Header image credit: Odyssey at Light Night Leeds – photography by Bevan Cockerill
PROPEL is our paid work placement programme for early-career producers and production managers
PROPEL returns for 2024 and this opportunity is now open to anyone interested in developing their career as production manager.
This year, we’re not just inviting you to gain experience through our paid placements; we’re equipping you with training to supercharge your skills and ensure you make the most of every moment in your placement. This is your chance to launch the next steps of your creative career with PROPEL!
To see the full range of placements available through this programme, head to our PROPEL page.
Who is it for?
Early-career production managers connected to Bradford
When is it?
50+ day placement from April - November 2024
Where is it?
Light Night Leeds, Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds LS2 3AD
Apply by
Monday 26 February at 11 PM
Book your place at our online info session
Book your place at our online info session on Monday 19 February 2024 from 4 – 5 PM. If you cannot attend at this time, book a place and we’ll send you a link to a recording of the session.
About the placement host
Since 2005, Light Night Leeds has transformed some of Leeds’s most recognisable indoor and outdoor spaces through spectacular artworks and captivating performances by local, national and international artists.
Celebrating the diverse and thriving creativity of Leeds, Light Night Leeds is an annual free multi-arts and light festival that takes over Leeds City Centre for two nights in October.
What will I get out of the placement?
Through this placement, you will
- be paid £160 per day for at least 50 days of work – that’s over £8000 in total
- receive either production management training from the Guildhall
- gain hands-on experience working with professional production managers to deliver high-quality events
- have a dedicated external ‘line manager’ to provide regular professional advice and support to ensure your development opportunities are maximised
- have access to additional support and training through Bradford Producing Hub
- have access to the Make Something Happen fund – £1000 to develop an idea either with your host organisation or in your own practice
- attend a Go & See trip with the other placement candidates to inspire your work
When will this placement take place?
The placement will take place over the below schedule, though the host has some flexibility to accommodate the needs of the successful candidate. Office-based working in their Leeds office is preferred, though some hybrid working can be considered.
Placement dates:
- 29 April – 26 August 2024 – 2 days per week (36 days)
- 2 September – 3 November 2024 – 3 days per week (excluding event week; 24 days)
- Event week TBC (either 17/18 or 24/25 Oct) – 5 days
- w/c 5th Nov – 1 day
- Total = up to 66 days
About the placement
This role of Production Assistant will be overseen by the Senior Production Coordinator and will be embedded within the Light Night delivery team.
The primary focus of this role is to provide support to the Senior Production Coordinator and other production and producer colleagues (a combination of permanent council employees and freelance producers and production officers) to facilitate a city-wide programme of (approx. 40) light installations and hopefully a return to their street entertainment programme. The Light Night Leeds programme includes a combination of host-venue produced content and works organised and produced by the Light Night Team in collaboration with host venues, sponsors, partners and artists. This event is brought to Leeds by Leeds City Council with support from Arts Council England.
Additionally, as the project progresses, there will be opportunities to support marketing colleagues (during August) and to assist the Artistic Director with artist support and liaison (during September) as well as continuing support within the production team and on ongoing projects and responsibilities where required. In providing cross-team support the candidate gain insight as to how other colleagues across the team operate.
Typical areas of work and roles might include:
- Working with Artistic Director in managing commissions, artist liaison admin and itineraries.
- Assisting with production schedule management and liaison with key contractors.
- Request and review of artist and contractor risk assessments, method statements and other relevant documentation such as insurance cover and appropriate licenses.
- General office support including admin, spreadsheets, answering phone calls and filing to support the production team.
- Update project details including budgets and itineraries to reflect changes as plans progress.
- Attendance at site visits across the city with venue partners, artists, sponsors and production team members. Assistance at site visits with measuring and photography to support planning.
- Support with minute and note-taking during meetings where required.
- Managing event consumables (such as cable ties, gaffa tape, etc.) and also managing hired equipment to be distributed to multiple sites (such as furniture and fire extinguishers).
- Supporting the marketing team with printed programme and website development ahead of programme launch.
- Production of pre-event briefings for artists, food vendors and key contractors.
- Supporting with staff and volunteer induction and briefings.
- During the festival, a combination of on-site project delivery and artist liaison (meet, greet, issue passes, ensure site induction complete and make introductions between artists and project leads /zone managers).
