Festival Manager, Media Accreditation

Job Description

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Festival Manager, Media Accreditation is charged with leading all aspects of press accreditation, including managing administrative and logistical duties to process assigned accreditation of media, publicists, and crews to the Festival. This position will oversee one employee.

Working closely under the direction of Manager, Communications and Publicity, the work of Festival Manager, Media Accreditation supports Sundance Institute’s commitment to artists and is part of furthering awareness, relevance, and impact of our mission.

This temporary position works full time from Monday, August 19, 2024 through Friday, February 14, 2025 and will be required to work extended hours, including evenings and weekends to meet key deadlines and respond to on-call needs. This position must be based within a commutable distance to our Park City, UT office in order to work onsite in a hybrid capacity throughout its employment. There will be ample opportunity for remote work leading up to the Festival in January.

Top priorities include but are not limited to…
• Maintaining accurate and complete information for all global journalist and publicist accreditation applicants in the database.
• Developing and engaging with target media to apply for accreditation.
• Overseeing the press accreditation office at the Festival and managing timely requests.
• Planning, composing, and managing all communications relevant to accreditation including invitations to apply and badge participation details.
• Working closely with Technology Services, maintaining the online press application and promptly documenting and troubleshooting issues as they arise.
• Processing accreditation applications, making recommendations, and leading application review meetings.
• Communicating Festival details, accreditation types, and logistical information with media and publicists.
• Tracking, parsing, and reporting press corps demographic data for journalists and publicists.
• Submitting credential information and working closely with the Ticketing team to meet deadlines.
• Working with our Content Management System (CMS) to input all approved applicants and manage their registration process.
• Serving as the main point of contact for journalists and publicists regarding questions, concerns, and providing timely correspondence regarding their application status both leading up to and onsite at the Festival.
• Pitching and coordinating press in advance of and during the Festival, including securing coverage and interviews, onsite staffing, and supplying information to journalists.
• Supporting press lines, screenings and events as assigned.
• Exporting and sharing latest versions of internal and external press lists for stakeholders.
• Distributing screening attendance data to publicists.
• Managing a seasonal team member in all accreditation duties including providing direction, feedback, and support to ensure employees understand responsibilities and are effective in their roles.
• Collaborating on Press Office preparation in advance of the Festival on site.
• Providing a comprehensive written wrap report as directed.

You have the following direct or transferable skill sets:
• Legal authorization to work in the United States.
• 3 years experience in media relations, communications, publicity, public relations, marketing, or related.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills to work effectively with a variety of people.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Detail-oriented, with the ability to audit work to avoid mistakes and perform tasks accurately.
• Strong fluency and capability with Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to maintain confidential information.
• Working knowledge of databases along with proficiency in Google Products and of the media tracking platform Cision preferred.

You will be successful in this role if you...
• Support the accreditation of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival press corps, including in a fast-moving environment.
• Demonstrate an attentiveness to detail in your daily work with autonomy.
• Effectively research media contacts and handle outreach to contacts, ideally having working knowledge of press.
• Seamlessly manage priorities with strict time constraints.
• Productively manage a team member remotely.
• Exhibit the ability to be productive and work with minimal supervision.
• Contribute to the overall success of the team through support and collaboration.

In addition to a weekly pay of $1,069.62, this position is eligible for benefits & perks, highlights include:
• Paid sick leave and Institute holidays
• Employee assistance program
• Employee Wellness Initiatives
• Sundance Film Festival passes and benefits (varies each year)

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gxmwe1-3-238-227-73-42 in your application.