Story Pirates offers valuable training for emerging producers and arts managers through its fellowship program. The program has two goals: to generate a new class of powerful arts education advocates, and to produce resourceful, dedicated, and reliable fellows who can navigate any arts environment, having had a wealth of hands-on experience in a vibrant, nationwide arts education organization. We are currently seeking potential fellows for our New York office during the 2013-14 season.
Fellowships run from October through June, with a training and evaluation period in August and September. Fellows are expected to devote 26 hours per week, including three days full-time. Fellows receive mentorship, training, direct experience booking and managing arts education programs, weekly seminars with arts professionals, site visits to schools and venues, and access to special events.
MENTORSHIP
A mentor guides the fellow through the year, giving support, feedback, and individual attention on a daily basis. Mentors take responsibility not only for the fellow’s progress during the year, but also for helping the fellow to work toward long-term career goals in producing, arts education, and arts administration.
TRAINING
Fellows receive extensive training in August and September and throughout the fellowship in the following areas:
- Advocating for arts education programming
- Maintaining relationships with clients
- Management of cast , teaching artists, and staff
- Scheduling workshops, performances, and events Invoicing and payment tracking
- Company management
HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE
Fellows are given the responsibility of managing educational programs and public bookings from start to finish, working directly with entertainment venues, parents, teachers, and school administrators in a diverse range of communities in and around New York City. Fellows work closely with Story Pirates producers on existing programs and, by the spring, have the opportunity to produce programs on their own.
WEEKLY SEMINARS
Each week, fellows will join other company members in seminars on specific topics that range from marketing and development to improv comedy and puppetry. Special guests will include industry leaders from outside the company. Over the course of the year, fellows will gain intimate knowledge of the company itself and of the arts administration and producing landscape in New York.
SITE VISITS
Fellows will visit schools and performance venues, first to gain an understanding of the programs, and eventually acting as full-fledged representatives of Story Pirates. This is a rare opportunity to witness the effect that a powerful arts education program can have on a school environment, or even on a general audience, and it will sometimes involve travel to other cities and towns in the area.
ACCESS TO SPECIAL EVENTS
Story Pirates hosts an annual benefit for its low-income school partners, with celebrities joining our mission to inspire kids to write and read. Fellows would have the opportunity to be an integral part of the benefit and would also receive complimentary tickets to many Story Pirates shows, including some of our monthly AfterDark shows for grown-ups.
COMPENSATION
Each fellow receives a $100/week stipend and a monthly Metrocard to cover travel expenses.
REQUIREMENTS
Although the fellowship will not involve much direct work with children, we do prefer to work with people who are comfortable around kids. In addition:
- Completed undergraduate or graduate degree
- Some experience in arts administration, amateur or professional
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to work well in a collaborative environment
We strongly recommend that all potential fellow s have a solid plan for housing in New York City before accepting a position, if they do not already live in the five boroughs. We fully understand that fellows often need to find additional employment to afford living in New York, and we do our best to build the fellow’s schedule around other obligations.
HOW TO APPLY
Please send a resume and cover letter to Jeremy Basescu, Associate Producing Director NYC, at Jeremy@storypirates.org, and put [FELLOW APP] (including brackets) in the subject line. Please send the resume as a PDF or Word attachment. Applications for 2013-14 are due by February 28, 2013.