- Hiring and management of festival radios, being responsible for logging each handset in/out throughout the festival.
- Assistance with management, briefing and deployment of local crew during festival build, live and breakdown.
You are eligible for the PROPEL work placement programme if:
- You have a demonstratable connection to Bradford
- You will be 18 years old or over when the programme starts
- You are available to undertake the required training to undertake the placement (or let us know if you have already undertaken equivalent training with us)
- You are committed to pursuing a career in producing or production management
- You are proactive and eager to learn and make the most of this opportunity
- You are ready to get involved and get hands-on as part of the host organisation’s team
- You are organised with your time and able to follow instructions
- You have good admin skills and are able to use email and Microsoft Word and Excel
- You can fully commit to this opportunity and are available for the dates listed on the host page (if you can do the majority but there are a couple of dates that you can’t do, please speak to us as there may be some flexibility in these cases)
If you wish, you can apply for a placement with multiple organisations – you will only be selected for and offered a place with one.
- Download our application form
- Send the application form to hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk along with your CV by the closing date
- The host organisation will also read your application if you are shortlisted
- You will be interviewed by the host organisation and BPH together – the interview will last no more than 60 minutes, we will keep this as relaxed as possible and there will be chance for you to ask questions too
- Once you are offered a place, you’ll have a kick-off meeting with BPH and the host organisation to confirm dates and everything around the placement
- You’ll also have a meeting with BPH where we will talk about external ‘line management’ and the other support available to you
- BPH will issue you with a freelance contract and confirm how and when your fee will be paid
- The host organisation will contact you to arrange the welcome and induction process
If you require any access support for this application process, please get in touch with us and we will support you. Email hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk
You will have a senior contact at your host organisation who will provide support and supervise you day-to-day. You will also have support and check-ins from BPH.
Additionally, you will be paired with an ‘external line manager’ – this is someone highly experienced who is separate to both organisations and who:
- Will help you to think about what you want to get out of this placement and make the best of it
- You can go to for advice and support about the work you’re doing through the placement or other things you’re working on
- Can support you with project planning, time management, and balancing priorities
- Will be a friendly and encouraging sounding board and share top tips from their own experience
This is a fund of up to £1000 that you can access to do something either with your host organisation or in your own work that will build on the skills and experience you have gained through the placement.
BPH and the host organisation will work with you and support you to think about what this should be, but it could be things like:
- The costs for running a mini-event that you lead with your host organisation programme e.g. audience welcome event, post-show talk, curtain raiser, community exhibition
- Doing something new or different that will benefit your development and wouldn’t happen otherwise e.g. putting in place a relaxed performance
- Learning new skills or increasing your knowledge e.g. covering the costs to hire and learning how to use some new equipment to enhance a performance or event
What training is involved?
If you have not completed previous production management training with Bradford Producing Hub, you must complete the Guildhall training alongside your placement. If you have completed previous BPH production management training, you’re welcome to join this training to help you get the most from your placement.
Production Management training details:
Guildhall Introduction to Event and Production Management
24 April, 1 May, 8 May, 15 May, 22 May and 29 May
6.30 to 8.30 PM
Online
This training is fully-funded by Bradford Producing Hub.
How to apply
To apply, please complete our application form which you can download below.
Please send your completed application form and your CV to hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk by Monday 26 February at 11 PM.
We will be sending invitations to interview on Thursday 29 February and interviews will take place on Wednesday 6 March.
If you would prefer to use a Google Docs version of this application, you can make a copy of this here.
If you have any questions, or you need to complete your application another way, please email us at hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk.
FAQs
You will be paid a freelance fee of £160 per day for at least 50 days. That’s over £8000 in total.
You will have a freelance contract with BPH and we will arrange to pay you the fee. You will be responsible for paying any tax or National Insurance due as part of it. (If you are new to freelancing we can help you understand this).
Yes, we can provide support to meet your access needs and there is budget available towards travel, as well as for accommodation if occasional overnights are required.
There will be an online information session (date above) where the host organisations will talk about what they do and their placement.
However, you should also do your own research about them through looking at their websites and social media feeds to familiarise yourself.
Yes, but you will only be offered one place. If you apply for multiple, we will make a decision on what we think would be the best fit. Please be aware however, that there are staggered application dates for some placements.
Yes, please get in touch with us so we can support you – hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk
