POSITION OVERVIEW

The New Orleans Film Society is seeking a (Festival) Production Manager to lead the Festival’s Production department and manage a dynamic team of production assistants and runners. The Production department delivers, builds, and restores production equipment in order to create visually-captivating Film Festival events across the city of New Orleans (like film screenings, panels, industry events, receptions, and lounges). The ideal candidate enjoys fast-paced, live event environments and can confidently troubleshoot while adapting to unexpected changes and challenges in live events, film sets, or backstage environments. The Production Manager must be able to safely drive Festival vehicles. The Production Manager reports directly to the Lead Production Manager and Operations Director but actively collaborates with all Festival departments and accessibility initiatives.
This position is consulted directly by the Lead Production Manager in pre-production but will execute the Festival independently. Early-career applicants who learn quickly are highly encouraged to apply.

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE + QUALIFICATIONS

• Alignment to the organization’s stated mission and values.
• Minimum 3 years of in-person live events or film production experience
• Excellent organization, planning, and productivity skills.
• High level of comfort handling pressure and understanding deadline-driven environments.
• Ability to work nights and weekends during scheduled festivals and events.
• Ability to stand and move for prolonged hours during events and lift, carry, and load items of up to 40 lbs.
• Posses a form of transportation to move easily and quickly between venues.
• Self-starter with strong initiative, drive, sense of urgency & ability to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Have some technical knowledge of AV, sound, lighting, etc.

• Pre-production tasks, including:
• Preparing equipment and supply storage (1215 Prytania Street)
• Organizing equipment and supplies for dispatch
• Delivering, loading in, building, breaking down, and loading out equipment and supplies at screening and event venues
• Manage deliveries from vendors and sponsors to Production storage
• Participating fully in meetings and training as assigned
• Collaborating on accessibility initiatives across departments
• Festival execution, including:
• Managing and executing daily production schedules, tasks, and changes
• Maintain systems of request for all Festival departments
• Managing production flow between NOFF office (1215 Prytania Street) and Festival venues
• Executing the packing, delivery, moving, and return of equipment and supplies, including tech gear, marketing collateral, signage, consumables
• Assisting Venue Managers, Technicians, and Events staff as assigned
• With Equipment Manager, scheduling and dispatching fleet of 1-3 Production vehicles
• Providing regular updates to all Festival departments via digital tools
• Ensuring compliance with safety regulations, venue policies, and ADA requirements
• Post-production restoration, including:
• Returning equipment and supplies to storage and organizing as assigned
• Preparing rental equipment for timely return
• Transitioning storage to year-round set-up
• Staff collaboration, including:
• Utilizing NOFS tools and applications, like AirTable and Slack, for effective staff communication
• Collaborating seamlessly with volunteers and other NOFF staff
• Cooperating with Tech staff to ensure equipment is safe and functional
• Working closely with the Equipment Manager to facilitate a seamless Festival experience, including providing feedback for future events