Granite Noir Programme Associate - Freelance Scope of Work - People
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Granite Noir Programme Associate Freelance Scope of Work
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in this opportunity.
Over the past five years, Granite Noir has become one of Scotland’s signature book
festivals and we are excited to be offering this opportunity for an experienced
literature professional to work with Aberdeen Performing Arts and our partners on
the development and delivery of the festival programme over the next three years.
If you have any questions or if there is anything else we can help with, please get
in touch.
We look forward to receiving your application and hearing all about you!
Jane Spiers, Chief Executive
Ben Torrie, Director of Programming & Creative Projects
Please send any enquiries to
recruitment@aberdeenperformingarts.com
Sara Paretsky, Granite Noir 2020
Photo: Richard Frew Photography
About you
The Granite Noir Programme Associate is a critical role within the team which delivers
Aberdeen’s International Crime Writing Festival.
We are looking for someone who:
• Is
as passionate about books, writing and reading as we are.
• Is as ambitious as we are for the festival.
• Has
a demonstrable track record of programming imaginative and inspirational
book events and preferably with experience of crime fiction festivals and
events.
• Has
an extensive network of local, national and international contacts within
the publishing and arts industries to draw on.
• Enjoys collaborating and is a team player.
• Has
excellent organisational, administrative and interpersonal skills.
• Is
a compelling and persuasive communicator with excellent written and verbal
communication skills.
If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!
Stuart MacBride and Susan Calman, Granite Noir 2019
Photo: Richard Frew Photography
Our story
Granite Noir is Aberdeen’s crime writing festival. It takes place over the last weekend
in February in venues across the city. Over the course of five highly successful festivals
it has become one of Scotland’s signature literature festival and one of the UK’s
destination crime fiction festivals. Aberdeen is the perfect backdrop for Granite Noir - a
city steeped in history with countryside on the doorstep and a coastline that was voted
one of the most iconic landscapes in the world. The festival hub is the Lemon Tree and
events take place around the city in unusual places and settings.
Granite Noir explores the enduring fascination of stories and characters that plunge
us into the heart of darkness and the ‘Northern Phenomenon’ in Noir. The festival is
inspired by the incredible popularity of crime fiction on the page and on screen. It is
a festival for readers, writers and lovers of crime writing of all ages.
The festival programme features author conversations, workshops, exhibitions,
film screenings and family events for all ages. It supports debut authors, attracts
internationally renowned authors and provides a platform for the work of
unpublished regional authors through our Locals in the Limelight strand. Our events
for children, young people and families are really important within the festival
programme, introducing and nurturing a new generation of writers and readers.
Many of our locally curated events are inspired by the stories and characters of
the North East. Granite Noir commissions new projects often using the UNESCO
recognised Aberdeen City and Shire archives for inspiration to create exhibitions,
webinars, local walks and talks and we have even staged a re-enactment of a
‘One of the country’s
notorious local murder trial from the 1800’s in Aberdeen’s historic Courtrooms. leading literary
festivals’ Scotsman 2021
Dorothy Koomson, Granite Noir 2020
Photo: Richard Frew Photography
We introduce other artforms into the programme – music, drama, visual and digital
arts – that’s the strength of our in-house programming team.
In 2020 Granite Noir was our biggest festival yet with 42 events, 8 venues, 55 authors
from 9 different countries and 12,000 attenders. In 2021, in the face of the global
pandemic, Granite Noir went online, livestreamed across the world with 12 events, 24
authors and 22,000 audiences viewing from 57 different countries. In 2022 we hope
to be back with maximum impact, staging live events in the city, playing our part in
social, economic and civic recovery in the North-east
Over the last five years we have welcomed a wonderful array of authors. From
Scotland Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Anne Cleeves, Chris Brookmyre,
Denise Mina. Our Nordic authors have included Jo Nesbo, Anne Holt, Yrsa
Sigurdardottir, Camilla Läckberg and from the States, Sara Paretsky, Attica Locke and
David Baldacci. Our panel chairs know how to make good conversation - among
them, Stuart Cosgrove, Bryan Burnett, Fiona Stalker, Phill Jupitus, Alex Clark, Tom
Morton, Rebecca Curran, Jim Naughtie and Nicola Sturgeon.
Granite Noir is a unique partnership between Aberdeen Performing Arts, Aberdeen
City Libraries, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives and the Belmont Filmhouse.
