL
ellen@nextfest.ca
Subject Line: ATTN: Emerging Assistant Producer Applications

If you have any further questions, please reach out to hello@nextfest.ca. Learn more about the 2022 Emerging Assistant Producers.