Sound Summit is looking for a creative, energetic and highly organised individual to work with the current Festival Co-Directors, Nic Warnock and Daniel Gottlieb and alongside MusicNSW on the 2013 and 2014 festivals.
Sound Summit exists to provide musicians, producers, composers, promoters and fans the opportunity to interact, reflect and collaborate with each other, building communities around what they do and exploring the methodologies of why and how they do it. Through a program incorporating performances, presentations, panels and workshops, Sound Summit explores the depths and reach of independent, innovative and exploratory music in Australia.
In 2012, Sound Summit ran for four days over the Labour Day long weekend. It was held in Newcastle, NSW. Over this period, nearly 3000 people from across Australia attended showcases, panels and workshops, as well as seeing incendiary performances from some of Australia and the world’s most innovative musical acts, including The Twerps, Royal Headache, Oren Ambarchi and Blues Control.
2013 and 2014 will be exciting years for Sound Summit! The festival has undergone a number of changes over the past 12 months, culminating in a greater shift towards independence. In the 2013 and 2014 years, Sound Summit will seek to further develop it’s own identity whilst continuing to flourish as one of Australia’s premier independent music festivals.
Sound Summit Festival Co-Director’s Responsibilities
· Researching, curating and programming festival events (panels, workshops, performances and screenings) alongside current Festival Co-Directors.
· Managing event logistics
· Administration of the event and on-the-ground execution of the festival
· Update and balance the Sound Summit budget
· Liaising with artists, festival partners, TINA organisation, media, staff and volunteers
· Developing and maintaining creative and sponsorship partnerships with other national organisations
· Promoting Sound Summit, it’s artists through an array of media channels
· Writing and acquitting grant applications to secure and maintain funding
· Attending monthly meetings to plan and maintain necessary festival logistics, as well as be available for weekly phone meetings.
· Commitment to the festival in pre, during and post stages and with supporting new co-directors in the 2014 calendar year.
· Continuing Sound Summit’s development into a self-sustaining and independent festival, and a constant fixture on Australia’s cultural calendar.
The Ideal Candidate Would Have
Excellent written communication and interpersonal skills
· Ability to work both in teams and in a close creative partnership
· Excellent administration skills
· Ability to function under pressure
· Attended Sound Summit and have an understanding of the nature of Sound Summit
· Knowledge of independent music and the music industry in Australia and the broader international landscape
· Awareness of emerging practices and artists operating “beneath the radar”
· Previous experience with event organisation, irrespective of scale
· Passion and interest in furthering development of the Australian music community
· Commitment to building communities and networks
The position requires regular trips to Newcastle and Sydney as well as ongoing liaison with curators, managers and technical staff and the Co- Director is expected to be present up to a week before the event in Newcastle and for a debrief post-festival.
Further Information About Sound Summit
Since 2000, Sound Summit has given electronic and hip hop musicians, producers, composers, labels, promoters, industry and fans a chance to perform, discuss, learn, teach, interact and argue in front of an audience of like minded peers in an environment that allows for the global exchange of ideas, techniques and trends. In 2008 the festival dropped its genres and broadened it’s scope, inviting independent artists from around Australia and internationally to idea-share, skill-share and brain dump.
Sound Summit is an ongoing project of MusicNSW, and has officially shifted away from the TINA (This Is Not Art) Festival as of 2011, the umbrella festival under which Sound Summit had traditionally run under with co-directors taking on all logistical and promotional responsibilities. In 2013 Sound Summit will continue to develop it’s own identity as an independent music festival with co-Directors continuing to execute all aspects of the festival.
The position is not required to reside in Newcastle, however regular trips to Newcastle are required. We will accept applications from anywhere within Australia.
Sound Summit operates in a flexible and mobile manner, with Co-Directors communicating via electronic media (e-mail, telephone etc) in addition to regularly scheduled face-to face meetings. Although Co-Directors earn a small stipend for their work, this is intended as an honorarium only and covers a small fraction of the time, energy and hard work required to make Sound Summit possible. The position is primarily focused on supporting Australia’s creative music community and enhancing personal creative development and curatorial skills rather than individual financial compensation.
Sound Summit will accept applications from non-NSW based residents, however due to budgetary constraints in 2013, location may be a factor in your application. All applications will be read and considered on their strength and appropriateness to the position – irrespective of state.
Please visit the websites for information and background on 2012’s programming:
www.soundsummit.com.au
www.musicnsw.com
Please Submit
• A short biography (max 2 paragraphs)
• A Curriculum Vitae (max 2 pages)
• A statement (max 3 pages) addressing the following
- Your experience/involvement with music in Australia
- Your knowledge of broader independent music activities internationally and locally
- Your experience/involvement with Sound Summit or TINA
- What themes/ practices / initiatives you would like to showcase as part of the festival – (your vision for 2013-14)
- Previous experience of organising and promoting events or artists’ initiatives.
Deadline: COB Wednesday 16th January 2013
Enquiries: Sound Summit | info@soundsummit.com.au | twitter: @soundsummitfest
Submission Instructions:
Please submit all applications as Word, RTF or PDF documents by email to
recruitment@musicnsw.com with SS2012 CO-DIRECTOR APPLICATION in the subject line.
Interviews to be conducted in January 2013.
Decision announced directly, with the position commencing immediately.
