Work with UnionDocs
UnionDocs is a Center for Documentary Art that presents, produces, publishes, and educates. We bring together a diverse community of artists, dedicated journalists, big thinkers, and local partners on a search for urgent expressions of the human experience, practical perspectives on the world today, and compelling visions for the future. In doing so, we embrace the broad spectrum of documentary approaches and disciplines; from social-issue to experimental, from personal to archival, from essayistic to observational, all impulses towards “creative actuality” are given space and attention. These efforts spring from the belief that documentary art— when paired with thoughtful context and open debate— is an invaluable tool for understanding the complexities of contemporary life and creating a more just and equitable society.
From humble roots as a collective of emerging artists and curators living and working out of a 3-story walk-up in Brooklyn, UnionDocs has become an internationally-recognized center for documentary art now headquartered in Ridgewood, Queens. The small scale of the building belies the bustling and varied set of activities inside on any given day where our exhibition and production facilities, administrative offices, and shared cooperative residency are all located. We serve a hyperlocal audience, attract people from across and beyond New York City, and increasingly, participants travel internationally to join our singular workshops and labs. International audiences also find us through our energetic social media, online and print publications, live streams, and budding online film distribution. In a typical year, we support over 36 filmmakers in our labs, facilitate 24 workshops, host +60 events and screenings, produce 8 short docs, and publish a set of artist focused publications that grow out of the research in our UNDO fellowship. We also direct over $600k to artists in grants, honoraria, commissions, and via our fiscal sponsorship program.
Learn a bit more about what we do…
Workshops Producer
Position Overview
UnionDocs goal is to move artist’s projects forward through skill building, professional development, knowledge sharing, and community connection and to enrich and challenge the field as whole. The Producer of Workshops is a critical addition to our core team and will make contributions across all our work, but will specifically be responsible for the UnionDocs weekend workshops and intensives. These programs approach a multitude of exciting topics that are timely and inventive, driven by intellectual curiosity, research and experimentation. The producer will be responsible for maintaining the high quality of these existing programs, as well as pushing them towards growth and new levels of excellence.
UnionDocs offers a variety of inspirational professional development experiences outside of academia for artists coming from different disciplines and levels of experience. Aimed at fostering innovative production and artist development, topics and formats for each program are timely and inventive and are driven by intellectual curiosity and research rather than inherited priority sets. Our workshops offer a combination of exposure to a broad set of artists and ideas like one might expect at a conference, with the personally-focused and interactive environment of a seminar, plus the targeted critique to projects and concepts-in-process that one receives in a workshop.
Responsibilities
– Plan and implement a comprehensive year-round schedule of weekend workshops (roughly 24 annually) and intensives with exciting, innovative, and relevant topics that attend to the needs in the field.
– Coordinate with lead instructors and guest artists for workshops, masterclasses, seminars, and critiques as required by these programs, supporting the development of critical frameworks and curricula.
– Expand offering on membership platform for educational media produced on-site with workshop artists, and support production of this media through simple A/V documentation.
– Collaborate with staff for marketing, outreach and partnership efforts including design, language, and promotion activities for programs to ensure full registration.
– Oversee any necessary administrative and operational aspects of programs such as legal agreements, space and equipment reservation, and final reporting.
– Develop new program ideas and contribute to team grant writing efforts.
– Produce and administer the workshop on the ground in collaboration with the lead instructor, including an introduction to UnionDocs and facilitating the smooth sessions and production.
– Serve as the liaison and support person for the workshop guests and instructors.
Qualifications
– Is self-motivated and outgoing with curiosity that spans the broad field of documentary arts, including film, video, radio, podcast, journalism, photography, interactive, and performance.
– Is knowledgeable about historical and contemporary approaches to documentary, appreciating mainstream forms as well as poetic and experimental expressions.
– Has research skills and a finger on academic currents, key trends, and needs of the field.
– Has strong writing abilities for effective communication and successful promotion.
– Has a strong social presence and ability to create cohesion and show leadership in small groups.
– Is organized and task-oriented and able to identify and solicit institutional partnership.
– Has five or more years of experience working in the production of documentary and/or education of documentary artists and/or in the non-profit media industry.