The Aberdeen Performing Arts programming team and Granite Noir partners are
responsible for the vision and direction of the programme and all contribute ideas and
content.
It is produced, curated and delivered by Aberdeen Performing Arts on behalf of the
partners. We run three city centre venues - His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music Hall and the
Lemon Tree and three festivals - Granite Noir, True North, our indie music festival and
Light the Blue, youth arts festival.
David Holmes, Granite Noir 2020
Photo: Richard Frew Photography
Scope of work
You will work with partners to programme author events for the festival. We are hopeful
that Granite Noir in February 2022 will be fully live in Aberdeen but until the route map
to recovery is clearer, it makes sense to have back up plans to livestream all, or elements
of the festival.
Duration of Contract
We are offering a three year freelance contract to cover Granite Noir 2022, 2023 and 2024.
When
The Festival dates for 2022 are 24 – 27 February 2022 inclusive, with equivalent dates in
2023 and 2024.
Where
As this is a freelance engagement, the Programme Associate can carry out the contract
from wherever is most appropriate for them. A desk can be made available in an
Aberdeen Performing Arts venue if required on occasion. The festival takes place in
various venues around the city determined by the Granite Noir partners. Previous festival
venues have included the Lemon Tree (Festival Hub), His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music
Hall, Belmont Filmhouse, Central Library, Carmelite Hotel, Waterstones, Aberdeen Art
Gallery. Planning meeting and partner meetings will take place in Aberdeen if possible,
although may be virtual meetings initially.
Commissioning Partner
Aberdeen Performing Arts on behalf of the Belmont Cinema and Aberdeen Library
Service and Aberdeen City and Shire Archives.
Reporting Arrangements
Aberdeen Performing Arts is the lead partner and responsible for the day to day
management and operation of the festival. The Granite Noir Programme Associate will
report to Aberdeen Performing Arts Director of Programming and Creative Projects and you
will be a member of our creative team. You will also attend Granite Noir partners planning
group meetings as required. Granite Noir partners have final sign off on the programme. Felicia Yap, Granite Noir 2018
Photo: Richard Frew Photography
Key Tasks
• Programme 20 author events over the course of the festival weekend. They will be
a mix of author panels and individual events with chairs.
• Contribute ideas for programming themes, panel topics, formats and suggest
suitable authors and chairs.
• L iaise with authors, publishers, agents and chairs to set up and confirm bookings.
Provide all the information required to issue contracts.
• A ssist with scheduling events.
• Provide brochure/print ready copy and images for your events.
• A ssist with the preparation of information packs for all participating authors and
chairs.
• U
ndertake press and media interviews as required.
• Contribute to social media activity.
• B
e in attendance over the Granite Noir weekend to help co-ordinate the festival.
• T rack and manage your allocated budget.
• Prepare updates for meetings of the planning group and a short evaluation report
at the end of the festival to capture successes and learning.
All staffing for the festival is provided by Aberdeen Performing Arts – marketing,
programming, graphic design, press and pr, fundraising, technical, front of house,
box office service and food and beverage. We issue all the contracts, liaise with
authors when events have been confirmed, make all the travel and accommodation
arrangements and pay invoices. If required, additional Press and Pr and technical
support (for digital events) is commissioned to support in-house functions.
Christos Markogiannakis, Granite Noir 2020
Photo: Richard Frew Photography
Fee schedule
The total fee is £4,000 per festival plus reasonable expenses and will be paid in
three instalments upon receipt of an invoice:
• The first instalment of £2,000 on signing the contract.
• The second instalment of £1,000 on completion of approved programme.
• The third instalment of £1,000 after the festival and on submission of a short
evaluation report.
How to apply
To apply for this position please send your CV and a covering letter which clearly details
all relevant experience and explains how you meet the requirements of the position as
detailed in this pack.
The CV and covering letter should be sent to
recruitment@aberdeenperformingarts.com by 5pm on Friday 21 May 2021.
Stuart MacBride, Granite Noir 2020
Photo: Richard Frew Photography
We would like to thank Aberdeen City Council, Creative Scotland and EventScotland for their funding support for Granite Noir. Granite Noir is produced by Aberdeen Performing Arts on behalf of Belmont Filmhouse, Aberdeen City Libraries and Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives. We are also indebted to Waterstone’s for their enthusiastic support.
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