Digging Down, Building Up Associate Producer
In brief…
Peterborough Presents are looking for an early career Associate Producer to become part of the Digging Down, Building Up Production team working in Eye village in 2024.
What’s a Producer? By Producer, we mean someone who is able to help coordinate the logistics of putting on events, working in the background to make something happen. You need to be organised and a good problem-solver. Imagine the events as a swan. The producer is the feet of the swan, quickly paddling away underwater and making it look like the swan, above water, glides along effortlessly!
The Associate Producer will support our Community Producer to research working class histories in Eye and put in place the logistics for a series of workshops / events, a heritage trail and a large-scale lantern parade on 17 November 24. The programme will start in May and run to December 2024.
The work equates to 15 days. This could be spent as a few days per month with larger blocks in November / December 24. This will be negotiated with the successful contracted candidate based on their availability, the availability of the PP team and events planned. The Associate Producer MUST be available on 16 – 18 November 24
This role is aimed at someone, of any age but specifically 18+, who is starting out as a Producer / Project Coordinator. You may or may not have an arts background but must be able to demonstrate the skills outlined below through any previous paid or voluntary work. We are looking for someone who is based in and around Peterborough. Ideally you will be from Eye or with a connection to Eye however, this isn’t essential.
Deadline: 23 April 2024
An overview of the brief is offered below but please do access the full brief for all of the details. This is available as a word document or audio files. Please scroll down to find the relevant download buttons.
Some background information
In 2022 Peterborough Presents worked with residents of Eye and La Septima UK to create Light Up Eye, a lantern parade which lit up the streets of the village. Approximately 1000 people turned out for the parade, with about 450 walking the route of the parade with lanterns they had created during workshops. La Septima led the parade, performing a surreal story that took inspiration from Eyes history, of Jurassic fish, Blue Boars and overhead ropeworks. Their performances took over the village streets and gave glimpses into Eye’s past, whetting the appetite to find out more. It was the first time since covid that residents had come together in such a way. There was a call from the village for this to become a regular event and a further call to help them recruit and support residents to deliver this themselves.
Click here to see a short film of the event in 2022: ‘Light Up Eye’ – The Eye Village Lantern Parade – 12th November 2022. – YouTube
We have funding for a programme of activity called Digging Down, Building Up. DDBU will allow us to dig into Eye’s working class industries, namely farming and Brick building. We will discover more about the industries but also the social activities that came from these. This will be the inspiration for our next lantern parade (17 November) and an illuminated heritage trail around the village.
About La Septima UK
La Septima UK is an international community arts organisation that co-creates spectacular lantern parades within rural communities. We like to bring communities together over crafts activities, create large-scale public performances and bring light to the darker times of the year. We are originally a French company and run annual lantern parades in Tonnerre, where the company was founded.
Digging Down, Building Up is being funded by Historic England’s Everyday Heritage grant programme, celebrating working class histories, alongside Arts Council England
The role:
The Associate Producer will be supported by both the Peterborough Presents team and be a key part of a larger team including:
– Keely Mills, Community Producer for Eye
– La Septima UK who are leading on the lantern parade
– Gabriella Gentile, our local Digging Down, Building Up Creative
– Access Coordinator, Julie Fernandez
– Our passionate steering group in Eye who can provide insight and routes into different groups and organisations.
We are looking for an Associate Producer who is interested in working in a collaborative way as it is important to us that the local community are at the heart of everything that we assist in creating.
The Associate Producer will be required to support the Peterborough Presents team with the following:
– Assisting in the recruitment, coordination and briefing of volunteers to support the events
– Researching and booking venues for workshops, events, storage of lanterns, accommodation for artists, heritage trail etc
– Recruiting and supporting volunteers and local groups to take part in events e.g. lantern workshops, small performances within the parade etc
– The logistics of the parade; notifying houses along the routes, supporting stewards, ensuring equipment and costumes are in the right place at the right time, performances are ready to start etc.
– Recruitment and support of venues / businesses for the parade and heritage trail
– Ensuring effective communications with local residents and businesses about the events and activities planned e.g. warnings of road closures etc, how they can decorate their houses / buildings, what to expect etc.
– Collecting data and feedback from participants and audiences for evaluation purposes
– Working with Peterborough Presents Access Coordinator to make sure any resources or events are accessible to everyone especially those who are disabled, deaf and/or neurodivergent
– Working within Peterborough Presents values and the project aims
– Ensuring that the project is delivered in line with Nene Park Trust’s safeguarding and health and safety policies
Our briefs below are hosted on a google drive. When you click on the buttons to access the brief, you can download them by clicking “File” on the top left on the screen, and clicking download.
Selection Criteria
Who we are looking for:
We are looking for someone who:
– Has great time management and coordinating skills
– Is collaborative and brings a creative approach
– Is a good logistical organiser
– Has good communication skills with a range of people
– Aligns with Peterborough Presents purpose and the programme aims
– Has the ability to problem solve, adapt plans and find creative solutions
– Has a strong interest in the arts and creativity
– Has a knowledge and enthusiasm for community-based programmes
– Has the ability to work on own initiative, showing a pro-active approach to work and time management
Payment and terms
Producer payment and expenses:
Fee: £2,250 for 15 days work. This could be paid as freelance based on £150 per day, or the equivalent via a zero-hours contract with Nene Park Trust. You will also be able to claim for travel fees for meetings and activities within the city.
Timeframe: May 2024 to December 2024
Location: We have desk space available at Chauffeurs Cottage, St Peters Rd, Peterborough, PE1 1YX. Home working is also possible. You will also be required to work at events and meetings in Eye.
Working Hours: This is a part-time, fixed term post until end December 2024, working approximately 1 – 2 days per month on average. The work could be completed in blocks of time within this timeframe. The Associate Producer MUST be available on 16 – 18 November 24.
This role is aimed at someone, of any age but specifically 18+, who is starting out as a Producer / Project Coordinator. You may or may not have an arts background but must be able to demonstrate the skills outlined below through any previous paid or voluntary work.
We are looking for someone who is based in and around Peterborough. Ideally you will be from Eye or with a connection to Eye however, this isn’t essential.
The Associate Producer will be paid by Nene Park Trust, who host Peterborough Presents, on submission of a monthly invoice. The postholder will be required to show evidence of public liability insurance and self-employed status unless opting for a zero-hours PAYE contract.
Timescale
Closing Date for Applications: 23 April 2024
Possible interviews: first week of May
Project runs May 24 – December 24
Evaluation: January 2025
How To Apply
Please submit
– a CV or biography
– details of how your experience sits with the skills required for the programme and your general availability between May – December 24.
We will accept:
– A written application (e.g. word document or pdf)
– An audio application in mp3 or wav format
– A video application in mp4 format
We also ask that you complete a short pre-application demographics survey (link: https://form.jotform.com/240795176299371)
Applications should be sent to: peterboroughpresents@neneparktrust.org.uk
The deadline for applications is 5pm on 23rd April 2024.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about this programme, please call/text us and we will arrange a chat.
Contact: Sarah on 07917 967 182 / sarah.haythornthwaite@neneparktrust.org.uk
